Bed Number Ten

Each case of Guillain-Barre Syndrome is different---for the patient, for the doctors, and for the caregivers. WE ARE ALL COURAGEOUS in that we have fought very hard for the chance to just LIVE and hopefully to obtain as much percentage of recovery as we can. I was diagnosed correctly on the 10th day of onset. By that time, I was paralyzed from the neck down. Treatment consisted of IVIG and therapy in the hospital for 2 weeks and then I was transferred to the REHAB center for 9 weeks. I was actually put into a room where a GBS patient had previously occupied and he and his wife visited me and encouraged me. The therapy was grueling but productive and I learned once again, just like a baby does, how to get out of bed, sit up, walk and brush my teeth without assistance. After 3.5 years, I am still in a wheelchair most of the day but can walk with assistance for a very short distance ie, across a room. For long distances, I have to use the power chair. The leg cramps that feel like snakes crawling in my legs are still there periodically and are unlike anything I've ever experienced. Since experiencing GBS, I frequently 'feel that I'm in another realm' in my dreams and my almost-awake hours. Very strange. I read everything I can read on GBS because I am still in the recovery period and interested in comparing notes with others who have travelled the same route. While in REHAB, one of my visitors who had previously had GBS, recommended BED 10 for me to read. She's a precious saint who had GBS back in the 70s and stayed in ICU for about 8 months. My physician says I have recovered 95% now. If I never recover the other 5%, it's o.k. for my life is in God's hands and I am happy to be back at church playing the piano for all worship services. At 73 years of age, that is a blessing and an answer from God for all the prayers that went up for me. I have a hard time understanding anyone being snide about this syndrome and those of us who have gone through it. It takes courage, faith, and patience to endure and overcome and I feel I have done that so mark me down as COURAGEOUS and BLESSED! AMEN!!

I am an RN and all too often, patients are faced with uncaring caregivers who perceive meeting patient's needs as "too much trouble". If there is a medical person who perceives Sue as a "whiner", I would not want that person to enter my room! The book is a compelling novel, I could not put it down! It included wonderful stories of her travels and family. I wished the book was longer, I hated for it to end. I cried throughout the last portion of the book because it was so touching. The one thing I think it lacks is getting its point across to caregivers. Some caregivers are too uncaring to fully comprehend the torture Sue went through lying there day after day, unable to move or speak, being at the mercy of others. I put it on my list as one of the best books I have ever read!

This was one I couldn't put down. It really made me think about the environment I work in, and how the residents are treated. I am a certified nursing assistant at a long-term care facility (nursing home). I really enjoy the residents there. If you're in a hurry, and you just want to get the work done, how do you think the patients feel? I try to imagine myself in the position of one of my residents,and it helps me to think more openly. I have also tried to imagine myself in Sue's position, and its difficult. Reading this book has made me a better employee, and a better person.

I was given this book to read by one of my clinical instructors during my last intership. It was a truely enlightening book. I found it hard to put down as I felt like a part of her family having to go through all of her pain while she was in the hospital dealing with this disease. The story gives the reader a shocking insight as to how severe Guillian-Bare Syndrome can become. As a Physical Therapist Assisant, it helped me to try to always remember to really listen to your patients not just with your ears, but with your heart. I would highly recomend this as required reading for everyone that is going into the medical profession so that we can all learn compassion and the value of human dignity. Thank you, Susan M. Gratteau, PTA Hot Springs, Arkansas

As a nursing student preparing for graduation, I read "Bed Number Ten" with page turning enthusiasm. Becoming emotionally as well as medically involved in Sue and her family's lives through her book is a unique look into Guillan-Barre syndrome. This book should be required reading for all in the health care field.