Those of you who follow my social media will know I have not been well recently.

At first I thought I was just dealing with a broken foot last October but was later diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome and spent a number of weeks in hospital. I'd never heard of this condition before, but it's where the immune system attacks the nervous system. It struck out of the blue but maybe it was triggered by a minor sickness bug I'd suffered from a few weeks earlier. I was glad to be looked after in hospital, I was too well for IVIG treatment, so I had to rely on painkillers when needed and sleeping/resting as much as I could - hard to do in a hospital environment.

As a holistic therapist I know the value of a positive mindset, good diet and gentle exercise so it was time to put that in action. I researched into what foods/vitamins are good for the nervous system, ordered a jumbo pot of B complex vitamins, My husband brought in overnight oats for my breakfast each day, I added walnuts, pumpkin seeds, bananas and blueberries so I felt I was doing something positive whilst waiting for my body to heal. Thankfully dark chocolate is also good for the nervous system so I had a square or two each day.

Before falling ill I was very active and regularly swam, cycled, walked long distances as well as recently taking up rowing, I was a member of Tarka Leisure and went to Body Pump twice a week as well as aerobics. It was very surreal not being able to move my feet or legs. I feel my fitness helped me cope with GBS as I had to use my upper body strength to get myself upright. I knew it was important to keep the brain/muscle connections so tried to do as much as I could for myself...I had plenty of time lying in bed. Hauling myself out of bed and shuffling to the toilet on the ward with a zimmer frame used to take nearly 30 minutes..... I used to spend a lot of time massaging aromatherapy oils into my legs and feet - I regarded it as physio and the smell was uplifting. My husband brought in my 1kg weights and I used to lift them several times a day. In hospital you're woken during the night for blood pressure checks, I found it difficult to fall asleep afterwards so I would have a routine of body massage, weights and then listening to a sound bath via my headphones and eye mask (essential for sleeping in hospitals).
I recommend Path to Moksha on Youtube - Nervous system reset - I still listen to it now, it's really relaxing and restorative.

I spend 2 weeks at South Molton hospital having rehab, such a great team of people who are really committed to getting you back on your feet. I was discharged home on 10th December with a walking frame, crutches, a shower stool and a stool for the kitchen.

9 weeks on from discharge I have improved so much. I'm now walking unaided and can do most household tasks, I still need to rest a fair bit but some days my life feels nearly normal again. I'm still having physio visits each week and I now take part in a Good Boost Aqua class at Tarka leisure which I love. I'm trying to get back to a daily practise of yoga - although at the moment it is only 5-10 minutes of stretching but it's great to unroll the mat each day.

Recovery rates for GBS vary from 6 months to a year. I'm recovering well but it's hard to say when I'll be well enough to return to my reflexology practise, I need to be 100% fit so I can care for my clients.
I plan to have a phased return to work, opening just for 1 or 2 days a week. I will update my social media pages with my progress