Guillain-Barre Syndrome

[livingwith]

I’m 65 years old and 1 year ago in april had some tingling in my little toes, being very active i thought it was a pinched nerve, however it got worse so I called my doctor who told me to go to the hospital. once there a doctor diagnosed me with gbs and I was transported to a big hospital. once there the adventure started and within 3 hrs I was paralized from the neck down, for some reason it missed my chest but included my head, arms, torso and legs.
long story short 70 days in hospital ...Read the full article

[gord]

To my previous post. Let me begin at the beginning on April 14th 2008 at 10”30AM.
After I called my personal doctor and was told to go immediately to the Hospital I did that. The irony is that I drove 150 kilometers to the one closest to where I live, even though there was a Hospital within 10 minutes of where I was. I knew that I had to go home. The drive was interesting to say the least. I was losing the feeling in my legs and the numbness was creeping up into my stomach, chest and arms. I dropped my cell phone out the truck window so there I was, in the middle of the prairie on a back road no communication a two by four on the gas pedal and gripping the wheel like there was no tomorrow. It may seem stupid to some, but I knew in my heart of hearts that I had to go home. Two hours later I was at the hospital in Didsbury Alberta, Canada. By this time I had very little feeling in my legs but I managed to shuffle into the emergency ward. They immediately hooked me up to all kinds of monitors and gave me some aspirin along with a barrage of questions as to what I was going through. It was unnerving cause I did not know what was happening, all I could think of was either a stroke or heart attack. Within 25 minutes the attending physician unplugged all the electrodes and told me I was being transported to Calgary as I had GBS. I had never heard of this before and now I was getting scared. I should say here that I am a pretty active guy,in my profession as well as rock climbing, golfing as well as playing some hockey and have been fortunate to not have been sick or injured in any significant way so this was quite a shock. Within 15 minutes I was in an ambulance and being transported to the FootHills Hospital in Calgary. Once in the emergency ward, I was seen right away by a resident neurologist, who again asked me a barrage of questions, by this time I was not feeling anything from my toes to my head including my arms and hands. My wife arrived along with her friend and while that was great it was hard because I could see the worry on her face and there was little I could do to comfort her except just lay there, wondering. What seemed like forever ( even though it was only about and hour and a half) the chief neurologist and two resident neurologists came by and told me they needed to do a lumbar puncture to confirm what they thought I had. Now it gets very interesting, not to say what had transpired earlier was not interesting. There were no rooms available to do the procedure, so they improvised. The Lumbar Puncture was performed in the EMS coffee room, after they sanitized it all. During the procedure a fellow stuck his head in the door looking for a coffee, I asked him to go to tim hortons and get me a double double as we were a bit busy, which he did believe it or not. This procedure is quite unnerving and to be honest while I did not feel any pain, sure did know that they were extracting fluid from my spinal cord. Through it all I had this sense that everything would be ok, I just knew it. A little bit later the chief neurologist came by to tell me that they had confirmed by the test that I had indeed contracted GBS and that I was being admitted and could anticipate being on my back for a few months. I have no idea how, but I got off the gurney put on my hat and said and I quote “ I beg your pardon, my name is Gord and I am from Victoria Park and I don’t think so” He smiled asked me get back on the gurney “ I couldn’t ” he lifted me back on patted my arm and said see you later, and now the adventure really begins
More to come

[gord]

