Brian's Story
Just months away from retirement, Brian Cox, 63, was excited to begin his next chapter. After a career as a project manager, he was looking forward to fixing up a newly purchased 1950’s truck and spending time outdoors, including camping and boating. Brian and his wife, Jen, had recently purchased a home on a ranch in Golden Valley, Arizona and were planning the move.
As Memorial Day weekend approached, Brian fell sick with food poisoning. Brian’s main symptoms resolved in a few days, but he was left with the feeling that his feet were “on fire.” The pain subsided with medication, but the next day, he was experiencing the same burning feeling again – this time on both his feet and hands.
Concerned, Brian went to a local urgent care, who sent him to the hospital. A CT scan showed that he had diverticulitis, or an inflammation of pouches in the colon. He was prescribed antibiotics and sent home. The following day, Brian could not open his medication bottle. An attempt to open a water bottle was also unsuccessful. Brian called Jen at work and told her that something was really wrong. She rushed home, and by the time she arrived, Brian was barely able to walk. “I was basically dragging him to the car,” Jen recalled.
They returned to the hospital where Brian had been evaluated several days before. When it was clear that Brian needed a specialist in neurology, he was moved to Banner Desert Medical Center. There, he saw a neurologist who immediately knew what was wrong. Brian was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune disorder that occurs when the body's immune system attacks the peripheral nervous system. In some cases, GBS is triggered by a bacterial or viral infection, which in Brian’s case, could have been caused by his bout of food poisoning.
Brian spent the next 22 days in the hospital, receiving multiple antibiotics and undergoing plasmapheresis. This medical procedure removes plasma from a patient's blood and separates it from the blood cells with the goal of removing the GBS antibodies that attack the nerves. Brian continually underwent testing, including a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) where a needle is inserted into the spinal canal to collect cerebrospinal fluid for diagnostic testing. He also had multiple MRIs and CT scans to evaluate his condition.
Once Brian was medically stable, his neurologist recommended inpatient rehabilitation at Banner Rehabilitation Hospital East as the next step in his recovery. Upon arrival, he was struggling with managing his nerve pain, which was excruciating at times. He was also fighting dizziness, unable to stand or sit up by himself.
Brian had one goal – he wanted to walk again. Brian’s physician-led care team of nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists worked to devise a plan to get Brian back on his feet so that he could enjoy his retirement.
Brian spent just over seven weeks at Banner East during what would be his first stint in inpatient rehabilitation. Initially, his nerve pain made it nearly unbearable to use any specialized rehabilitation equipment. After three weeks of hard work, Brian’s pain began to subside enough for him to use an exoskeleton, a wearable robotic device that helps a patient stand and move their legs. When he was discharged, Brian was still unable to walk independently or move his arms, but his pain was much more controlled.
Brian left the Banner East in a power wheelchair, yet he still dreamed of walking again. Once he returned home, he received physical therapy and home health care, where he began to stand and march in place.
Unfortunately, less than three weeks later, Brian ended up back in the hospital due to a recurrence of the infection he had prior to his diagnosis of GBS. Over the next month and a half, Brian would be moved between several hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, spending only four days at home.
Finally, Brian was healthy enough to return to Banner Rehabilitation Hospital East. During his time away from the hospital, Brian and Jen had kept in close contact with his therapists, shared videos and encouragement. “Someone was going to see him walking, and it needed to be that team,” Jen said. “They knew Brian, they knew his struggles, and this was where he needed to be.”
“When Brian and Jen came back to us, they both told me that Brian was going to walk out of the front doors," recalls Brian’s physical therapist. “The rest is history.”
Upon his second admission, Brian was able to walk 50 feet with a walker and negotiate a curb with the assistance of two people. He also needed maximum assistance to get in and out of a car. Physical therapists worked with Brian to use body weight-support devices such as the LiteGait, which uses a suspension system and harness to support the patient's while standing, walking or exercising either on a treadmill or on the ground. Brian once again strapped on the exoskeleton to help him regain his ability to walk independently with a normal walking pattern. Brian progressed quickly, moving through a series of walkers until he no longer needed one.
In occupational therapy, Brian and his therapists focused on increasing his independence in the areas of personal care and mobility, including getting in and out of bed and changing positions. They practiced basic self-care tasks in the therapy gym and in the activities of daily living suite, which is set up to mimic a home environment. Therapists also taught Brian to use adaptive equipment, including a tabletop mobile arm support and a mouth stick, an assistive device with a rubber tip at one end that allowed him to use his phone.
With time and hard work, through rigorous therapy sessions that his occupational therapist described as “teeth clenching,” Brian made incredible strides. He progressed to completing bed, toilet and shower transfers with minimal assistance. He was able to feed himself using the tabletop mobile arm support.Brian needed only minor assistance to get in and out of the car and negotiating a six-inch curb.
Finding strength in the face of adversity, Brian reached his goal of walking again. On the day of his second discharge from Banner East, Brian walked out the doors using a rolling walker with Jen and a parade of staff by his side.
“There was not a dry eye in the building,” his occupational therapist noted.
His physical therapist said that Brian was an inspiration to staff and patients alike. “It was an honor to meet and work with Brian and Jen. Their story will always have a special place in my heart. His journey is the reason I became a physical therapist.”
Brian plans to continue his rehabilitation with outpatient therapy as well as aquatic therapy. “Getting better is my job now,” he said. “We’re not status quo people. We’re striving to be better.”
He has only the highest praise for his care team at Banner East. “The team is incredible. They focus on the little victories and hold onto that in order to move forward,” Brian stated.
“It’s so cliché to say they’re like family, but it’s the truth. I wouldn’t be here today without their support.”