Sarah B the OT

 GBS|CIDP Foundation International Patient Stories         Clint Shaffer              https://www.gbs-cidp.org/patient-stories/clint-shaffer/         https://www.medcomic.com/medcomic/guillain-barre-syndrome     Clint was a normal athlete with ambitions to be a body builder. He worked out regularly, and took his fitness and physique very seriously. One day, this feet and toes went numb. He noticed that this numbness spread throughout the following week and months. He also noticed significant fatigue. Workouts he used to do with ease were now almost impossible. He got some tests done, and they came back with no abnormalities. He then got some more nervous system tests, and the official diagnosis was  Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP), which we are learning in class as Guillain Barré Syndrome (GBS).  The symptoms of this auto immune di...

How I Live Now: Life With ALS The Diagnosis Rachel Doboga                                  https://howilivewithals.com/2016/05/21/the-diagnosis/                          http://weboc.alsa.org/site/PageServer/?pagename=OC_1_whatIs     Rachel Doboga was diagnosed with ALS at 28 years old. She was a teacher and loved to travel, but all of that got put to rest after her diagnosis. She uses her blog as a platform for her disease. In this specific post, it is about her diagnosis. She explains what she was learning, and who her medical team was. I chose this story because Rachel really talked about and praised her occupational therapist, Deb, throughout this post. She mentioned how Deb encouraged her to do things that SHE wanted to do, and I am so glad that Rachel chose to include this in her post. Occupat...

Neuro Note #4 A quadriplegic mother on raising twins: "Having a disability is not the end of the world"   Lee Cowan                    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/dani-s-twins-documentary-quadriplegic-mother-on-raising-twins/          This blog post is about Danny Izzy, a quadriplegic super mom. She got her spinal cord injury from slipping on her bathroom floor. This was kind of shocking to me because I think if spinal cord injuries as being traumatic, but hers was something as simple as slipping in her home. She recovered but was left paralyzed from her chest down. She did not let this ruin her life. She met her husband Rudy, and he loved her regardless of her disability. She found out she could still have kids, so she ended up with twins! I learned that just because she was paralyzed, that it did not mean she could not have babies. I think we assume that people in wheelchairs cannot have kids, b...

Neuro Note #3:   Margie Alley Plays Ping- Pong to Cope with Parkinson's Disease https://www.brainandlife.org/articles/playing-ping-pong-to-cope-with-parkinsons-disease/?utm_source=Informz&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=21%20Brain%20&%20Life&utm_content=Parkinson%27s%20Spotlight%206      I loved this story! It is about Margie Alley who was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease at age 48, used sports and movement to cope with the new changes in her life. She talked about some of her setbacks like tremors and medication, but those did not stop her. This was super awesome because you hear of most people with Parkinson's not want to move because they are scared or it hurts them. I feel like her way of coping and keeping herself active is amazing for her mind, soul, and body. I compared my case study on Parkinson's to this story, and her way of staying active will benefit her so much more in the long run. My grandfather has Parkinson's and he does to like to b...

 SIM #1 Report:  Mental Status (SLUMS) Examination https://otworldandme.wordpress.com/2020/07/01/cognitive-approach-in-occupational-therapy/      I am currently in a Neuro Apects course in OT school, and I got to participate in a clinical simulation encounter today. Our assignment was to administer a cognitive screening to a patient with a recent stroke history. Cognition is someones ability to understand and interpret information. Something like a stroke can alter someones cognition because it is injury to the brain. As occupational therapists, it is our job to test and understand their cognition so we can figure out how to help them. If we know what level of cognition they have, we can plan intervention accordingly. Let's say someone cannot remember to lock their front door when leaving their house. We can have a note on their keys or in their car to go lock the door every time they are trying to leave. Little things like that can have such an impact on someon...

 Neuro Note #2:  Acquired Brain Injuries A Battle for My Life Emilia Clarke The New Yorker      This is a personal statement written by Emilia Clarke, the star of the show Game of Thrones. She wanted to share her personal story about her acquired brain injury. She felt like she could not while this show was filming, but after she felt lead to share her experience and advocate to others who suffered with what she went through. I chose this news article because I am a big fan of the show. Her character Daenerys Targaryen is am amazing powerful woman in the show. She represents strength and power. Learning that the actress who plays this dominant character suffered from a brain injuries during the filming was actually shocking to me. I would have never thought that something was wrong with Emilia Clarke during this show because of how amazing she did. Like I just said, Daenerys is a powerful girl who captivated the audience in every scene. I was able to further my ...

 Neuro Note #1:  Alzheimer's: A Real Love Story Mike and Julia Balson  https://www.alz.org/blog/alz/june_2016/alzheimer_s_a_real_love_story%E2%80%A6 I read an interview about Mike and Julia Balson, a couple who loves to travel the world together. I got to read about their past as a couple, but also their new obstacle that came with Mike developing Alzheimer's. We recently learned about Alzheimer's in class, so this story got to put that information into a real life situation. One misconception that I had about Alzheimer's is that it only happens super late in life. Mike is a perfect example that it does not always work out that way.   I chose this article because I think that caregivers and the patient's view of life is so important. With these heartbreaking conditions, it can be very easy for everyone involved to drown in their sorrows and live a miserable life. Instead, we got to hear about the beauty of Mike and Julia's love for each other, and how that is wh...