Its now the morning of the second day, and I sure did not sleep much. Being on a gurney in the hallway of emergency with all the hustle and bustle going on around me as well the nurses taking my temperature and blood samples almost hourly, as well my brain working overtime, I woke up tired. The Resident Neurologist came by and we went through a few strength resistance tests and sensation tests to my legs and arms. I had very little strength in my arms and no feelings in my legs, which was expected according to her. It was not long after that I was wheeled to Neurology for a battery of new tests, being an EMG and a NCV. I have to tell you, I found these tests fascinating. With an EMG they attach electrodes to specific nerves on your legs and then shock you with electricity to see the muscle response and record the individual nerve impulses. The bigger the jolt required to get a reading, apparently indicates the degree of damage to the nerve. This is like being tasered. Although there was no pain I sure could tell by the lack of muscle twitch or reflex that I was in trouble. Boy, were they thorough, the EMG took about an hour, along with new questions and additional strength and sensation tests. Next came the NCV, which records the speed at which the electric charge travels along the nerves (got tasered again) It was incredulous listening to the sounds of the nerves as the signals ( electrical) from the brain and being tasered travel along your nerves, right out of Star Wars. Dr Z. Chief Neurologist who conducted the tests is a leading authority on GBS and very knowledgeable on the subject. He explained the tests and their results to me and their prescribed treatment for GBS being a 5 bag treatment know as IVIG and that they were going to get me started on it as soon as I was transferred to the Neurology unit, as well he explained that they were going to monitor me very closely as they were concerned that the paralysis could extend into my chest and freeze my breathing muscles ( just what I wanted to hear). He asked me a lot a questions with regards to my previous health, such as did I have the flu recently or a cold did I feel run down and how was my strength as well as stamina etc. I knew, they were trying to figure out what caused this especially since it came on so fast and knocked me down so quick. I have to hand it to Dr. Z. he pulled no punches and told me it may get worse before it gets better, as that is the nature of GBS, so be prepared. When he explained what GBS actually was and what it did I was at first stunned and then I started to laugh, (you have to be kidding I thought) Imagine my own immune system being tricked into attacking the myelin sheathing on my nerves, my own body attacked itself, causing me to short circuit literally, the irony was too much. Back I went to emergency, more blood tests, hourly temperature taking and they lost my clothes. In the meantime my wife Marion came in while I was up in Neurology, she couldn’t find me and got a bit antzie, she eventually found me in the hallway waiting for a room, they found my clothes. We had a bit to eat and talked as only we can talk and then I was off again this time for a battery of ex rays of my chest and lower torso. I took my clothes with me. By this time I was mentally drained and was having some difficulty in keeping on a brave face for Marion, I was tired, getting number by the hour and had to pee. Now this may sound stupid, but all I could think of was don’t pee yourself. In emergency the people there are very busy looking after some pretty ugly stuff, and here I was, knowing I had to pee, had no sensation that I had to go, but just knew it. I waited as long as possible and then some and finally got the attention of the charge nurse who gave me a pee bottle. Up went the sheet and it was a big relief. From then on I kept a bottle near me, just in case. Around 4:30 in the afternoon they found me a room and I was transferred to the Neurology Unit 11, room 1141. It was a private room with a window, own bathroom and a bed, much better than on a gurney in the hallway of emergency. I thought I would get some rest, not so, more blood tests and temperature taking and preparation for my first bag of IVIG treatment. And then I met Richie and Meagan the nurses assigned to me.

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[gord]

While I was getting settled into the hospital room, I was hooked up to an IV drip, they brought in all kinds of monitoring machines and stuck tubes in both my arms and hands. I really had no idea what was going or what to expect other than they were paying a lot of attention to me. Marion was there and that was very good, cause I needed her to help me understand what was going on. She is a rock. There was a nurse shift change at the time so Meagan did all the preliminary work (if you want to call it that) and then I met Richie, he was going to be my nurse for the next few days. What I did not know at the time was that Richie would become a very integral part of my hospital stay and then some. He has a nice bedside manner as well a genuine concern for my wellness, and on top of that he had a wealth of knowledge about GBS. It seems that he had attended to a couple of other cases over the years. By now I was very tired and just wanted to sleep, but it was time for the IVIG. Richie explained to me all about the check and double check procedure as well as to what I should feel and that it would take about 5 hrs to administer the bag. Interestingly it takes 600 blood doners to get 1 bag of immunoglobin and I was scheduled for a 5 bag treatment (do the math). Marion went back to the hotel as she did not need to see this and besides she was mentally and physically drained. To say I was a bit nervous is an understatement, but the attention paid to me soon dispelled any concerns I had. My vitals were checked every 15 minutes and I was given sips of water. Cause boy was I dry. My entire body got hot, really hot and stayed hot for the whole 5 hours. Richie was talking to me all the time, put cold compresses on my forehead and wrote down everything I was feeling. It was during this time that I noticed that my throat was contracting and that I was having trouble swallowing my tongue felt really swollen and my face and scalp were tingling so much I thought I was on fire. This was not a side effect of the IVIG but rather a progression of the GBS, as Dr. Z. said it would get worse before it got better and Boy! he was right on, I started getting irritable, because I think I would doze off and get woke up for vitals as well as hearing Richie and was getting pissed off, I wanted to sleep. And then it was over the tubes were removed the IV drip put back on and I closed my eyes, I was, all alone, for the first time in 2 days, in a darkened hospital room. I truly share this with you, that it was one of most frightening times I have ever experienced. It was as if the flood gate opened and all my deepest fears came rushing in all at once. What was I to do about my business, how was I going to make ends meet, what about the jobs I was in the middle of, my commitments and on and on. What was going to happen with my family, how were they going to cope and handle this, what about my dog and cat and on and on. What about Marion, my life partner, my God what were we going to and on and on. I will say this, that night I danced with the devil and faced all my demons. I remember talking directly too and asking the questions of you know who: What’s going on, What the hell is this all about What do you have in store for me, Is this it, am I bound to be an invalid for the rest of my life and be confined to a wheelchair or bed forever, what have I done to deserve this and why me. And then I got really pissed off and issued the challenge that if this is all you’ve got it isn’t enough, if your going to screw with me then bring me you’re A game or bring me nothing. I woke with a start to find the Charge Nurse standing by my bed at 6;30 Thursday morning, I was soaking wet and a bit disoriented. I vividly recall telling her, after she asked how I slept, that I had a terrible night and touched on the details, her response was, “well I can’t be concerned about that, my job is to make you better”. I sat up looked at her and just yelled “ then get the phuk out of here and do your job” I turned to the window looked out and up and with my hand motioned and said “ ok then, bring it and don’t be cheap”

