Nerve Damage caused by GBS & CIDP
The picture on the right shows a normal nerve and the type of damage that can be caused by GBS & CIDP.
The nerve is very much like a wire conducting signals within. It can't operate without the central cable (axon) or the outer coating (Myelin sheath). Some of these "wires" can be very long, in the worst case over 1 metre from the base of your spine to your toes, and in my case and even longer as I am taller!
In this case the Myelin sheath is attacked and damaged, hence the signals get disrupted and either take longer to get there in most cases, or fail to get there at all. Now the Myelin can repair itself and does over time, but repeated damage can cause more severe issues and thus disrupt the signal even more. This, in my opinion, seems to be, by far, the most common. The nerve conduction tests are run to confirm this issue.
Another case is where the actual Axon (wire) is broken/snapped, generally at one end or the other, it is believed. The problem here is that if the axon is broken at the far/bottom end it does not take long to regrow and recover, however if it is broken at the top end the time to re-grow will be considerable (for 1 metre they estimate 3 years!)
The third case is when the nerve path is actually blocked. This is where something has inserted itself in between the nerve path and actually halted the connection totally. In order to resume the connection the blockage has to be removed completely, but he use of various drugs etc.
As stated though the first case seems to be by far the most common.
The nerve is very much like a wire conducting signals within. It can't operate without the central cable (axon) or the outer coating (Myelin sheath). Some of these "wires" can be very long, in the worst case over 1 metre from the base of your spine to your toes, and in my case and even longer as I am taller!
In this case the Myelin sheath is attacked and damaged, hence the signals get disrupted and either take longer to get there in most cases, or fail to get there at all. Now the Myelin can repair itself and does over time, but repeated damage can cause more severe issues and thus disrupt the signal even more. This, in my opinion, seems to be, by far, the most common. The nerve conduction tests are run to confirm this issue.
Another case is where the actual Axon (wire) is broken/snapped, generally at one end or the other, it is believed. The problem here is that if the axon is broken at the far/bottom end it does not take long to regrow and recover, however if it is broken at the top end the time to re-grow will be considerable (for 1 metre they estimate 3 years!)
The third case is when the nerve path is actually blocked. This is where something has inserted itself in between the nerve path and actually halted the connection totally. In order to resume the connection the blockage has to be removed completely, but he use of various drugs etc.
As stated though the first case seems to be by far the most common.