Newbie: GBS caregiver

Dear Dayna,

Your neighbor is a very lucky lady to have you and your husband around to help her! GBS is so devastating to all involved, and is a rollercoaster of emotions. This forum is here for all the questions you have, and the support you need.

Dear Dayna
Welcome to our family. It helps to print out some of the posts and read them to your friend. She needs to know there is hope. Hopefully we have a liason in your area that can also help out. This is a wonderful support group where you can say anything and ask anything and someone will be there to help.

take care and god bless

Sherry

aka: stormy

Dayna,

Ditto Ali and Stormy’s posts. Your neighbor is very lucky to have such good friends.

Shannon

Hi there,

I assume she went to inpatient acute rehab? Last about a month? Then back to her place. You will caregive for her at her house, helping? Have I got that right? Either way, you are a saint for stepping up. Does she need to be lifted phisically and needs body hands on stuff, or just help in general, with function? I would advise stongly to go to therapy, and while in a controlled enviroment with help all over, learn and preform everything you will be doing for her. About a week before discharge, do a test. Where you do everything that you will be doing, there, with no nurse assistence or help from the therapists. Duplicate as close as you can, the whole day you will be envolved in. If smooth with no hitches, you’re ready, if not, then there’s time to correct things and get more tips. What happens in a controlled therapy setting, often times doesn’t work so well when you hit the home and are now in an uncontrolled enviroment. Lots of frustration happens pretty quickly in the home after all that. Is she getting any home therapy after this stint?

She is lucky to have you nice neighbors. The same thing happened to me-hands first, then feet, then I couldnt walk. Wishing her a speedy recovery.

The therapists will have your friend pretty self sufficient before she goes home. She will have to bathe and dress herself, use the toilet, get up and down from a chair, and up and down stairs if necessary; and walk. They will have her strong enough to stand and prepare a simple meal. This may sound impossible, BUT last September I went to acute rehab barely able to sit up on the side of the bed. Within 5 weeks I was able to do the things described, and was discharged. There was still a lot of work to go, with out patient and on my own at home therapy. Progress is agonizingly slow and she needs all the encouragement you can provide. Just don’t do everything for her.
A little story – Occupational Therapy is for dressing, bathing, etc.. I would be scheduled for 7AM and I knew that meant I had to dress myself. My hands didn’t work very well and tingled, very poor grip. Feet had not much feeling other than tingling…so you have to put on those tight medical stockings. Well let me tell you….it took for ev errrrr and produced lots of sweat…and no help from the therapist and I hated it and her.. As time went on it got easier as did walking(you don’t want me to go through that), standing, wheel chairing, walkering, shower chairing……It is important to go to therapy to see what she can do and to learn how to help – the therapy belt is a marvel.
My caregiver was and is my wife(40 years)(This was the for worse part) and she was wonderful and encouraging – you can walk without that walker – yes! I could – and that is the help your friend needs. Not carrying her around and totally pampering. Of course more help will be needed early and you have to learn when and how to back off. Driving or transprtation may be a big issue, the tharapist will teach her how to get in and out of a car, and down the road she may have to be re certfied to drive.
YOU CAN DO IT!
We all here are praying for you and your friend.
Al

God bless you both! Thank you for being there for one of our “family”.