A mother who couldn’t wait to have children has spoken of her pain after being paralysed by childbirth.
Holly Gerlach, 31, began to feel a mysterious tingling in her fingertips just over two weeks after giving birth to her daughter Casey.
Within 72 hours, she was left completely paralysed, unable to breathe independently.
After collapsing in the middle of the night, she rushed to Grey Nuns Hospital in Edmonton, Canada, where medics told her she was suffering from Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare condition which sees the body’s immune system attack its nervous system.
Miss Gerlach thought she was going to die or be stuck in a wheelchair for the rest of her life – but fortunately made a full recovery.
After collapsing in the middle of the night, Holy Gerlach, 31, rushed to hospital where medics told her she was suffering from a rare condition which sees the body’s immune system attack its nervous system
‘Casey is my only child and I’d been so excited to be a mum,’ said human resources worker Miss Gerlach.
‘In hospital, all I could think about was her. I missed her so much. I thought I was going to die, or that even if I did recover, I’d be in a wheelchair.’
Following a healthy pregnancy, Miss Gerlach delivered Casey via Caesarean section in February 2011.
She was allowed straight home to start her new life as a parent after being given the all-clear by hospital staff.
But, around three weeks later, she began to experience a tingling in her fingertips and weakness in her legs.
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Thinking she had the flu, she consulted her GP, but was simply told she had a pinched nerve and sent home to recover.
But later that night, she got up to feed Casey and collapsed after her legs gave out.
Her then-husband – Casey’s dad – took her to hospital, but she was adamant she wouldn’t be there for long.
Almost immediately, medics diagnosed Miss Gerlach with Guillain-Barre syndrome.
Though they are still unsure as to the exact cause, they believe childbirth was the trigger for the potentially fatal condition.
Following a healthy pregnancy, Miss Gerlach delivered Casey via Caesarean section in February 2011. Though they are still unsure as to the exact cause, they believe childbirth was the trigger for the potentially fatal condition, pictured during recovery (right) and after (left)
Unable to talk due to a tube in her throat, she had to use a letter board to communicate with her family. Casey was brought in to see her every day and placed on her chest so the new mum could feel close to her baby
Miss Gerlach said: ‘I just remember being really scared, and depressed about being away from Casey, who was only 20 days old at the time’
Just 72 hours after her symptoms had first struck, the new mother was completely paralysed.
‘I was told my case was very severe,’ she said. ‘I was in a lot of pain, so I was very sedated and my memory is quite hazy.
‘I just remember being really scared, and depressed about being away from Casey, who was only 20 days old at the time.’
Unable to even breathe without medical support, Miss Gerlach was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit.
There, doctors performed two different types of blood-cleansing treatment – one of which almost killed her.
She explained: ‘When one of the tubes was inserted to start the treatment, it ruptured an artery.
‘I was rushed down for emergency surgery, which took around five hours. Doctors told my family that I probably wouldn’t make it through the night.
‘Luckily, I pulled through, but I’ve been left with a scar from just under my chest all the way down to my groin.’
For around six weeks, Miss Gerlach was completely paralysed.
Unable to talk due to a tube in her throat, she had to use a letter board to communicate with her family.
Casey was brought in to see her every day and placed on her chest so the new mum could feel close to her baby.
After six weeks, Miss Gerlach’s fingertips started to move again. She slowly grew stronger and learnt how to breathe on her own again, pictured earlier this year with 5-year-old Casey
Now, Miss Gerlach is more or less completely recovered and goes to the gym almost daily. She claims she is even stronger now than she was before being struck by the terrifying illness, pictured after recovery
‘It was very hard seeing her and not being able to properly cuddle her or talk to her,’ she said.
‘I became extremely depressed. Sometimes I’d rather she didn’t have to see me like this because I couldn’t be the mother she needed me to be.’
After six weeks, Miss Gerlach’s fingertips started to move again. From there, she slowly grew stronger and regained movement across her body.
She also learnt how to breathe on her own again, which she said was the most difficult thing she has ever done.
‘At first, I was taken off the ventilator for 30 seconds to try and breathe on my own. It was so difficult, I felt like I’d run a marathon,’ she said.
GUILLAIN-BARRE SYNDROME
Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) is a rare and serious condition of the peripheral nervous system where the body’s immune system attacks part of the nervous system.
The exact cause of GBS is unknown but it is thought it’s triggered by an infection which triggers the immune system to attack nerve roots.
Symptoms usually develop two to four weeks after a minor infection and start in the feet and hands before spreading to the arms and then legs.
Patients also get pain, tingling and numbness and can have problems with muscle weakness, co-ordination problems and unsteadiness.
‘Then, doctors gradually increased the time I was off the ventilator for until my lungs were strong enough.’
From there, Miss Gerlach was moved to a stroke ward for another six weeks, during which time she worked hard to strengthen her arm muscles and fine motor skills.
Then, she was transferred to Edmonton’s Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, where she underwent intensive physiotherapy.
In time, she progressed from being completely reliant on a wheelchair, to being able to move around with the aid of a walker.
By the time she was finally discharged for good – 126 days after she’d first gone to hospital – she had begun to practice walking with a cane.
Remarkably, just three weeks later, she was walking completely unaided.
‘I got stronger every day,’ she said. ‘It was amazing to be back home with Casey. At first, I struggled a little as I was still very weak.
‘I couldn’t lift her up or do a lot around the house. It took some time before I felt normal again.
‘Though Casey and I connected and bonded, I think all that time away from her had impacted things. For a while, I felt like I didn’t really know her or understand why she’d be crying.
‘She’d cry for her dad because she was used to being at home with him. It took a good eight months before I really understood her needs.’
Now, Miss Gerlach is more or less completely recovered and goes to the gym almost daily – as she feels even stronger now than she was before being struck by the terrifying illness.
She said: ‘Casey and I are doing brilliantly. She knows what happened to me, and as she gets older she’ll understand more.
‘I never imagined I’d start parenthood this way, but I’m still here for my daughter.’