What started as a seemingly ordinary morning for one woman quickly turned into a harrowing ordeal. Initially attributing her discomfort to typical back pain, she now shares her story as a cautionary tale after enduring several transformative weeks.

From her hospital bed, Kaci Shiers turned to TikTok to disclose the unexpected diagnosis she received. “On September 23, I woke up with back pain, thinking it was just a pinched nerve,” she recounted in her video. “But over the following days, my condition worsened. I experienced increasing pain and leg weakness, eventually leading to a fall down the stairs.”

This alarming incident compelled Kaci to seek medical help, although she felt her concerns were initially dismissed. However, an emergency call in September landed her in the hospital, where she has been under care ever since. She explained, “I lost control over half of my facial movements, which was terrifying. Within the first week, my health deteriorated rapidly, and I became unable to move or walk.”

As her condition worsened, Kaci spent much of her time unconscious, prompting her to question the severity of her illness with the doctors. “I underwent numerous tests, including several MRIs, CT scans, and a lumbar puncture. Then, after a week in the hospital, my bladder also ceased functioning,” she shared.

These symptoms eventually led to a diagnosis of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune disorder where the body’s immune system attacks the nervous system, often resulting in paralysis and weakness. Despite the diagnosis, Kaci’s struggle was far from over.

Ultimately it led to her being diagnosed with GBS [Guillain-Barré syndrome] – a rare autoimmune disorder that sees sufferers’ immune system attack their nervous system around the spine, causing paralysis and weakness. However, her ordeal was far from over.

“My body was attacking itself,” Kaci revealed. “They also found swelling on my brain and spine that isn’t linked to GBS and I’m still under investigation for that.”

She continued: “A week before coming to hospital I was a normal 24-year old girl, but then I wasn’t able to wash myself, feed myself or brush my hair and teeth.” Expressing her gratitude towards her loved ones, Kaci said: “It’s been a really scary experience, but they have made it just that little bit less scary… I’ve not felt alone in this.”

For now, Kaci is patiently waiting for her GBS treatment to “take its course” as she hopes to recover. “I can now sit up and lift my head,” she shared. “And I have been able to stand with a little bit of help, which I couldn’t do two days ago. It’s like baby steps and this isn’t going to be a quick recovery in the slightest. It is going to be – and always will be – the hardest thing to go through in my life.”

She reiterated: “I was a normal 24-year old and now I have to learn to walk again.”

The NHS website offers further guidance on GBS, advising: “You may be in hospital for several months while you have treatment and recover from Guillain-Barré syndrome. Most people will be able to walk within 6 months and will recover within a year.”

It adds: “You might feel tingling, numbness or pins and needles in your feet and hands first. This is usually followed by muscle weakness and difficulty moving your joints.

Other symptoms can include:

• sharp, shooting pain (nerve pain), often in your legs or back
• problems breathing
• problems with your face, such as drooping face muscles or trouble swallowing or speaking
• problems with your eyes, such as double vision

“Some people’s symptoms become so severe that they are not able to move their legs, arms and face (paralysis).”

Some people continue to have longer-term problems such as:

• tingling in the hands and feet
• sharp, shooting pain (nerve pain)
• feeling exhausted (fatigue)
• muscle pain and muscle weakness
• being unable to walk without help
• anxiety and depression