Back to the Hospital

By the time I had my appointment with the neurologist I was experiencing a lot of pain. My legs and feet were so sensitive it hurt to just touch them. After speaking with the neurologist and going through a series of tests, he told me he had some bad news. He explained that he was pretty certain I had guillain-barré syndrome. 
Guillain-WHAT?!
If you have never heard of it, you are not alone. It is rare, afflicting only one in 100,000 people. So, basically I am really special! Ha ha! Because I can barely pronounce it or spell it, from now on I will refer to it as GBS.
GBS is a rapid-onset muscle weakness caused by the immune system damaging the peripheral nervous system. The symptoms of Guillain-Barre syndrome typically begin with tingling and weakness in the feet and legs that gradually moves up to the rest of the body. It is described as a "symmetrical ascending radiculopathy," meaning that often weakness starts in both legs and then slowly moves up the body with both arms being affected too. The weakness gradually worsens and turns into paralysis. (Medical News Today)
Ok, that's enough of the medical terms. In my case, everything from the waist down, my lips, and my fingertips were affected. 
The doctor had more bad news for me....I was to go check-in at the hospital and would need to stay a minimum of five days. Immunoglobulin therapy is used to treat GBS: I was given immunoglobulins (also known as antibodies) from donors. This treatment blocks the harmful antibodies involved in the autoimmune response.
Chris and I went and grabbed a late lunch then headed to the hospital to check in to my room. We arrived at the hospital around 4:30 pm and I was not completely checked in and in a bed until around 7:00 pm. I was really hurting at this point. I heard a nurse in the hall tell the other nurse: "we need to get her something for relief, she is literally shaking and she says she is hot."
Chris headed home to pick up our boys, I got an IV, started my first round of immunoglobulins, some pain medication, and laid back and waited for my sister in law to get there. She spent the night with me that night. I slept a total of one hour. I couldn't get comfortable, but my sister in law was a trooper and stayed up most of the night with me. We giggled and acted like a couple junior high girls, it was a wonderful distraction from what was going on!
One night down...four more to go!