Your child has Guillain-Barré (gee-YAN BUH-ray) syndrome but is well enough to finish getting better at home. Most kids and teens fully recover, but healing can take weeks to months. Use these instructions to care for your child at home.

• Follow your health care provider's recommendations for:
  • giving your child any medicines
  • whether your child should get a flu shot
  • whether your child should go to occupational therapy (OT) or physical therapy (PT)
• Follow a normal routine as much as your child's energy and strength allow.
• Let your child rest when needed.
• If your child has muscle aches and your health care provider says it's OK, you can give acetaminophen (Tylenol® or a store brand) or ibuprofen (Advil®, Motrin®, or a store brand). Follow the directions on the package for how much to give and how often.
• If your child seems down because they can't do the things they did before, offer support and remind them of the improvements they have made. Offer to make an appointment for them to talk to a counselor.
• Go to all follow-up care visits. Your health care provider may want to do more tests to check how your child is doing.

• Numbness, tingling, or weakness come back, get worse, or spread to new areas of the body.

• Your child has trouble breathing or swallowing.

What happens in Guillain-Barré syndrome? In Guillain-Barré syndrome the body's immune system attacks nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. This causes temporary weakness or paralysis (not being able to move certain parts of the body). Kids and teens with Guillain-Barré syndrome have mild to severe muscle weakness and muscle pain. It also can cause tingling, numbness, or "pins and needles" feelings in the arms, legs, and upper body.

What causes Guillain-Barré syndrome? The most common type of Guillain-Barré syndrome can happen after viral illnesses like a cold or stomach flu. Antibodies (proteins that fight the infection) attack the body's own nerves and cause damage. Nobody knows yet exactly why this happens.

What are the treatments for Guillain-Barré syndrome? These treatments may help:

• immunoglobulin or "IVIg" — an injection of proteins that help lessen the immune system's attack on the body
• plasmapheresis, which works like a filter to remove harmful antibodies from the blood
• rehabilitation with physical therapy and occupational therapy