SC121 Unit 9 Assignment Case Study Report

Case Study Report

Case 2

1.He has been diagnosed with a PNS called Guillain-Barre Syndrome. My reasoning behind this diagnoses is that his symptoms are similar to those associated with this disorder. He had lower and upper muscle weakness as well as his trouble breathing and having to be put on a ventilator. He also had the stomach flu, in which this is how he got the disorder I believe.

2. GBS is a rare disorder in which the immune system attacks part of the peripheral nervous system causing almost permanent paralysis, unable to breath on your own and muscle weakness. Weakness on both sides of the body is the major symptom and is one that worried patients and go see a doctor. Most cases start a few days following a viral infection, such as stomach flu. The immune attack due to fighting an infection and some of the chemicals infection the bacteria resemble on the nerve cells, then they become targets if the attack, In GBS, the immune system attacks healthy nerves by mistake.

3. Risk factors with disorder are very serious if you do not catch right away or go to doctor. It can cause paralysis for rest of life, to not being able to drive and do normal daily functions. Also breathing on your own may not happen as well as high and low blood pressure and serious heart problems.

4. Tests that I think that would have been done are:

Spinal tap in which fluid is taken from the spinal canal of the lower back, an elevated level of protein without an increase of WBC in the fluid of the GBS.

Electromyography was done to insert electrodes that are thin-needle like and put into muscles and to show doctors the loss of the individual nerve impulses due to the diseases slowing of nerve responses.

And with the electromyography, a nerve conditon study is done in which electrodes are taped to the skin, right above the nerve.

Patient Letter

Good morning Mr. Mactavish. I am your doctor and I am here to fill you

in on what has been going on with you and explain to you more on what

it means and how we can treat and get you better and out of here, as well

as when you go home and what you have to do to get well.

You have a peripheral nervous system disorder called Guillian-Barre

Syndrome. It is a disorder that is a rapid muscle weakness caused by

the immune system, damaging the PNS. Usually it starts with the pain

and muscle weakness in the feet and the hands, and then it moves to

your upper body, were you will have your tingling and weakness. The

reason you were put on a ventilator is because you were developing

weakness of the breathing muscle and it helped you to not only breathe

better, but to give you that oxygen you needed. Your abnormal heart rates

and high and low blood pressure was due to your autonomic nervous

system that was changing during this process. You were also given a few

tests to help me diagnose you with GBS. First I gave you a spinal tap which

I took fluid from your spinal canal from your lower back and that helped

me show the elevated level of the protein without an increase of WBC in

the fluid of the GBS. Second, I gave you a Electromyograph was done tp

insert electrodes that are thin-needle like in your muscle so I can study

and it will show me the loss of your nerve impulses due to the diseases

slowing of nerve responses.

I think when you had the stomach flu earlier, as you stated, that is how

you got this disorder and it was not properly taking care of and bacteria

grew and developed.

We will start you off with some strong immunotherapy called

Plasmapheresis and intravenous immunoglobulins that will help

reduce the attack on the nervous system by distributing antibodies out

of the blood stream. Following the intense therapy, there will also be

intensive rehab that you will have to complete in order to defeat this

disorder and help you and your team to focus and defeat. Physiotherapy

will help you gain your strength back, increase your mobility, as well as

help you with your posture as well as your joint function. Occupational

therapy will help you improve your everyday function and help you do

domestic tasks, as well as driving. You may need to wear splints until you

are able to gain your muscle back and walk right. Also a Nutrional support

will be available in case you would like some help eating right so you can

gain your muscle weight back. So PLEASE do all of your therapies like I

have instructed so you can have a normal life again and so that you can

walk and talk normal, drive etc. I want you to succeed. I know at time you

will have to push through some hard times and maybe even cry, but in the

long run it will benefit you and your family and make you healthy again.

Recovery wise you should see a difference in your walk in about 6 months,

and hopefully by a year you should be back to your way of being fully

normal. Come back and see me in 6 weeks and I will see how you are doing

and wish you the best.

Citations

Guillains– Barre Syndrome(2019) Retrieved from

www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Fact-sheets/Guillain-barre-syndrome

Guillains Barre Syndrome (2015) retrieved from

www.mayoclini.org/disease-conditions/guillain-barre-syndrome/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20363006