Neuro Note #1: Guillain-Barré Syndrome

For this Neuro note I decided to dive deeper into Guillain-Barré Syndrome. I chose this topic because I am not very familiar with it and really wanted to gain further knowledge into GBS. Before watching the Youtube video, Andrew's Story: Guillain-Barré Syndrome, I did further research into what exactly GBS is. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, GBS is an extremely rare neurological disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system. GBS can range from mild, to very severe cases like Andrew's story. The good news is that most people, even with the most severe cases, will make a full recovery. Researchers do not know what exactly causes GBS and why the body's immune system starts to mistakenly attack its own body, but it is thought that it may start from the immune system trying to attack an infection.

Andrew Franek had just started his new career as a firefighter when he got really sick with a high fever, severe weakness and a rash. Those symptoms faded away but then on August 1st, 2016, his feet started going numb. However, being an active young man, Andrew still went on a run. Two days later on August 3rd, Andrew was no longer able to walk normally because of so much weakness and tightness. He got a spinal tap which confirmed that Andrew has what is called Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Four days later, he couldn’t walk and was sent to the ICU. There he started Plasmapheresis and also started treatments of IVIG (intravenous Immunoglobulin) which is a treatment where donated blood with healthy antibodies are given to stop the damaging of the nerves. A central line was also put into his heart in the ICU and he began to have blurred vision and facial paralysis. After about 2 weeks in the hospital, he had 5 plasma exchanges and they were seeing improvements in his facial paralysis, so they decided to send him home even though he was paralyzed from the waist down. Andrew and his family saw no improvement at home so they went back to the hospital. There, he lost his ability to swallow and a NG tube was placed into his nose. Even though he was on an only liquid diet now, his digestive system was not working correctly. Andrew silently aspirated which made the doctors insert a suction tube into his lungs in which they found blood, liquid and mucus. He was now placed on a BPAP machine and eventually life support.

After being given a contraindicated drug, Andrew went into cardiac arrest and was shocked 3 times until his hearty started working correctly. He then was paralyzed from the neck down and could not communicate. Even though he was on a ventilator, he knew what was going on and decided to have a tracheostomy. After several complications with doctors, Andrew was transferred to another hospital where he began more therapy and was able to feed himself! He really wanted to be transferred to the Shepherd center in Atlanta, and he finally was able to. There, he would start very intense therapy and had to take pain medication for how sore his muscles were. At the Shepherd Center, he gained more independence and didn't need his parents by his side 24/7 anymore. He would stay the night at the hospital while his parents were able to go to an apartment funded by the Shepherd center! (how awesome is that?) After about 2 weeks from the first signs of recovery, Andrew took his first steps! At this point he was completing about 5 hours of vigorous therapy everyday. After leaving the Shepherds Center, Andrew did 2 more months of outpatient therapy and less than a year later, he made a full recovery was was back to working as a fire fighter! 

What I learned from my research and from Andrew's story is how scared GBS can be. One day you can be healthy and running and the next you can be in the hospital not being able to walk. With the wide range of severity of GBS, it is important to be aware of the signs and symptoms in order to give your clients the best care possible.

Below is the youtube link and citation for Andrew's story. The video did a great job of explaining GBS and all of the steps Andrew had to go to recover. I will also attach the citation from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke on GBS if you would like to learn more! 

References

Andrew J. Franek (2017, August 1) Andrew's Story: Guillian-Barré Syndrome. Youtube.                                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWvrHhs2jps&feature=youtu.be

Guillain-Barré Syndrome Fact Sheet. (n.d.). Retrieved July 17, 2020, from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-sheets/Guillain-Barr%C3%A9-Syndrome-Fact-Sheet


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