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[gord]

5

I was just lying there looking around and wondering when Richie showed up, with a smile on his face and a good morning. He brought me a local paper, apparently I had asked him where I could get one the night before. We talked about my night and how it went, he really listened and was understanding, as well we talked about what was happening with my body sensations (numbness and such) he was especially interested in the tingling in my face and my swallowing reaction. It became clear to me, given the direction the talk went, that whatever interaction I have with my caregivers goes into a file to be shared by all. (I never ever forgot this). He helped me get clean and changed by bed sheets as well my hospital green gown all the while telling me that I was going to have a busy day and to rest when I could. I was quite agitated or as I prefer to say “wired for sound” and he picked up on that right away. Breakfast came and I sure was hungry, only problem was that I could not hold a knife / fork very well, they kept slipping out of my hands and I had a real hard time swallowing. I would chew my food well and once swallowed would cough as it seemed the food was getting lodged in my throat, so I tried to wash it down with water (big mistake) cause now when I coughed up came the water. I stopped eating. Was told that my vitals would be taken every hour and that I was scheduled for another IVIG bag 2of 5 at 2 o’clock that afternoon (Oh Joy). I had to pee, so Richie passed me the bottle (the one I brought from emergency) and then told me that if I wanted I could try to get to the bathroom in the room, he went and got me a walker.
Dr. A, resident Neurologist showed up and we went through the usual strength and sensation tests only this time a lot of attention was focused on my face and upper body, I don’t remember being pricked so many times with a needle in my life. It didn’t hurt cause I couldn’t feel the pin prick. The next to show up was a speech therapist, and his job was to evaluate and monitor my speech patterns, it seems that GBS can affect speech and seeing as how I was having some trouble with my tongue and swallowing, it was a good idea. While he was talking with me he asked if I was a smoker. I told him yes and why did he want to know. His response was I know you are (because you are literally vibrating) they checked my file right away, I was listed as a casual smoker, not a package and a half daily. They immediately put me on a 21 miligram stop smoking patch (which I stayed on for my stay in the hospital). Marion showed up and brought me some pajama bottoms and tee shirts as well as my personal hygiene items, I changed my clothes and felt better. I told Marion about the speech guy and that I was on a patch, all she said was (great, you were getting to be one miserable person, barking and sniping at everyone). I had not had a cigarette for 2 ½ days and was starting to go through with drawl (cold turkey) and I didn’t know ( I was a bit busy with a few other problems) The Throat specialists came in and we went through a long process of texture tests including liquid, to determine what I could swallow without difficulty, I was put on a soft diet. Marion got a TV hooked up for me and that was great cause now I could listen to music as well watch a bit of TV.I introduced Marion to Richie and we sat and talked for quite a while, and it was good A little while later I was visited by my Physiotherapist ( Jackie) she told me that it was important to do some light movement exercises, and she would see me the next morning to evaluate my capabilities, right after I had a session with (Allen) my Occupational Therapist who also showed up to say hello. The 2 of 5 IVIG bags went better than the first (I knew what to expect). Richie came in that evening and brought me a bunch of reading material all about GBS. Like he said, I needed to read for myself what GBS is all about, that way I would have a better understanding of what we were up against. This was one of many good things he did for me It was a hard read, especially trying to get my head around what I just read. One person in 150,0000 get this, “these are like lottery odds” “ Oh! Lucky me”… I knew one thing, this is nasty, nasty.

