Today marks the 6th anniversary of my battle with Guillain-Barre. The good news, this will be a very short update: Everything is fine. The war has been over for a few years now, and I don’t even think about it on a day-to-day basis. My kids reminded me of it last weekend though, and I’ve had a few emails from other survivors who want me to keep posting updates because they gain inspiration from knowing someone who beat it. So I thought I’d post a note.

As far as I can tell, I don’t have any long-term damage from the GBS that I haven’t overcome. I can walk long distances without issue and my energy level on a day to day basis is just fine. My anxiety about having a relapse every time I get a sniffle is gone as well (though I don’t get the yearly flu shot because I don’t trust my immune system to react correctly to it, and if someone is sick in the office, I send them home. I’m not taking any chances.)

I have, of course, aged six years during this time as well, so other things have happened that affect me more than the GBS. My hair is greyer. My vision has gone all to crap for up close reading without glasses. I had shoulder surgery in December to fix a torn labrum I suffered way back in college, and I’m still in physical therapy weekly to recover from that. All pretty normal stuff for a 46 year old guy, GBS or not.

So for those of you who are reading this and dealing with your own GBS Battle, I hope this gives you some solace that recovery is possible. I wish you all the best in your fight, and I am rooting for each and every one of you!