hi, i was not in icu, but did have hypersensitivity and received ot and pt

Anonymous
August 14, 2006 at 11:18 pm

the nurses/pt’s helped me with passive range of motion. i had extreme hypersensitiviy especially in feet and face. i did not wear any splints, but never would have been able to tolerate it.
in ot, i worked on picking up change off the table, my handwriting (which really affected me emotionally for some reason b/c it had changed so much), activities of daily living you know….eating, picking up pens, throwing bean bags, making a sandwich, just touching my index finger to my thumb…basic, basic stuff. my nurses were fantastic! helped me sit up, shower, feed me, brush my hair….they sent in therapy staff to do most of my passive range of motion. and they did not let a day go by where there wasn’t someone helping me with some range of motion or activity. emotional support was big…..my nursing staff and doctors were wonderful! and i am not close with my family so it was hard. i was extremely scarey but what was reassuring was that it would get better with time. it takes time, patience and hard work.
back to therapy…putting hands in sand and moving the fingers around, or a web board. for icu and if he is paralyzed in his arms/hands any and all passive range of motions are beneficial…..yes he obviously is experiencing hypotrophy in his muscles, but if someone else doing them for him is all he can do, then that is what you do until he can…it will come back. good luck.

forst

[QUOTE=JHegeman]Hello,
I recently became a member. I was diagnosed with GBS in 2000 and after receiving occupational therapy to speed my recovery I decided to get my degree in OT. With my case, I was never in the ICU. I was extremely fortunate that the GBS did not affect my respiratory system. My therapy took place in an outpatient clinic.

Currently I am in the middle of an intership for occupational therapy in the acute care setting of a hospital. I have been working with a gentleman who was diagnosed with GBS in February 2006. He is on a ventilator, feeding tube, and can move his head and shrug his shoulders. Otherwise most of his body is paralyzed.

I am curious, what type of treatments did the occupational and phsyical therapists provide for those of you who spent time in the ICU and experienced full body paralysis and respiratory issues??
Did you receive splints for your hands?? If so, did you find these painful to wear?? In my experience, GBS can cause severe hypersensitivity. I remember I did not want to be touched due to the pain. Did any of you have this experience? If you had splints did you find them helpful?

Also, did the nurses provide passive range of motion on a regular basis as well as help you to sit up occasionally?
What caused the most discomfort and pain for you in the ICU? What do you think helped your progression the most? (emotional support, therapy, etc…)

I would love to hear from any one who is willing to share. I feel very lucky to have such a great resource at my fingertips (personal experience).

I wish you all the best.
Thank you!!
-Juli[/QUOTE]