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[gord]

That night and early morning Richie spent a lot of time with me, we really had a heavy down to earth conversation. He could see how frustrated I was with not being able to move much and that I was having trouble getting my head around this GBS stuff and not knowing what to expect.. He basically said when I was getting sick, that my immune system gathered the army and then sent the army out to attack the virus that was in my body except that my immune system was tricked into thinking that the enemy looked the same as the myelin sheathing surrounding my nerves, and this was the result. He also said that I was lucky to be diagnosed so quick. He told me that with the IVIG treatments that I could expect to see some improvement after the third bag and that it would slowly get better .He explained it this way; the first bag’s job was to attack and confuse the army that was attacking the myelin sheathing on my nerves “ pointing out to the anti bodies that the myelin sheathing was not the enemy and to stop”. The next 2 bags job was to kill the enemy dead and the next 2 bags job was to start to repair the damage done. That being said the big question was what can I do. I thought about that for a while and fell asleep. When I woke in the morning. Richie was there with a paper and before he could do the vitals, I got out of bed grabbed the walker and somehow, made my way to the bathroom , I think I peed. When I got back to my bed I was shaking and somewhat weak, Richie, smiled and said nice to see you up, don’t overdo yourself. From then on the only time I was in the bed was either to sleep/rest, get an IVIG or the sensation/ resistance testing done by the neurologists and the other testing done by members of the team which happened like clock work everyday. Late in the morning of the 4th day, I was wheeled down to physiotherapy on the 3rd floor to see Allen the Occupational Therapist. We talked about what I did for a living and what I usually did for recreation. He explained that his job was to evaluate me as to my abilities to function at the work that I did. We did some sensory testing such as holding items in my hands and touch tests to determine feel and especially temperature. I would see Allen everyday during my stay on Unit 11.What I liked about Allen is that he would ask me a question and then listen carefully to my answer, or give me a task and watch intently as I tried to do it. He was the first person who told me to always tell the members of the team what I was feeling and to pay attention to the small stuff, the minute changes to my body, this was the best advise I got “ I never forgot it” Next down the hall to the Physio room, there were all kinds of mats and equipment everywhere, this was to become my daily haven. The place I looked forward to going more than anything else. Jackie my physiotherapist, which I would fondly refer to as the “witch from hell” started my primary evaluation by having me try and raise my ass off a elevated mat, “did not happen”. Next, Jackie helped me stand and I tried to lift one foot, “did not happen” there was nothing and the tests went on and on, the more we tried the more I got pissed off that I couldn’t do what she asked. I broke out in a sweat, this was hard, and a realization that my body was not responding even though I knew what to do. When we were done Jackie told me we had a way to go.. I remember telling her “ bring me the A game ” From that minute on Jackie “ the witch from hell’ pushed me and was never satisfied.. I left Physio that morning, focused and determined to show her. The 3rd bag of IVIG went well, I was so tired from physio that I slept through the whole thing. Before supper I grabbed the walker, and shuffled to the door of room 1141 and peered out into the hallways and the nurses station of Unit 11. I cautiously ventured out into the hallway by the nurses station and went about 10 feet and the walker slipped “thats my story” and I fell down. I was picked up and returned to my bed. “Nice way to make a first impression”, not that I had not already done so in my first couple days on Unit 11

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[gord]

