Neuro Note #3

I chose to watch "Andrew's Story: Guillain-Barre Syndrome" on Youtube for my third neuro note assignment. Andrew's story starts off with him being a very active and physically fit individual who is a firefighter. He wakes up one day with a high fever, severe weakness and rash and goes to his Dr. who gives him the diagnosis of step and gives him an antibiotic to treat it. On August 1 Andrew begins to experience his first symptoms of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) which was numbness in his feet. Just two days after this first symptom he could no longer walk and a spinal tap confirmed that he had GBS. He immediately began receiving treatment and his symptoms increased to experiencing facial paralysis and blurred vision. Andrew spent two weeks in the hospital and was then sent home, where his condition was at a stand still. At this point he is paralyzed from the waist down and his arms are numb. He and his family make the decision to go back to the hospital. Once back in the hospital Andrew lost his ability to swallow and an NG tube was placed, however his body was unable to digest the liquid diet he was receiving which indicated that his digestive system was shutting down. Andrew's condition continued to decline and came that time where he decided that he should be intubated and placed on life support because he felt that he was too weak to keep himself breathing. During the intubation he was given a drug that is contraindicated in patients with GBS and this caused him to go into cardiac arrest. This only set back his recovery process and left him paralyzed from the neck down. After 10 days of being intubated Andrew decided to have a tracheostomy and a PEG tube. His condition started to progress and he was making improvements by being able to communicate though a communication board with his family and also smile. He went from the hospital to an inpatient rehab clinic and then on to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta. Here is where Andrew made a huge recovery through physical, occupational, and speech therapies. In the video it is clear all of the challenges that he had to over come, but amazing to see that he made a full recovery in less than a year. He also was back to his job as a firefighter in that less than a year period. 

This testimony was very educational about GBS, from getting to see what symptoms present to what the recovery process for someone may look like. I chose this because it relates to the course and I wanted to learn more about GBS. I shadowed an occupational therapist in the acute care setting and observed this condition but didn't know much about it so by doing my own research and watching this video I have learned so much more. This video also provided insight into what occupational therapy services could be provided for an individual with GBS in an inpatient setting. Andrew's story is relatable to the course work since we have learned about NG tubes, tracheotomies and assistive devices such as the communication board that he used. I would recommend Andrew's Story because it was very educational about Guillain-Barre Syndrome and how all fields of healthcare have a role in helping a person who is experiencing this condition.

Reference

Andrew’s Story: Guillain-Barré Syndrome. (2017, August 1). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWvrHhs2jps