Instead of suffering a mild stroke, former state Sen. Arthur Ravenel Jr. apparently has a mild version of a rare syndrome, his family said Wednesday.

"We discovered when Arthur was in his speech therapy class that perhaps it wasn't a stroke," said his wife, Jean Rickenbaker Ravenel. She said her husband was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, an illness that affects one to two out of 100,000 people. Some symptoms of the syndrome are rapid onset of weakness and, often, paralysis of the legs and arms.

It was first thought that Ravenel, 78, suffered a stroke. He experienced tingling in his extremities Friday night while at his country home, and drove himself Saturday to East Cooper Regional Medical Center in Mount Pleasant. He was moved to Medical University Hospital on Wednesday, his wife said.

Ravenel said her husband was doing fine, suffering from only a mild version of the syndrome.

"It's a lot better than having a stroke," she said. "He's a little wobbly, and his speech is slurred, but he's lost no motion."

The illness can be worse.

Phyllis Watkins of James Island said she started a support group after her son was diagnosed with the illness.

"Patrick came down with it over 15 years ago," Watkins said of her son, who was 27 at the time. She said her son felt tingling in his feet and hands, similar to Ravenel's experience. "It gradually came over his whole body."

Days after receiving a spinal tap and being diagnosed with the syndrome, her son was "completely paralyzed," she said.

According to the Guillain-Barré Syndrome Foundation International, based in Wynnewood, Pa., the illness "typically begins with weakness and abnormal sensations of the legs and arms."

The cause of the disease is not known and there is no effective treatment, according to the foundation. The group's Web site states: "Many cases are mild. Most people recover. The length of the illness is unpredictable."

Those with the syndrome are treated with "plasma exchanges (a blood cleansing procedure) and high dose intravenous immune globulins," according to the foundation.

In the case of Patrick Watkins, "Over time, he regained movement and (the syndrome) has not come back in over a decade. He's married with two children and lives in Savannah," his mother said.

She added, "(Ravenel) is very fortunate. I wish him the best."

Ravenel's wife said well-wishers have helped her family through a tough and scary time.

"I've talked to so many people, and I've told them that he'll be fine by the time the new bridge opens," she said, referring to the new Cooper River bridge, which was named in honor of her husband and is slated to open next month.

"The most wonderful thing is that everywhere I go people say I've been praying for him, and that just means the world to Arthur and me because we know power of prayer," she said. "That's the ticket."

WHAT IS GUILLAIN-BARRÉ SYNDROME?

It is an inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nerves -- those outside the brain and spinal cord. It is characterized by the rapid onset of weakness and, often, paralysis of the legs, arms, breathing muscles and face. The syndrome is the most common cause of rapidly acquired paralysis in the United States today, affecting one to two people in every 100,000.

The disorder came to public attention when it struck a number of people who received the 1976 Swine Flu vaccine. It continues to claim thousands of new victims each year, striking any person, at any age, regardless of gender or ethnic background.

Source: Guillain-Barré/CIDP Syndrome Foundation International

ILLNESS INFORMATION

Guillain-Barré/CIDP Syndrome Foundation International Web site: http://www.guillain-barre.com/.

The tri-county support group for those with Guillain-Barré syndrome can be reached by calling 795-7257.