My husband, Pat, had GBS in 1999. He was only 31 yrs. old at the time and very physically active. He was a flooring installer, working 60-70 hrs a week. Hard physical labor. His symptoms started with flu-like symptoms: fatigued, weak, fever, whole body hurt. That lasted about a week and a half. Then his feet started going numb, his hands going numb, having trouble walking and balancing himself, and still feeling like he had the flu.Then during the third week, he couldn't close his eyelids, close his mouth to eat or drink, couldn't sleep because he was in so much pain and misery. We had already seen four different doctors with a different diagnosis each time ranging from: the flu, restless leg syndrome, muscles where in shock from not working, bell's palsy, etc. Finally in week four we went to a neurologist that studied rare diseases, he diagnosed Pat within 10 minutes of him examining Pat.  By this time he was having trouble breathing, couldn't walk on his own, had no control over any part of his body.  They admitted him in the hospital immediately in ICU. The only accurate test to do to properly diagnose him was a spinal-tap. They did the spinal-tap right there in the room he was in and it came back positive. So they started him on IV steroids until they could get the immune globulin to give him. It took three days to get the medicine, he was administered it by IV once a day for 7 days. It took about an hour for it to run into his body. He was on oxygen, but no respirator. He had to go to physical therapy for a year, three times a week, to regain his muscles that he lost during a three month duration of having GBS. It took him almost 10 yrs. to get over this disease. It is a depressing, miserable, painful and scary disease that doctors really don't know a whole lot about it. Pat is completely recovered now and working a full-time, very physical and laboring job! We did not receive any type of disability assistance, according to disability guidelines, Pat did not qualify. This disease takes a toll not only on the person that has it, but it also takes a toll on the family members as well. If anyone thinks they may have this disease they should find a neurologist to do a spinal tap and get treatment immediately, children and the elderly are at the highest risk of death.  I thank God everyday that Pat is living a normal life. We had three children (all boys) at the time he was diagnosed: Dustin-11 yrs. old, Logan-18 months old, and Bailey-2 months old. we now have four Peyton- born 2001. I hope that our story may help someone out there with concerns or questions. Thank you for allowing me to share it.