Dad Assumed Tingling in His Hands Was Just Pins and Needles. Days Later, He Was Paralyzed: ‘Had to Sleep with My Eyes Open’

Getty A man in hospital bed (stock image) NEED TO KNOW Luke Pickering experienced full-body paralysis days after noticing tingling in his hands and feet The 31-year-old mechanic from Nottingham, England, was ultimately diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) GBS affects about one in 78,000 people per year worldwide A U.K. man felt tingling in his hands — and was soon completely paralyzed from the head down. Luke Pickering, 31, a mechanic from Nottingham, England, initially felt the tingling on an otherwise normal day in November 2023, per The Independent. He went to work, chalking up the sensation to pins and needles. However, he said the feeling had spread to his toes by the following day, and he was feeling an overall listlessness in his body. “I was carrying my eldest down the stairs and I just felt weak, and I thought I was going to drop him,” the father of two told the outlet. His partner, Alix, 31, insisted that he go to the local emergency room, where he was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) — a rare condition in which the immune system attacks a person’s nervous system. Pickering did not leave the hospital for 94 days. Marcus Brandt/picture alliance via Getty A hospital worker pushing bed (stock image) “I thought I'd be coming back out soon, but as the week progressed, I just got weaker and weaker. I went from using crutches to being put into a full hoist. I couldn’t do anything for myself,” he remembered. “I was paralyzed from the head down. Even my face was paralyzed, so I had to sleep with my eyes open for three weeks,” he added. Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Pickering was treated with immunotherapy, including intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) and plasma exchange, which is the standard treatment of care for the condition. However, his health continued to deteriorate and he was transferred to the intensive care unit. “I could feel myself getting worse. I prepared myself to say my goodbyes to my family, but I wasn't willing to say it. I just said, ‘See you later,’ ” he told The Independent, adding that Alix brought their 2-year-old son and newborn baby to visit every day. “I was really hard on myself at the time, but the only way I was going to be happy was by getting home. I was determined to get out and walk again,” he recalled. A third round of IVIG was successful, and Pickering was transferred out of the ICU and into a rehabilitation center just before Christmas 2023. He was able to walk again by February 2024, though he noted that it wasn’t an easy path. “I knew my body wasn’t ready for it, but you just have to keep doing it,” he said. Getty A man in physical therapy (stock image) Pickering — who said he still can’t feel his toes — has been home for about a year and is able to live life mostly normally these days. However, he said that the small chance that the condition could return keeps him up at night. “If I wake up in the middle of the night with pins and needles, that's it. I'm awake all night because I think it's happening again,” he said. After his experience, Pickering became a brand ambassador and volunteer for the National Rehabilitation Centre (NRC), a new 70-bed rehabilitation facility. “I just wanted to give back. When I was going through it, I wanted someone with a positive outcome to just talk to,” he said of his decision to volunteer. GBS affects about one in 78,000 people per year worldwide, per the Cleveland Clinic. Symptoms often begins with tingling and weakness in the feet and legs that spreads to the upper body and arms, though some people notice the first symptoms in the arms or face. As GBS progresses, muscle weakness can turn into paralysis — but it does not do so in most cases. For most people, body weakness typically peaks around three weeks after the initial onset of symptoms and then begins to improve. GBS usually affects people between the ages of 30 and 50, and often occurs after a viral infection, which in turn triggers an overactive immune response in the patient, according to the clinic. Read the original article on People