title: Balancing everyday life two years after falling ill with Guillain-Barré syndrome: a qualitative study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to describe experiences of disability in everyday life and managing the recovery process two years after falling ill with Guillain-Barré syndrome.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative interview study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Interviews were conducted with 35 persons (22 male, mean age 50 years) two years after the onset of Guillain-Barré syndrome. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using content analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis revealed four categories and an overall theme: 'Striving for balance in everyday life'. The participants described persistent lived body restrictions that affected their arms, legs, and face. Bodily symptoms and loss of energy limited or restricted many everyday activities. In connection with healthcare, both satisfaction and feeling vulnerable in a critical situation were described. Experiences of the recovery process varied. The participants described acceptance and reappraisal of a new life situation despite their limitations, and having gained the knowledge that life can change suddenly. However, they also expressed disappointment following an overly positive prognosis in the early stages, and over a continuous wait for recovery. For some participants life had returned to as before.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The participants experienced limitations in everyday life and decreased functioning in several parts of the body. The recovery process may still be ongoing two years after onset. Rehabilitation intervention with an extended focus on supporting individualized coping processes could facilitate ways to live with persistent disability.
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Family Medicine Research Centre, Örebro County Council, Örebro, Sweden anette.forsberg@orebroll.se.
authors.forename: Anette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Forsberg
authors.affiliation: Division of Neurology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden Division of Physiotherapy, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Lotta
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Widén-Holmqvist
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Gerd
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ahlström
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D020127:Recovery of Function; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Guillain-Barré Syndrome; disability; qualitative studies; recovery process