ldiebs

This is why I love Reddit.

This would be an atypical presentation of GBS, it's presentation is more likely to involve ascending progressive paresthesias and paralysis. She said she was worked up for autoimmune conditions, of which this one would be on that differential. The absence of a diagnosis doesn't wholly rule out GBS, but makes it less likely.

Anyone presenting in this condition for unknown reasons would receive a battery of tests to try and identify the cause as this can alter treatment approaches. The fact that they ultimately were unyielding indicates that it was 'idiopathic' or of not yet known etiology, or a variant of a known condition with negative testing, meaning that a definitive diagnosis cannot be established.

Edit: autocorrect doesn't like medical terminology

Sarcoidosis/amyloidosis/SLE(lupus)/syphilis and many others are known as the 'great mimickers' because they can present similarly to almost everything. They are great for medical students getting grilled on differentials because you can throw them in the differential and your attending can't deny the possibility of it being the diagnosis (however unlikely)

Edit: typo

So I'm halfway into my colonoscopy and it's going about as well as one would expect.

I hear my phone vibrating. I ask the Doc where the nurse put my pants, because I'm concerned about who is calling.

He reassures me, telling me that I can call back the caller after the procedure, and that my pants are simply hanging up on the wall beside his.

We have this legality thing In Canada, where they call nurses an 'essential service,' and have made it illegal for them to go on strike. This has obvious implications in terms of bargaining power.

Edit: apparently this is only in Canada, not in the NHS