Auditor returns to work despite nerve disorder

The auditor will ease back into her work schedule over the next few weeks.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
Less than three weeks after she was diagnosed with a rare nervous disorder that leaves some in an almost paralyzed state, Ohio Auditor Betty Montgomery's recovery is progressing so well that she's out of the hospital.
Montgomery, the Republican attorney general candidate in the November general election, said in a statement Tuesday, the day doctors released her from a Columbus hospital, that she is feeling stronger each day. She also looks forward to resuming her full work and campaign schedule shortly.
"She'll ease back into her work schedule over the next few weeks," said Jen Detwiler, Montgomery's spokesman.
Diagnosis and prognosis
Montgomery was admitted May 17 to the Ohio State University Medical Center for complications after a respiratory virus.
While at the hospital, doctors diagnosed her as having Guillain-Barre syndrome, a disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system. She was in the hospital's intensive care unit until May 27 when she was transferred to a standard patient room.
Montgomery, who's been walking for the past week without any problems, will continue to undergo physical therapy, Detwiler said.
The syndrome can increase in intensity in some people until their muscles can't be used at all and they become almost paralyzed, according to the Web site of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
There is no known cure for the syndrome, and the recovery period can be as short as a few weeks or as long as a few years, the institute says.
"She considers herself, obviously, very fortunate compared to people who also have this condition," Detwiler said. "She feels very blessed. It could have been a lot worse."
Montgomery faces state Sen. Marc Dann, a Liberty Democrat, in the November election.
skolnick@vindy.com