Questions posted in the Neurology and Neurosurgery Forum have been answered by doctors from The Cleveland Clinic Foundation.

Question Title: Searching for infromation.

Forum: Neurology Forum
Topic: Guillain Barre Syndrome


Hi my name is Rhonda and I think I have been diagnosed wrong.
About 4 years ago I had a very bad cold, high fever, and strep throat, I didn't
go to the doctors, then after a week of being sick I woke up one morning and
I couldn't move my legs. My legs were very swallon and if they were touched,
it was so painful that I would scream. I was taken to the hospital, where I stayed
for 5 days. My fever kept going up and down for 3 days, the doctor kept running test,
but he couldn't figure out what was a wrong, then on the 4th night he said that he
thought that I had Rheumatic Fever. I regained some use of my legs and was sent
home. I walked with a cane for about 1 1/2 months, then regained full use of them.

Now every once in awhile when I get sick I have pain in my legs (like a toothache)
not bad pain.

I was talking to a nurse last week about this and she said that it did not sound
like Rheumatic Fever that it sounded like this GBS.

I would like to know if it was GBS or Rheumatic Fever.
Thanks for your help.


=
This sounds fairly atypical for GBS, swelling of the legs is unusual,
as is pain to touch.
If GBS comes on this rapidly it usually progreses up the legs to involve
the breathing muscles, yours seemed to come on overnight and then
stop abruptly, which is not a pattern I would expect in GBS.
I cannot give a definite answer on this, if your reflexes were totally
absent innyour legs and protein was elevated in the spinal fluid ( if a spinal tap
was done)then this would support a diagnosis of GBS, overall I think that
this description does not fit very well with GBS, but with the
information available it is impossible to be sure.




[Neurology Forum]      [Neurology Forum Archives]