Diagnosis

Before I get into the diagnosis I MUST tell you about the funniest time I fell, it wasn't funny at the time but looking back it had to be spectacular.

I had resorted to taking my book and purse to my car in the morning and going back into the house for my lunch and drink because it was too much to carry them all at the same time. So I was going back up the stairs of the deck (which had no rails) and my legs gave way and I took a nose dive off the edge of the deck and did a face plant into the dirt! I had on a skirt which was now over my head, my underwear got caught on the box hedge, my shirt had slid up over my chest and my face was about 6 inches from a fire ant hill! OMG what a sight I had to have been. I rolled over, adjusted my clothes and laid on the ground fuming, I knew I couldn't get up and I knew nothing was broken. No one was home and my cell phone was in my purse in the car 50 feet from me. Luckily the man who lived across the street was out walking his dog and found me on the ground. He asked me if he could help but, he was disabled and I knew he couldn't help get me up, I had no strength to help myself.so I asked him to get my phone out of my purse so I could call someone to help. He was nice enough to stay with me until help could get there and also to NEVER MENTION it again! He passed away 2 years ago, God bless him, he was a kind man.

So on to my diagnosis.
I had gone to the ER and been told to go to chiropractor. (been there done that with no improvement) I called my primary and he was booked but I could see his nurse practitioner. I went in that afternoon. I told her my story, she checked my reflexes and I had none, the look on her face kinda worried me but not real bad. She left the room and came back in with my primary who asked some questions and checked my reflexes again, he hit me hard enough to bruise me, still nothing. He told me he wanted me to have an MRI and see a neurologist. I asked him what he thought it was and he told me he thought it was either MS or Guillian Barre Syndrome. I had heard of MS and knew I didn't want it to be that but I had no idea what GBS was. He told me we would cross that bridge when we got there. So they made the MRI appointment for the next day and the neurologist appointment for the day after that. I wasn't happy with the choice of neurologist but he was the only one who could work me in. (I'll just call him Dr. Quack)

I had my MRI and went to see Dr. Quack. He listened to me and immediately ruled out MS. He told me it was GBS but wanted a "lumbar puncture" to be sure. (lumbar puncture = nice way to say spinal tap) He admitted me to the hospital that day and the spinal tap was scheduled for the next day. GBS still wasn't really explained to me just that we had caught it early enough and that I would make a full recovery. I was so thankful and weak and tired I just didn't question anymore.

The next morning I called my brother and asked him to bring me some chapstick before he went into work. He got there just as I was being wheeled down for the spinal tap. He handed me the chapstick and I COULD NOT get the cap off. I saw my brother's heart break at that moment. I've always looked up to him and that's when how sick I was truly started to sink in. Also how much he loved me hit me and I started to cry. He took the cap off and put the chapstick on for me then gave me a hug and kiss, told me he loved me and left for work. He called our mom and told her how pitiful I was and made sure she was on her way to be with me.

Ok, pain set in again, got to stop here for now.