Guillan-Barre Syndrome versus Multiple Sclerosis

[kellyjean488]

Can a Doctor please answer these questions:

Has a person with GBS ever been diagnosed mistakenly with MS? Does GBS cause demylenating lesions in the brain like in MS? In MS, does a person have the same irrergular heart beat, paralysis of breathing?

Also, when a spinal tap is done, and they are looking for MS, what are the actual, if any, differentials between MS and GBS? And, can the person testing the spinal fluid for MS, actually be able to tell whether or not it is GBS, especially if the doctor has not asked for that, to look at GBS?

I need help here, Please...

Thanks for your time.

[kellyjean488]

Figures....

No reply. The sites no good unless you have a simple question that doesn't require much of an "EDUCATED" answer.

[kellyjean488]

Thank you for answering my question. I do apologize for this long explanation.

I am supposed to have a spinal tap soon. The neurologist suspects MS.
HISTORY:
Had a hysterectomy a year ago and got the resistant staph infection. They almost killed me. Everything in my body was out of wack, because it took them over a week to figure out that they were treating me with the wrong antibiotics. 6 months after this, I started having palpitations in my chest. I thought my heart was fibrillating or something. Then I would have the sensation of not be able to breathe in or out. It was like it just stopped. Not for very long of course or I wouldn't be typing right now. Then it started happening more. I would get dizzy, my legs would go numb. But I thought the leg numbness was due to my back, mild lumbar stenosis, L4&L5.  But then I almost fell down my stairs. My feet were numb.

Palpitations, Low blood pressure with increased pulse, dizziness and not being able to breath was becoming worse. I finally went to the doctor. Had myoview stress test = Heart great shape, no problem, no blockage. Then they thought, Pulmonary Embolism. Tested, NO PE. I do however have per report, "Residual Thymic Tissue and 2 small lung nodules". I thought maybe my phrenic nerve was being affected somehow. Had neck x-ray, nothing significant. Just normal aging.

Then my WHOLE face and throat went numb one morning and I had to hold my head up with my hand. Lasted, I don't know, a minute maybe, can't really remember. Then that night, it started in my tounge, the whole tounge went numb then the face and into my throat. It almost felt like my throat was closing. I thought, Lord, I'm having a stroke. Got out of bed, stayed calmed and was about to call 911 and it went away. So I went back to bed. The next morning, while working, I had the strangest headache, confused and knew something was wrong. I went to the ER and I told the ER doctor that something was definately wrong with my brain and to please scan it. CT Scan without contrast, 2 lesions showed up. He said that there was no indication of a stroke. And scheduled me with a follow-up appt. with a neurologist.

Had MRI, 2 white matter demylenating lesions. One on the right and one on the left. She want's to do a spinal tap. The palpitations and not being able to breath have stopped and I have more feeling back in my feet again. Oh yeah, I had 4 blood tranfusions when I was in the hospital and the only reason they figured that out was when they did the contrast CT scan and my heart freaked out because my blood was so low.

I am extremely upset and frustrated with the medical community in my area. No one seems to be able to give me an answer. They just kill you out of ignorance.

[Abhijeet Deshmukh, MD]

Hello.

I have a link for you to read. GBS can mimic MS lesions on MRI.

http://adc.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/86/4/304

In spinal tap, they look for raise IgG Index, oligoclonal bands in MS. Whereas, in GBS, there is a rise of proteins without a rise in the number of cells in the CSF (acellular rise of proteins). The lab person can test the same sample for proteins.

Have you been diagnosed MS?

Regards