The next couple of days were a steep learning curve for me in more ways than one. I was getting settled into a routine, of getting my vitals done hourly by Ritchie, including my daily morning visit from DR.A. the neurologist, and going through the strength and sensation testing. What was interesting was that DR.A brought in another neurologist with her to observe what was going on and to perform a lot of the tests. I found out later that they usually worked in teams of two or more. Seeing as how it was the weekend I was very surprised to have visits from the speech therapist along with the throat specialist and Jackie my physiotherapist. They told me they were just in the neighborhood and thought they would drop in, while the truth was that they were quite concerned with the symptoms that I was showing and wanted to keep a close eye on me. “ normally, they do not work weekends” I was not feeling all that well to begin with. I got a headache, which is quite unusual for me, as well I started to feel a tightness in my chest area. This progressed fast to where there was a distinct constant tight band across my chest in my nipple area. I could not raise my arms to shoulder height. When I tried there was a very sharp pain and not a burning or numbness sensation but a real distinct sharp pain. Even though this was scary it was also a little positive, I had feeling in that area which to me was good. I was asked if I wanted any medication and refused “ stating I do not do pills and besides I don’t want to mask anything otherwise how can I tell anyone what I was feeling or sensing. The nurses really started to monitor my breathing, as the concern was that the GBS might be starting to affect my respiratory system. And all the while there was Ritchie, doing his thing and talking and especially listening to me constantly. One of their big concerns, was that I was coughing a lot, especially at night while on my back. I told Richie, that I was not coughing but rather “horking” and spitting up flem from my throat and chest into a cup. My lungs and throat were discharging all the built up flem from my smoking. It was not pretty and the sounds of my horking were to say the least disgusting, but I didn’t care, it had to be done and I had no control over it. Within days I would be able to take a deep deep breath, without coughing or horking. I was on the road to quitting smoking.
My 4th bag of IVIG went quite well. Now given that Ritchie said I would start to see some improvement after the 3rd bag I started looking for something, anything… there was nothing. I wanted instant results I wanted to see something anything, a glimmer of hope. There was Ritchies voice “ be patient, you are going to be ok”, another lesson learned, “patience”, which is not the same as necessarily accepting of facts, just realizing the healing will take some time. Now I’ve always known that you have to help yourself and that nobody is going to do it for you, and with that in mind I started to really focus on moving forward and not to dwell on what had happened but rather on doing what I knew I had to do. Jackie had asked me to do a heel raise, which is stand with your feet together and raise up on your toes. When I did that, with great effort, I think my heels rose off the floor about 1/8th of an inch, more on this later. I started drinking a lot of water, primarily cause I was dry, but I also knew that water was good for the body. With water comes peeing and to say I started to pee more is an understatement and combining that with a loss of sensation in my lower body, that I had a few minor accidents is a fact of life, but at least I was having some body functions work. I remember going to the door of room 1141 looking out again and saying to myself “ok here we go, don’t fall” and off I went. It is amazing what we take for granted, the natural instinct to place one foot ahead of the other “ known as walking” Well I did not walk as I could not raise my feet or actually take a step, instead I shuffled, slid one foot on the floor and then the other, with the help of a walker.. I was moving forward very slowly, but I was moving nontheless. After a few feet I felt really weak and fatigued and turned around and went and laid down. All the while, the mind does not stop working and the thoughts that were going through my head were unbelievable. I started to have talks with myself and in some cases actual arguments and the more this happened the more I got pissed off, not with anyone in particular but more with myself. I would rest a while get up, sit in a chair of go for a walk and rest some more, I could not just lay there doing nothing.
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[mariono]

Hi Gord

I have read all your posts and can relate as I am curently recovering from GBS. Your story sounded so much like mine and I see your wife's name is Marion - so is mine, so I feel we have much in common. I will continue to read your posts - and will be posting my own - please read them also. I am not yet fully recovered, but am also about 85%, I reckon.

[gord]

