Learning to Walk Again: How Guillain Barre Taught Me to Walk a Different Path

By Ann K. Brandt

Book Overview

Guillain Barre Syndrome is strange combination of symptoms that includes paralysis in varying degrees. It strikes men and women, young and old. Often the primary care physician has difficulty... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0595258239
• ISBN13: 9780595258239
• Release Date: December 2002
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 116 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Better than "Bed Number Ten" at least...

This book was better than "Bed Number Ten" becasue it gives more information about GBS. She describes her pain and her experience with the hospital and GBS more in detail and is not revolving around her personal life. Who cares if her niece had to bake a pie????

The struggle for information, and guidance

I became engrossed with the book 'Learning to Walk Again' as soon as I began reading it. I read it in one sitting. I learned about the difficulty of getting a correct diagonosis when dealing with various doctors and hospitals.And how you have to be persistant. It was a nightmare for Ann because of the pain she felt, until a diagonosis was found.Patients must not be seduced in believing that they just need therapy, and that it's all in their head! This book is on the cutting edge when it comes to information about Guillain Barre disease. Ann's first hand experience with the disease will help patients and families struggling with similar issues. It will act like a road map for them. It will help them to push and ask questions of their doctors. The book is well-researched about this little-known disease.In addition to the excellent information this book shares, it also delves into the important relationship between family members and how supportive and helpful they were to each other. Caregivers carry a heavy burden, and this book discusses the give and take that is necessary between partners and other family members.I also liked the writing style. Although the topic was difficult, the writing style was easy and conversational and even touched on humor. I visualized many of the scenes, a great indication of a good book, which this certainly was. I recommend this book to anyone who has a family member or friend suffering with this disease or other challening body problems.

A Fascinating Miracle of Recovery

Ann's personal story is an an amazing meld of knowledge of Guillain Barre and the painful (and humorous)process of her Recovery. A good readfor anyone seeking hope and progress through a chronic illness, whether patient or caregiver.

A beneficial book for survivors and caregivers

As a fellow GBS survivor, I was eager to read Ms. Brandt's account of her experience. This disease does not discriminate when it strikes, and every person has a different journey. I suppose when you've been struck with such a life-altering experience, from out of nowhere, you seek connection and explanation.The book touches upon the elementary aspects of GBS, and poses some important questions. Like Ms. Brandt, I spent a good deal of time while in my recovery stage trying to prevent what had happened to me from happening to others. She reaches out to others who are in the acute phase of the disease through patient visitation, to other survivors through meetings and symposiums, and to the medical community through this book. Why had we been promised that we'd "get it all back"? Why isn't post-rehabilitation fatigue addressed as a separate phase of the syndrome?This book asks some important questions, and I hope that its publication will serve as a catalyst to get them answered.

A healing book!

I am going through recovery from GBS. Reading this book has been a great experience for me; once a received it, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. Ann's experience is very similar to mine and her book helped me in a therapeutic way; I re-lived many emotions, situations, funny moments, etc., and learned a little bit more about this syndrome. I recommend this book for people who are going through recovery as well as for those caregivers around them.