Happy Thanksgiving
It has been a difficult year for me, with no hint of what was to come when it began. From the loss of my lifemate, to the recent discovery that my inability to walk is perhaps not fixable after all, and financial impacts from all of this, it could be a time of great depression. But I don’t feel that way.
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In this case, it is a clever trick evolved by Campylobacter jejuni; its external membrane has become an excellent mimic for the external membrane of the Schwann cells that wrap the axons of the peripheral nervous system.
The antibodies triggered into production by the presence of the bacteria are just as happy to rip the coverings off of the nerves that operate voluntary muscles, and provide sensations back to the brain. Hence the "auto-immune" designation.
The damage generally starts with the longest axons, the ones reaching from spine to toes. The the next longest, and so on. Feet, legs, hands, arms, abdomen (this last is a nuisance in embarrassing ways) and can affect face and eyes as well.
The disease kills by reaching the diaphragm; you can no longer breathe. But I am a long way from that point, and expect to never let it progress that far. The treatment should elicit a detectable positive response within days.
Now to wait for the doctor to return from vacation, so it can start...
CIDP (and the related GBS) can occur weeks after the initial bacterial infection. In this case, the food poisoning that killed my Lady and clobbered me receded after three weeks - but the nerve damage started to become apparent only six weeks after that.
===|==============/ Keith DeHavelle
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