Neuro Note: Miranda's Journey

“Guillain-Barré Syndrome - Miranda’s Journey” was a short video documenting Miranda’s experience with Guillain-Barré syndrome through pictures and video clips. Miranda caught a virus in her freshman year of college during finals week, leading to hospitalization in the neuro ICU with a diagnosis of GBS only 8 days later. Miranda’s muscle strength got worse each day in the hospital. By day 7, she could no longer breathe on her own. Her symptoms stayed the same for about 3 weeks before slowly getting better. Miranda looked forward to getting a good night sleep, putting on Chapstick, kissing her boyfriend, etc. She missed doing simple, yet meaningful things for herself. Miranda had a large support system and communicated with her friends and family with an ABC board. After 32 days in the ICU, Miranda was able to go to a rehab hospital where she worked extremely hard to regain strength and movement. Miranda was able to go home after 68 days. The video ended with pictures from the following months, each photo showed significant improvement. This video helped me understand how fast GBS progresses. Over time, Miranda made a full recovery and could even waterski 7 months after her diagnosis. 

To further my learning, I looked back at my notes and compared what I already knew to Miranda’s story. This process expanded my knowledge of GBS. In class we discussed how extreme stress to the body can trigger GBS, so I assume Miranda’s diagnosis of Mono and stress of studying for finals could have been the triggers. Miranda’s plateau phase started on the 12^th day in the hospital and lasted several weeks. Symptoms were not worsening during this time, but Miranda had no idea when she would get better and was very tired due to not getting restful sleep. In class, I learned the plateau stage is characterized by significant swelling and weakness, extreme fatigue, and pain. Since movement is painful and tiring, it is extremely important for Miranda to rest during this stage. An OTs role in the plateau stage would be to gradually increase bed mobility and start teaching Miranda energy conservation techniques. This video allowed me to see GBS is in the acute, plateau, and recovery stages. 

 

I chose to watch this video because Guillain-Barré syndrome fascinated me in class. It is hard for me to wrap my head around how random and sudden onset of GBS is. Guillain-Barré syndrome is rare, so I was intrigued by this video. Since GBS has the same type of symptoms as other conditions we are learning in class, I thought watching a personal story would help me better understand GBS and help me remember unique characteristics of GBS.  

 

I highly recommend watching this video to better understand Guillain-Barré syndrome. This video provided a description of GBS and depicted the progression of the condition. Miranda’s mother, who made the video, stated that Miranda’s strength, determination, and optimism helped the people around her feel the same way. This video can serve as inspiration for other individuals and their families who are experiencing the same thing. 

 

 

Sources: 

 

Clash, K. [Kimberly Clash]. (2015, December 23). Guillain-Barré Syndrome - Miranda’s Journey [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Pu_upY2OhQ

 

Lancaster, S. (2020, August 24). Session 23: Guillain Barré Syndrome. [Lecture Notes]. Retrieved from UTHSC OT537.