Debilitating, Not Defeating

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For my final Neuro Note assignment, I chose to dive deeper into Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) by watching the testimony of Andrew Franek. Andrew battled GBS for nearly one year. Before his diagnosis, Andrew enjoyed hunting, going to the gym, playing guitar, boating, and being a firefighter. After becoming sick with a high fever, weakness, and severe rash, Andrew was diagnosed with strep. However, in the weeks that followed, Andrew would become paralyzed below the neck, spend days on a ventilator, and require a tracheostomy and peg tube for basic life support. While the illness (GBS) progressed rapidly, recovery did not—a team approach to therapy and Andrew’s grit helped him to overcome the illness after ten long months of fighting. I chose to learn more about Andrew’s experience to help me design an intervention for a young woman with GBS as a part of my upcoming media project. I recommend Andrew’s testimonial video to others who would like a closer look at GBS and the rehabilitative process. A link to the video will be provided below. 

 

Andrew’s first sign of GBS was numbness in his feet—a hallmark signal to many others as well. Within two days, Andrew had lost his ability to walk, and a diagnosis of GBS was established after a spinal tap procedure. After two weeks in the ICU, Andrew received five plasma exchanges, and was sent home paralyzed from the waist down. Andrew found breathing to be exhausting and often feared that he would stop breathing in his sleep, causing him to go back to the hospital. His sensation was severely impaired, and he reported feeling like his bones were exposed and his body burning. In the days that followed, Andrew had to rely on the ventilator, a trach tube, and a peg tube to simply survive. Because a medication that was contraindicated was administered, Andrew even went into cardiac arrest during his hospital stay. The experience was a nightmare to say the least, and he and his family wondered if he would survive the illness. 

 

When Andrew did become stable enough to transfer to an in-patient rehab facility, he hit the ground running (not literally—yet!). Physical therapy helped to stretch and strengthen his muscles, while OT focused on fine motor, ADL, and functional ambulation skills. He learned to use a wheelchair, lofstrand crutches, and then two canes. After being released, Andrew continued to walk with one cane for several weeks. Less than one year later, Andrew expressed his utmost gratitude to his therapy team; he was back to his old life, yet living with more passion than ever. The physical and neurological pain Andrew suffered was debilitating, but not defeating. His story is a true inspiration for people with and without the condition of GBS. 

 

Andrew J Franeck. (2017, August 1). Andrew’s story: Guillain-Barre syndrome [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWvrHhs2jps

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