Guillain-Barré gets worse for weeks, then stops

Guillain-Barré syndrome is a rare disorder in which the immune system attacks
the peripheral nervous system — the nerves connecting brain and spinal
cord to the rest of the body. Damaged, those nerves struggle to transmit
signals, so the muscles have trouble responding to the brain.

Nobody knows what causes it. Sometimes it is triggered by an infection,
surgery or a vaccination.

The course it runs

1. **The first symptom is usually weakness or a tingling feeling in the
   legs.**
2. The feeling spreads to the upper body.
3. In severe cases you become almost paralysed — life-threatening, and you
   might need a respirator to breathe.
4. Symptoms usually worsen over a period of weeks and then stabilise.

That fourth step is worth knowing in advance. Guillain-Barré is a disease that
gets worse on a schedule and then stops getting worse, which is not how most
frightening illnesses behave.

Diagnosis and treatment

It can be hard to diagnose. Possible tests are nerve tests and a
spinal tap.

Treatment helps the symptoms and may include medicines or a procedure
called plasma exchange.

Recovery

Most people recover. Recovery takes a few weeks to a few years — a
range wide enough that it is the honest answer rather than a useful one, and
worth hearing at the start rather than discovering later.

*Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, via
MedlinePlus.*