Month: April 2020

Well each day I continue to keep working hard on my recovery from Guillain Barre Syndrome. I continue to work out my legs on the SciFit bike, practicing standing up at the wall bars and more walking each day with walker. Today I walked 180 feet in the walker, that’s all the time allowed for, or my physiotherapy session. I feel stronger and I could have done the complete loop around the whole gym if I had more time.

Improving Week to Week

When I first went in the walker, I only walked maybe 30-40 feet. Each time I walked, I walked a little further. Now today I walked 180 feet!! I’m improving, it’s taken me a while to get here but I did. I walk a couple times in the parallel bars first to warm up my legs then I walk in the gym where the black lines are and out the gym door on the right. I walked all the way down to the cafeteria today. We’ll see how far I go tomorrow.

My discharge date is still set for May 15th after their weekly conference meetings today on patients. I also only have a few weeks left here maybe at the Stan Cassidy Rehabilitation Centre in Fredericton NB. I hope that within the next few weeks I’ll be able to stand up on my own from the wheelchair up to a walker. Most importantly I need to be at this phase of my recovery by the time I leave here.

I know my recovery will continue after I leave but I need to be at this point. This is and always has been one of my main goals here. I hope I can do it. I worked so hard to get to where I am today I don’t want set backs in recovery as mentioned before with no outpatient services being offered at home due to Covid-19. If I can stand, walk, I will be able to continue at home. I just need to get to this point.

I’m so close to my goal and I’m so close to maybe going home soon. I just got to finish what I started. If it wasn’t for all the staff here at The Stan Cassidy Rehabilitation Centre I wouldn’t be where I am today. Now I feel I’m on the home stretch and hopefully my strength and abilities will also continue to increase. Furthermore it’s now or never!! I choose now!!! Looking forward to the next 2 weeks.

Well I didn’t get a video of the first time walking with walker outside of the parallel bars on Day 265 but I got one on the second time on Day 266. My Guillain Barre Syndrome recovery is coming along. This day finally came. Getting better from GBS.🙂

Well I was just informed today after their weekly rounds concerning patients that I’ll be staying now until at least May 15, 2020. My discharge date has changed. It was previously May 1st and now I’ve been extended. That’s okay, that’s good, it gives me more time to recover with the level of therapy you can only get here at the Stan Cassidy Rehabilitation Centre in Fredericton.

Several people today asked me how I felt about that and I said I’m completely fine with it. As much as I want to go home and see my kids and family I know I need to be here. Trust me, like any patient that’s been in the hospital as long as I have, you want to go home. A person needs to however think smart about it and realize where is the best place for them to be right now. Recovery is the focus and there is no better place for that to happen then right here.

Day 265 Now! 100 Days Away From A Full Year

It’s crazy to think that I’ve been in the hospital/rehab this long, 265 days now!!! I’m 100 days away from it being a full year out of my life recovering from Guillain Barre Syndrome. August 1, 2019 seems so long ago. I look back and see how far I’ve come when my prognosis wasn’t good but for me and who I am, don’t tell me I’m not going to do something as I’ll work my butt off to prove that anything is possible. I don’t quit until I achieve what I’m focused on accomplishing. That’s who I am, no matter what obstacle is in front of me.

I’m here now till at least May 15th so I’m happy that I’ll continue to get rehab.What has always worried me about this whole thing is being sent home knowing there is no outpatient Physiotherapy being offered right now back at home in Moncton. When people don’t continually work, they may lose part of what they worked so hard to gain. I’m glad I’m here a bit longer. This allows more time for discharge planning and more recovery.

My Kids, I Miss Them

I know I told my kids the other day that Dad is coming home May 1st. Certainly thought I was going home but with the recent standing up and me walking changes everything I’m sure. As long as people progress they stay. I told my kids today that I need to stay a bit longer to get where I need to be. They understand but I want to go home so bad too. I want to see my kids, hug them, kiss them, it’s been too long now.

I’ve seen so many patients here during my stay say I’m going home no matter what. I completely understand where they are coming from. There will be a day I’ll probably say the same thing when I feel I can manage on my own to the best I can as long as there is outpatient services being offered in Moncton. My recovery is my focus. I want my life back and I’m going to work my butt off to make that happen.

This coronavirus affects discharge planning so much, maybe it’s to my benefit, I don’t know, I’m not in those meetings. For now however I’m here longer and I’m going to make the best of my time towards my recovery from Guillain Barre Syndrome. I feel lately things are changing quicker, getting stronger, doing new things etc… all promising things towards recovery from GBS. As always one day at a time and kids dad will be home soon!!! 😉

Well I did it!! I went walking with walker for the first time today in physiotherapy. Today is day 265 now since becoming ill with Guillain Barre Syndrome on August 1, 2019. The other day I stood up for the first time on day 260 and now this. I never thought I would ever get disconnected from that sling in the parallel bars and walk outside them. It doesn’t matter how many days it took me to get here, it only matters that I finally got there. GBS truly stands for getting better slowly, but the most important words is getting better. I’m getting better and that’s what’s important.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a video, I wanted to but they already had 4 people there for the first time, I hated to ask, and I didn’t. I so wanted to, to have that first video of me walking not attached to anything but I didn’t want to bother asking someone. I know they would have but next time I will ask. It felt good though, I knew I could do it… just no safety net in case I fell but I’m getting stronger.

