Guillain-Barré Syndrome
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is not something that many people have dealt with or even heard of for that matter. According to the CDC, there is somewhere between 3,000-6,000 cases of GBS per year in the United States. That amounts to 1-2 people out of 100,000 per year (CDC, 2009). For me, Guillain-Barré syndrome is something that I have known about since I was eight years old. Not only was I aware that it existed, I thought it was going to take my dad away from me. I did not know what it did or how it worked, all I knew was my dad was very sick and this time. Before my dad got sick, he was a very strong, athletic individual. It was rare for him to not be doing something. My dad would run and play with any kid …show more content…
27). My dad’s diagnosis was made by ruling out other conditions that could have caused the same symptoms. The first thing that the doctors tried to do was poke my dad with a safety pin to test his ability to feel; he did not feel anything. The next thing the doctors did was rule out a brain tumor using CT. After it was determined that it was not a brain tumor, the doctors tried several reaction and neurological functionality tests. These tests helped determine the extent of his paralysis. Finally, the doctors performed a lumbar puncture to analyze my dad’s cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). During the lumbar puncture my dad did not feel any pain because of the numbness of his body. He felt the pressure on his back when the needle entered his body, but he did not experience any pain (S. Jackson, personal communication, 2016). After analyzing my dad’s CSF, the doctors found that an elevated protein level was present. This would be fine if he were still suffering from the flu, but that was not the case. My dad had already gotten over the flu so his white blood cells (WBC) were back to normal levels. The excess of protein and lack of an excess of WBCs is what lead to the diagnosis of GBS for my dad (Sulton, 2002, pg. …show more content…
In the process of plasmapheresis, all the patient’s plasma in their blood is removed from the body, filtered, then returned. The plasma that is filtered out is replaced by fresh, healthy plasma from a donor. In the above study, plasmapheresis was also tested. Plasmapheresis showed to have a 96% effectiveness in speeding up the recovery (Ye et al, 2014). IVIG is typically what the doctors try to use first because, “…it’s easier to administer, readily available, and less likely to transmit infection.” (Sulton, 2002, pg. 28). Plasmapheresis on the other hand, is invasive and quite a bit riskier than IVIG. “Common adverse effects on patients include hypotension, bradycardia, fever, chills, and skin rash… Because of possible complications, perform the procedure in the intensive care unit (ICU) with special equipment and personnel.” (Sulton, 2002, pg. 28). If a patient has an adverse reaction to the IVIG treatment, the doctors will switch to plasmapheresis (Sulton, 2002, pg.
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is not something that many people have dealt with or even heard of for that matter. According to the CDC, there is somewhere between 3,000-6,000 cases of GBS per year in the United States. That amounts to 1-2 people out of 100,000 per year (CDC, 2009). For me, Guillain-Barré syndrome is something that I have known about since I was eight years old. Not only was I aware that it existed, I thought it was going to take my dad away from me. I did not know what it did or how it worked, all I knew was my dad was very sick and this time. Before my dad got sick, he was a very strong, athletic individual. It was rare for him to not be doing something. My dad would run and play with any kid …show more content…
27). My dad’s diagnosis was made by ruling out other conditions that could have caused the same symptoms. The first thing that the doctors tried to do was poke my dad with a safety pin to test his ability to feel; he did not feel anything. The next thing the doctors did was rule out a brain tumor using CT. After it was determined that it was not a brain tumor, the doctors tried several reaction and neurological functionality tests. These tests helped determine the extent of his paralysis. Finally, the doctors performed a lumbar puncture to analyze my dad’s cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). During the lumbar puncture my dad did not feel any pain because of the numbness of his body. He felt the pressure on his back when the needle entered his body, but he did not experience any pain (S. Jackson, personal communication, 2016). After analyzing my dad’s CSF, the doctors found that an elevated protein level was present. This would be fine if he were still suffering from the flu, but that was not the case. My dad had already gotten over the flu so his white blood cells (WBC) were back to normal levels. The excess of protein and lack of an excess of WBCs is what lead to the diagnosis of GBS for my dad (Sulton, 2002, pg. …show more content…
In the process of plasmapheresis, all the patient’s plasma in their blood is removed from the body, filtered, then returned. The plasma that is filtered out is replaced by fresh, healthy plasma from a donor. In the above study, plasmapheresis was also tested. Plasmapheresis showed to have a 96% effectiveness in speeding up the recovery (Ye et al, 2014). IVIG is typically what the doctors try to use first because, “…it’s easier to administer, readily available, and less likely to transmit infection.” (Sulton, 2002, pg. 28). Plasmapheresis on the other hand, is invasive and quite a bit riskier than IVIG. “Common adverse effects on patients include hypotension, bradycardia, fever, chills, and skin rash… Because of possible complications, perform the procedure in the intensive care unit (ICU) with special equipment and personnel.” (Sulton, 2002, pg. 28). If a patient has an adverse reaction to the IVIG treatment, the doctors will switch to plasmapheresis (Sulton, 2002, pg.