Name: Ananth Rao (54)
Condition: Diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome
Status: Recovered after four months.
In May 2021, Ananth Rao felt a sudden numbness in his legs while at home in Bengaluru. After visiting several doctors for more than a week, the 54-year-old was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome. But by then Rao couldn’t move his body and the paralysis had spread to most of his body, including his face.
I was infected with Covid-19 on 8 May 2021 and stayed in the ICU for almost a week. I then remained under home isolation for another week. By May 21, I had fully recovered. But on May 25, I started to experience numbness in my feet, and found it difficult to get up from the bed.
Fearing post-Covid complications, I went to the hospital again. I could sense a tingling sensation in my feet. The doctors did a routine check, started to correct my low sodium levels and informed me that I would be fine after a while. After completing the treatment, I returned home. I still felt very tired and weak but assumed it was because of the treatment and consuming too many medicines.
However, the next morning I could sense paralysis in my face and body. I was then diagnosed with Bell’s palsy (temporary weakness or paralysis of the facial muscles) at an ENT clinic. The paralysis had slowly started to spread all over the body when I decided to consult a neurologist, who diagnosed me with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS).
I was told that it was a rare syndrome, but many people were getting infected with it post-Covid. I didn’t have any knowledge about the disease at the time. I was immediately shifted to the ICU and the treatment began. The doctors told me that I needed intravenous immune globulin (IVIG) treatment. They told me that it was a 10ml injection and each injection would take about 3.5 hours to complete. I had to take about three injections per day for four to five days. It was difficult to stay awake throughout.
I was discharged after a week in hospital, but I couldn’t move my body or walk. I was also unable to grip anything in my hands. I started with physiotherapy, and my therapist helped me to return to normal life with a lot of exercises. I fell down several times at home while trying to walk by myself, but I didn’t give up. I knew I had to recover soon since my family was really worried about me. It took more than a month for me to start walking by myself and slowly I started other activities including driving my car.
Today, I’m happy that I have returned to my normal life but I’m still very conscious about my health since I fear suffering a relapse.
Few people are aware of GBS and that a late diagnosis could lead to many complications. I keep narrating my story to people to spread more awareness about the disease.
As told to Pragna L Krupa