Bob Gould

Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your prayers, support,  words of hope and encouragement.  This is a brief summary of Bob's journey with CIDP (Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy)  It began a little over 6 years ago with a diagnosis in January 2011.  His symptoms are extreme arm and leg weakness, nerve pain and neuropathy in his hands and feet.  Along with severe cramping in his legs and arms and atrophy in his legs.  Since diagnosis Bob and has been receiving IVIg (intravenous immunoglobulin) infusions every 2 weeks at the hospital for 4-6 hours each time.  On the outside to most people Bob does not look or seem sick.  He often does not complain or talk about the pain and discomfort he is in on a daily basis.  He has continued to work hard and provide for our family.  Leaving him very tired and weak not allowing him to do much else.  It also keeps him from doing a lot of  the fun things he would love to do with the kids and me .  A little over a year ago we learned of Dr. Burt and the HSCT treatment in Chicago at Northwestern Hospital.  The HSCT treatment entails Bob receiving chemotherapy, harvesting his stem cells, more chemotherapy then he will get his stem cells back.  It will be a difficult treatment for Bob to go through but worth the result of being cured of this awful disease.  Bob has been accepted for treatment and now we are just waiting for insurance approval and treatment dates.