Neuro Note -- Guillain Barré Syndrome

For my final neuro note I chose to watch the youtube video called Miranda's Journey. On December 7, 2014, Miranda contracted an unknown virus during finals week of her freshman year of college known as Guillian Barré Syndrome. Her symptoms included fatigue, extreme back pain, weakness, and tingling in her hands, feet, and lips. From our neuro aspects lecture I know that GBS is an autoimmune disorder in which the body's immune system attacks the nerves, causing a rapid onset of temporary paralysis. This video put into perspective of how this disorder progresses over time. It goes from day 1 of diagnosis to day 68 where she had her last day of inpatient therapy. Recovery from GBD can take up to 2 years, however Miranda had a miraculously fast recovery and was almost back to baseline after 3 months of outpatient therapy. I chose to watch this video, because I wanted to learn more about how the progress of symptoms begin and fade out and this video did just that. 

To further my learning I decided to turn to the John Hopkins Medicine website, because it gives a lot of good information on this diagnosis. Something that I learned from my search on this website, is that there is no cure, therefore the goal of treatment is to prevent breathing problems and relieve symptoms. Plasmapheresis or immunoglobulin are two treatments that help suppress the immune system and reduce inflammation. The onset of GBS can be quite sudden and unexpected and requires immediate hospitalization as seen in Miranda's Journey. As a future OT professional, I will use this video and my knowledge of Guillian Barré Syndrome to help advocate this rare diagnosis and holistically treat my clients. If you are interested in learning more about this disorder I highly recommend watching this video and looking over the information on the John Hopkins Medicine website!

Guillain-barré syndrome. Johns Hopkins Medicine. (n.d.). https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/guillainbarr-syndrome.

Kaclash. (2015, December 23). Guillain-barré syndrome - miranda's journey. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pu_upY2OhQ.