33-Year-Old Woman Struck by Rare Syndrome: "I Woke Up with Numbness, and Within Days I Was Paralyzed"

Roan Salem, a 33-year-old accountant from the north, began suffering from a tingling sensation in her hands and within a few days found herself sedated and ventilated, paralyzed in all four limbs and fighting for her life. What initially seemed like a gastrointestinal virus quickly developed into Guillain-Barre syndrome — a rare neurological disease in which the immune system attacks the nerves.

"It was during the war, I had stomach pains and bloating, but I continued to work as usual," she says. "In retrospect, I realized that I was under stress and that my body was not as strong as I thought." According to her, one morning she woke up with a tingling sensation in her hands. "At a certain point, I could no longer stand it." The family doctor estimated that it was a passing phenomenon and recommended that she perform blood tests, and at the same time place a towel with cold water on her hands, hoping that it would relieve the tingling sensation. However, during that day her condition deteriorated.

"In the evening I started to eat, and the food just escaped from my mouth. I also felt tingling in my mouth." She consulted with an online doctor, and he recommended that she go to an urgent care center. Salem decided to wait for the morning, but at night she could no longer sleep. "I got up and felt that something in my body was really not right." In the morning she went to one of the hospitals in the north. "They did tests on me and said that I must be hospitalized because something in the nervous system is not functioning properly." The day after that, she underwent a test in which fluid was taken from her back, and at the end of it she was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome.

She immediately began receiving treatment via infusion. But even the treatment did not stop the deterioration of the disease. "Suddenly I didn't feel my legs. I fell and was unable to get up alone, shower, or go to the bathroom. The next day the disease already affected the lungs. I couldn't breathe on my own. They told me that I had turned blue, I had no oxygen. They transferred me to intensive care, ventilated and sedated me for eight days."

After waking up, Salem began to breathe on her own, and was later transferred to the rehabilitation department at the Emek Medical Center. She arrived bedridden, suffering from severe weakness in all four limbs, dependent on a feeding tube and needing full help with every daily activity. "I got out of bed only with the help of a crane and ate through a tube. But I decided that I was returning to my life, even if the road would be difficult." For 50 days she underwent intensive rehabilitation, and at the end of it she managed to return to walking, eating on her own and returning to independence.

About two weeks ago she was discharged to her home, but according to her, the road to recovery has not yet ended. "I thought that at home it would be easier, but it is actually harder for me there. In the hospital everyone knows that you are sick and takes care of you, and at home you have to start dealing with life. It is still difficult for me to eat because of swallowing problems. I am still not me." The neurologists explained to her that the recovery process from the disease may take many long months. "I woke up with tingling in my hand, and within a few days I was paralyzed. They told me that the symptoms could last about half a year, and it could take the body even a year to return to itself."

Guillain-Barre syndrome is a rare disease in which the immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system, which can cause severe weakness and even paralysis, explains Dr. Afif Saaida, director of the rehabilitation department at the medical center. According to him, the incidence of the disease is about one to two cases per hundred thousand, but the symptoms can be different. "Sometimes the disease manifests itself in weakness and mild disturbances in the limbs, and sometimes in respiratory failure and damage to the brainstem nerves. Roan's condition at the beginning of the road was one of the most complex we have seen. She arrived with significant weakness in all four limbs, severe impairment in the ability to swallow and complete dependence on a tube and the care team. From the very first day we built for her an intensive and multidisciplinary rehabilitation program, and to our joy we saw gradual and impressive progress until an almost full return to functioning and independence."

Roan underwent rehabilitation accompanied by a multidisciplinary team that included physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychology, nursing and social work. During the hospitalization she had to relearn how to swallow and eat after suffering from a swallowing disorder, and at the same time worked on strengthening muscles, balance and the ability to perform basic daily activities again such as sitting, standing, walking, dressing and eating. Alongside the physical rehabilitation, the team also accompanied the mental coping with the sharp transition from a young, independent and healthy woman to almost complete dependence on those around her.

"Roan arrived after a period of prolonged ventilation, with very severe weakness, but from the first moment her determination and desire to rehabilitate stood out," says Mor Agozi, the physiotherapist who accompanied her throughout the process. "We started with exercises in bed, moved to sitting, standing and walking, and also integrated hydrotherapy and an advanced anti-gravity system. Her improvement was extraordinary, far beyond what could have been expected."

Dr. Saaida emphasizes in conclusion that "Guillain-Barre syndrome is usually considered a one-time disease and most patients will not experience it again. In rare cases, the disease can recur months and even years after recovery. Therefore, any patient who has experienced Guillain-Barre in the past and develops renewed progressive weakness, tingling, difficulty walking and other symptoms should seek medical evaluation as soon as possible."