Guillain-Barre syndrome
 

Hi again. Just been doing some google searches into NP.

What l have come to realize whilst reading, is it states GBS, is one of the causes of PN, but GBS may occur along with viral infections such as Herpes Simplex. In the past few years ago l was getting cold sore maybe every 1-2 months, and had to start taking Lyasine supplements, one per day at first and now l tend to take it just one week before menstruation. Which tends to keep them away, but l still get them even when supplementing If l forget to take them at the right time, l break out in a huge massive cold sore over my mouth, once l had it over my nose, which l have never had before.

Is it possible that l may have GBS? Is it possible that the herpes virus has attacked my nerve ending over time and damaged them, or something of the sorts?

My NP came on pretty suddenly. I got the burning feet and the hands followed 2 days later. When l read all the GBS symptoms l have some but not all. Is there a test that can diagnose GBS?
I have had numb left toes on and off for years, so not sure if this sensory PN or GBS?


Cheers
Sue

GBS is very dramatic. My neighbor got this after chemo, and then after a virus. She was paralyzed in 3 days. It took a couple of weeks on plasmapheresis to turn her around.

GBS affects motor neurons, and is quite severe. Some people never recover. It can follow vaccines. That is where most of the cases come from. But also certain food borne infections like Campylobacter from uncooked chicken.

Herpes simplex is related to Herpes Zoster...which is shingles.
Zoster can cause years of pain in nerves. Shingles typically only causes pain when the blisters are coming and erupt.

Getting simplex like you describe is severe...you should be on a
prophylactic antiviral daily to suppress it. It will erupt when your immune system is weak.

Post viral states are implicated in some PNs however.

Hi mrsD- Hope you are well.

So l don't think l have this, like you said, l would be quiet ill.

What exactly is prophylactic antiviral?

I guess going on what my body tells me, my immune system must weak the week leading up to my period, as this is when l am likely to have an outbreak.

Post viral states are implicated in some PNs.
What do you mean by this?

Sue

People with severe frequent outbreaks of Herpes Simplex,
are given daily antiviral treatments in the US. Valtrex is one example, to suppress outbreaks.

Some people get a whole body skin burning sensory PN after a viral illness. Glenntaj here had that. He posts about it often.
I believe is mostly over his attack, but it took a couple of years to improve.

Yes--
 

--a number of acute onset neuropathies are associated with previous infections--both viral and bacterial--most likely through autoimmune molecular mimicry. The theory is that the body is invaded by a pathogen, mounts an immune response, fights it off, even, but the now activated immune system, which works by shape--antibodies are produced to "fit" pathogens spatially, like a key in a lock--goes after anything with a similar shape. A number of pathogens, including those Mrs. D mentions, have cell wall shapes similar to many people's nerve epitope shapes, and it is theorized that the antibodies then go after those nerve components.

This is certainly the leading candidate for cause in my case, although we never found any direct evidence. There was, however, some evidence of Epstein-Barr Virus reactivation--and EBV is one of those pathogens that has been implicated in acute-onset neuropathies.

Classic Gullain Barre is an autoimmune demyelinating acute onset neuropathy--the immune response is against myelin sheathing, so it attacks large calibre nerves and leads to severe motor symptoms, and some sensory ones. There are variants, including some that have a more prominent sensory component and less of a motor one. And, there is an entity known as acute onset axonal neuropathy, which is a Gullain-Barre like syndrome that attacks the axons (the nerve fibers themselves) and thus may, depending on individual body chemistry and the prior infection/events, attacks small-fiber nerves preferentially (the small fibers are unmyelinated and subsume sensations of temperature and pain--this is what we think happened with me).

Take a look at:

http://neuromuscular.wustl.edu/time/...htm#neuropathy

http://neuromuscular.wustl.edu/antibody/gbs.htm#sens

http://neuromuscular.wustl.edu/senso...html#sfpnacute

Have you heard of lysine supplements to help stave off the cold sores?
They seems to help most of the time for me.

So if l understand you correctly, if PN is caused by Herpes Simplex virus in the system, then does that mean that the PN can disappear or improve over time?

What kind of a blood test should l as for to see if this is the cause?

Sue