Walking With Walker First Time

I walked only in the gym today and I walked to the other end of it where the black tape is on the floor. When I got to the end they wanted me to sit down but I’m like I’m good, I will if you want me to but I’m good. My physiotherapist was like you can make the turn to go back? I told them I might have to take a 10 point turn at the end though. I’m like yeah I’m fine. I started turning but I babied it as I definitely didn’t want to fall so baby steps. One of physiotherapist assistants speaks up that’s more like a 30 point turn, lol, she’s quite the joker. 🙂

Yes I was happy about today but I keep my emotion in. My physiotherapist always jokes with me, you gonna give me something Jamie, lol 😆 The day I walk out of here on my own two feet I’ll give her just a little bit of emotion, lol That’s the day I dream of, that’s the day I work for, that’s the day that will come. The only thing yet to be decided and determined is the day. I will get there I know it!!!! I’m determined, focused and my recovery from Guillain Barre Syndrome continues. 🙂

Day 260 and it’s the first time I stood up since becoming ill with Guillain Barre Syndrome on August 1, 2019 in Moncton. It’s now April 16th, 2020 and it’s the first time standing up from the wheelchair. It was a good day! My progress continues on.

This morning I ended up being late for Physiotherapy and I didn’t have enough time to get set up and go for a walk. My physiotherapist has been wanting to try standing up against the wall. We didn’t have much time to do anything else so she wanted to try. So we did.

To be honest I didn’t think much of it other then okay let’s try. I thought it was only going to be another fail but to my surprise I sprung right up. I was honestly shocked that had just happened. I’m standing up! It felt good though. I mean this was only like my 7th attempt at standing which I fully expected it to be a fail like every other time. Turns out Day 260 was the day! I stood up 3 times in a row today from the wheelchair. It shows me I’m getting stronger, I’m still healing and my road to recovery is not over. Today it was meant to be that I was late and to be honest I’m glad I was.

Standing Up Today A Success!

Going through Guillain Barre Syndrome you can’t help but to think am I ever going to get better, will the day ever come that I’ll walk or be able to stand up again? These are things that run through your mind. These are things that I sit here and think about at night. All you can do is just keep trying, work hard and never give up. It might have taken me 8 1/2 months to get here but I finally did it today. A day I won’t soon forget.

Walking independently is my next goal ahead in my recovery from Guillain Barre Syndrome. As always one day at a time!

Well today I started taking Vitamin B12 Supplements that helps promote nerve regeneration and nerve damage repair. With Guillain Barre Syndrome the myelin sheath the coating on your nerves gets damaged. This is what causes paralysis. If people think of an electrical cord getting cut or damaged the electricity cannot pass through. With the myelin sheath being damaged signal cannot get through. As previously mentioned before it takes a long time for your nerves to heal and repair. With Guillain Barre Syndrome your nerves heal at a rate of 1mm a day. Takes a long time!!!

I brought this up with my doctors a long time ago after much research into Guillain Barre Syndrome on articles related to Vitamin B12 supplements nerve regeneration and nerve repair. Therefore after reading about it I wanted to give my body every possible help I can to recover from Guillain Barre Syndrome. They ordered a blood test however my B12 level were with the normal range. My B12 levels were 370 and normal range is between 150 and 569. As a result the doctors did not feel it clinically necessary to take a Vitamin B12 Supplement.

This has been on my mind for a while so I decided to order some in from Walmart. My reasoning is, could a higher level of vitamin B12 in my system help therefore help with nerve regeneration and nerve damage repair? Could more be better? Could it possibly help my recovery from Guillain Barre? I don’t know, but if it can’t hurt me by taking them, why not try. I’d love to know if higher levels of B12 in your system helps more? Well I’m going to try and find out. If something can’t hurt you why not give your body an extra fighting chance.

Vitamin B12 Supplements Nerve Repair – Consider Taking It

For anyone going through Guillain Barre Syndrome perhaps look into also taking Vitamin B12 Supplements. I knew about how it helps with nerve regeneration but after being in a Facebook Group Guillain Barre Syndrome Survivors with almost 8,900 people in there I’m going to try. Lots of people talking about it as well as Lions mane. Furthermore if there are possible benefits to recovery, try. I wish you all the best for anyone going through this and as always stay strong, you got this!

Sorry I haven’t posted much lately as I’ve been just working hard with my weight loss business, Weight Loss Program & Business Opportunity. I’m going to be posting more here. I just took some time for me lately, and planning on my return home. Lots of planning that’s for sure however things are going well and I’m just taking things one day at a time. That’s all you can do. Time heals everything.