8

Ritchie brought me the morning paper and asked how the night went and how I was feeling, which he did every morning. Except this morning I had some good news for him, I slept well, the tingling in my face seemed to have leveled out as did the numbness in my legs, feet and hands including my body. It seems that the 3rd and maybe the 4th bag of IVIG was beginning to work. I tried to curls my toes and they moved, not much but they did move, “a glimmer of hope”. The band across the chest was still there but the pain was not as sharp as before. It was easier to swallow and I was not horking as much. My vitals were stable within acceptable levels. I was ready to tackle the day. I put on my red on red stripped Jeff Gordon pajama bottoms “ they were to become my signature”, grey tee shirt, and my blue RCMP ball cap, I was ready. I decided to go for a shuffle without my shoes/ slippers on, as I wanted to see how well I could feel the floor and that maybe I would have a bit more control of my feet. Well, was I in for a surprise, not only could I feel the floor, even though my feet were very, very numb, but I actually lifted my feet, not much but enough that I was not really shuffling and while the steps were no long, they were steps just the same. I felt a bit wobbly, my balance was off and I moved pretty slow and deliberate, placing each foot down as I stepped, lots of concentration. Unit 11 is in the shape of a horse shoe with the nurses unit at the open end, so there is actually two hall ways with 14 hospital rooms on the outside a visiting or sun room at the closed end, the rooms in the middle, I will call them medical rooms. I referred to the complete circle as the track, “this is important to remember”. In my previous shuffles I had gotten about ½ way down one hallway and that was all. My goal now was to see the whole unit, walk the track so to speak. I was having all kinds of trouble with the damn walker, I was putting too much pressure on the top, pressing down, and because of that the walker was scrapping the floor and was difficult to move. A quick lesson from Meagan my other nurse, who told me not to push down but rather use the walker as a stabilizer for support and if and when I felt weak to sit on the seat area of the walker “I didn’t know that was what the flat part was for, but from then on I used it lots” I checked my watch and off I went, 1 hour later and about a dozen stops and sits I was back in my room, completely wasted, I had overdone myself and it was at that moment that I knew that with my limited strength but more importantly my stamina being next to zero that I fatigued quickly
“ lesson learned take it easy and don’t overdo it” seems Ritchie was right again,
“ patience” I had a good rest and then it was time for bag 5 of the IVIG, which went pretty well. The problem that I was facing was“ just how much is enough without getting really fatigued ” I would learn rather quickly what my limits were. It was hard to accept, because I wanted to do more, but I had been told many times by Ritchie and others, that if I pushed to much I could hurt myself and by that I mean if I tired myself out too much, it would slow the rebuilding process and actually cause me to go backwards “ that’s all I needed” In my travels around the unit that day, I found the kitchen. This was good cause I could now go and make myself a cup of tea or get a bottle of fresh water., and not be a bother to the nurses. While walking I noticed that my vision was getting a bit blurred and that I was having trouble focusing on objects at a distance, I had to squint. My vision was to become a major problem for me during my stay and still is to this day. My plan of action was simple. Walk to a point, sit and rest and go back to the room and rest and then walk again only this time go farther than before, build the stamina or at least go as far as I could without getting real tired, find that wall or the point of no return. I would walk slowly, rest and while resting listen to music or watch T.V. Unit 11 is a neurological ward, the people there are recovering from things like strokes, different forms of brain damage and other neurological problems, it’s a very busy place, lots of people visiting and attention being paid by the nursing staff. I noticed as I was walking around that many people were bed ridden and not able to get up and about, I would go by a door look in and they would look back, I started to feel self - conscious in that I was walking while they couldn’t, I stopped looking into the rooms as I passed by.

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[gord]

By Sunday night I was beginning to feel a little better, the tingling sensations in my face and scalp were not as bad, the numbness in my hands and arms was not getting any worse and as to my legs, well they were pretty much the same other than I could now move my toes and when I walked, could feel the floor. The tight band across my chest had leveled out but was still there, however the pain when lifting my arms was almost gone “ I could comb my hair”. My vitals were pretty stable, I was breathing better and seemed to have more energy or at least a sense of more energy. I could not just sit, had to be doing something, and that something was walking. I began talking to people in the hallways while walking. I’d say hello or nod to everyone and my sense of humor “ which I have been told by many, can be quite warped at the best of times” was beginning to show. Naturally I was also talking to myself. Ritchie told me that I was quite the sight, that the nurses were getting quit ‘a hoot “ watching me. There I was red pants and all, ball cap on, ear phones in each ear, muttering to myself as I walked, with my walker, as well the body language and my antics, apparently made them look and wonder. They were surprised that I was always out of room 1141, so much. A big thing happened to me Sunday night. I had a bowel movement. Now this may not seem very important to some, but to me it was monumental. I had not had a crap for 6 days and obviously it has to affect your body. What was absolutely great for me was that I could feel the movement and I will tell you this it was a great relief, in more ways than one. I remember coming out of the bathroom, excited, smiling and telling all the nurses what had happened “ Ritchie just smiled” I felt better much, much better. My attitude that day was more upbeat, “the patch was working” Dr. A. showed up and we did some more strength and sensation testing, she seemed quite pleased in the responses that she got and was quite pointed that now we had to wait and see the impact that the IVIG would have on the GBS, I explained in detail what I was feeling and in some cases sensing, and that I had been up and walking all the time. She just nodded and said she knew, seems my file was always being updated, not just with technical stuff but also what I was doing, such as walking, eating, resting etc including my approach to things and especially my attitude. You only get one chance to make a good impression and I had blown it with a few people “ I was being watched by everyone, Ritchie was right on again”. I found the charge nurse that I had been very rude to before and apologized to her. In fact I spent quite a lot of time over the next few days “groveling” to those that I had been rude to previously. In some cases it worked and in others it didn’t, regardless I tried. Ritchie came in later that evening to tell me that he would be off for the next couple days and that Meagan would be looking after me. Was I disappointed “yes I was, remember Ritchie had been with me, constantly, since I first arrived on Unit 11” I had met Meagan a couple times, when she had worked with Ritchie, she seemed to be ok, I would find out over the next few days just how ok she was, a female clone of Ritchie.

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