That's great news! I hit my worst at the hospital and started recovering. Good luck to you guys. You have lots of support!!
So pleased for you! Wishing you both the very very best. Xxxx
First off let me start by saying that even joining a support group and asking is a huge step to helping your girlfriend through this! You sound like a wonderful guy! My boyfriend of 6 years just recently dumped me through my own recovery. It sounds like she has the exact same story as I did as far as symptoms go. Mine started in my hands, arms, and neck and progressed to my feet. I was in the ICU for 5 days hooked up to more tubes than I've ever seen and it was terrifying for me! I can honestly say the best thing in the world for me was that my uncle came and created a relaxing environment for me. He and my mom sat with me because I was afraid to be alone at night. He brought music, made me a relaxing playlist, and my mom kept an aromatherapy oil infuser going. The infuser really took all the hospital smells out of my nose and the lavender oil helped me sleep after I was moved from ICU to the neuro floor. The ICU keeps you so wired that it is difficult to relax afterwards! Just be there and try to help control the atmosphere for her! I think doing that for her will help you feel like you have a goal in her recovery and that will ease the stress. Everyone is right in telling you it gets worse before it gets better. My biggest challenge mentally was getting out of the hospital and not being able to really care for myself at the age of 23! For that I would say help her feel like even though her life might be on pause it is still progressing. Even little goals like moving from the sofa to the bed by herself and showering herself in the beginning feel like huge feats! Help her feel like she is always moving forward because a positive attitude really helps with the recovery! Also never get frustrated with her. The worst thing in the world you could do is put your stress on her or make her feel like a burden. That is how I felt and the stress of it caused me to backslide quite a bit in my recovery. Kudos to you for being man enough to ask for advice and want to help her...