One day I woke up with pins and needles in my hands and toes... a week later I was paralysed

LUKE 'PREPARED TO SAY HIS GOODBYES' BUT IS NOW A VOLUNTEER AMBASSADOR AFTER LONG REHABILITATION

- By RUCSANDRA MOLDOVEANU

LUKE Pickering went to work as normal when he woke up with pins and needles in his hands and toes one morning.

But only a week later, his whole body was paralysed, including his face.

Luke, now 31, initially thought nothing of the pins and needles. The father-of-two then contacted his GP, who booked him in for blood tests, the next day as the sensation spread to his toes.

Things then took a turn for the worse and Luke, who worked as a mechanic, was diagnosed with a rare condition.

He said: "I was carrying my eldest down the stairs and suddenly felt like I was going to collapse, I felt so weak. I wanted to go to work as normal but my partner Alix insisted that we go to A&E at King's Mill Hospital. I was diagnosed there with Guillain-Barre syndrome and admitted to hospital."

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is where the immune system begins to attack the nervous system and it is normally triggered by a viral infection. It is treated through immunotherapy including intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and plasma exchange.

Luke, from Annesley, said: "I thought I would just be there for a day or so, but within a few days I was paralysed from the head down. Even my face was paralysed so I had to sleep with my eyes open for three weeks.