Brian S. Langton – författare

After I had published my first book, A First Step - Understanding Guillain-Barr Syndrome, it occurred to me that the dream sequences described in that book would make for an interesting read on their own, as a collection of short - but impossible - stories.

Thus were sewn the seeds for this publication. The ''postscripts'' that have been added are included to assist readers who have not read the earlier book, and who therefore may not have a full understanding of the circumstances I found myself in.

During my seven-month confinement in Intensive Care, on a ventilator for breathing assistance, diagnosed with severe acute chronic Guillain-Barr Syndrome - sometimes referred to in its abbreviated form as GBS, I experienced many dreams and hullucinations, some of which are described in the book. The medications I was taking, the inability to distinguish between night and day, being thrust into an unfamiliar environment, or something inherent in the disease itself may have been the cause. Although these dreams are not necessarily in the sequence in which I dreamed them, it is possible to connect them to certain events or phases of my illness.

Initially, I was paralysed from my toes up to my eyebrows. This did not appear to inhibit my mobilty in some of the dreams though. One moment I was in a wheelchair, the next flying an F16 fighter jet, even though I had never flown before, other then as a fare paying passenger.

I found these episodes much more intense than the garden-variety dream. In fact, most seemed so real that sometimes it was difficult, if not impossible, to separate them from reality. Every effort has been made to keep the original story lines. It must, of course be understood there were a few - although very few - grey areas, and only in those situations have I linked different parts of the story by the logical threads suggested by circumstances. For the most part, my recall of these dreams was total.

Except for my relatives, the names used to identify characters are fictitious and used to enable the reader to follow the thread of the story. In these sequences, any similarity to any person, living or deceased, other than in the case of the exception noted, is entirely coincidental and unintended.

I hope you enjoy your read.

The Author.

This book is about three people from different walks of life, each ofwhom experienced a life-changing episode of Guillain-Barr Syndrome.Three dramatic stories in one.

Firstly, a story of the Author''s remarkable almost complete recoveryfollowing his encounter with the syndrome. It is a frank and personalaccount of his struggle to regain much of what he had lost in bodilyfunction during one year of hospitalisation. It should provideinspiration and possibly answer so many questions typically asked byothers afflicted with this syndrome.

Secondly, case studies written by two co-author contributors, one aCalgary Veterinarian and mother of two, the other a retired Vancouverresident who was struck with Guillain-Barr Syndrome whilst shopping fora boat in England.

"There is no single answer to the question as to how life may changeafter recovery from this disorder. Each case appears to be unique. Thatis why I have chosen to include, not just a record of my partialrecovery, but also the recovery record of two additional people, eachdifferent from one another''s and each certainly different from mine(Author''s Preface)".

"We eventually identified a boatonly three feet short of what we hadwanted that was within our budget.

At this point Heather''s brother,who lived nearby, said he would like a share in the boat, to which weagreed. During this discussion in his house I had to ask him to refrainfrom smoking, as my throat was quite sore. I was feeling rather run downand often felt cold. About the same time on a Saturday, I felt atingling in the finger tips of my left hand and found they were a bitswollen. I mentioned it to Heather, but it did not seem serious. It was,however, the first sign that I had contracted GBS. If only I had known,the treatment might have been started earlier! (Patrick Hill)"

"Probably the worst face of Guillain-Barr Syndrome is the effect ithas on loved ones. Severe, or not, chronic or not, it matters little tothe supporting family at the bedside of a patient. Fear, puzzlement, andapprehension are all experienced by the loved ones. Reading the casehistories of Sarah and Patrick, one learns how their spouses alsosuffered many frightening experiences, but in spite of all that, theyremained obviously without second thought, hesitation or doubt. Trueto their marriage vows, they provided so much love, care and support.That was the shared experience among the three of us (Author:Epilogue)."