Release Date: 31 March, 1989
Paperback
|
From Publishers Weekly
A Houston housewife, mother of two teenage daughters, Baier endured a virtual living death when she contracted Guillain-Barre syndrome. Suddenly and without apparent cause, her body was entirely immobilized; meanwhile her mind remained alert and her nervous system lost none of its sensitivity to pain. At first able to communicate only by moving her eyelids and laboriously "spelling" key words, she slowly improved until she was released from the hospital and returned home. Herefive years after the trauma, which has left her handicappedshe thanks her husband, family and members of her church and community for the support that compensated for bouts of depression and the occasional callousness of hospital personnel. Baier's chronicle of courage offers hope to victims of the catastrophic disease.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Guillain-Barre is a rare syndrome that can occur after a viral infection, causing degeneration of nerve sheaths and resulting in temporary paralysis. Baier chronicles her severe bout with this puzzling illness and her almost year-long stay in the hospital, most of which was spent in bed number ten of the intensive care unit. She was completely helpless and unable to move except for her eyelids; her mind remained clear but she could communicate with the sometimes unsympathetic staff only by blinking her eyes. Like other books of this genre, Bed Number Ten serves as an expression of gratitude to the many people who helped the author recover. At the same time, Baier provides a graphic personal view of one patient's experience with modern medicine in an ICU. A portion of this book appeared in Family Circle magazine. Karen Mc Nally Bensing, Metropolitan General Hospital Lib., Cleveland
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Book Description
A patient's personal view of long term care.Seen through the eyes of a patient totally paralyzed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, this moving book takes you through the psychological and physical pain of an eleven month hospital stay. BED NUMBER TEN reads like a compelling novel, but is entirely factual.You will meet:The ICU staff who learned to communicate with the paralyzed woman - and those who did not bother.The physicians whose visits left her baffled about her own case.The staff and physicians who spoke to her and others who did not recognize her presence.The nurse who tucked Sue tightly under the covers, unaware that she was soaking with perspiration.The nurse who took the time to feed her drop by drop, as she slowly learned how to swallow again.The physical therapist who could read her eyes and spurred her on to move again as if the battle were his own.In these pages, which reveal the caring, the heroism, and the insensitivity sometimes found in the health care fields, you may even meet people you know. Rating 4.5
Bed number TenThis was one of the best books I have read in a long time. I ordered this book by mail and recieved it on Friday afternoon and started reading it instantly. It is now sunday afternoon and I just finished it. I want so badly to talk to this lady to see how she is today!! To read how uncaring so many people were is so heart breaking to me. There were the few that took the time to be more attentive but everyone should have been that way!! I am a nurse at a Houston hospital and I see nurses and other staff act like that everyday and it breaks my heart because I am a very caring nurse and go above and beyond to help my patients. Every nurse needs to read this book to see how people can be feeling when you treat them that way!! I would recommend this book to everyone I work with and know!!A real tearjerker!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!I can relate as a "Fellow Comrade"I read this book after spending five weeks in ICU, followed by four months in a Rehab Center...recuperating from Guillain Barre Syndrome. I can relate to how she had favorite nurses...so did I, and being totally paralyzed it may be hard for others to understand just how much that extra little fluff of the pillow makes after laying for eight hours in the same position. My body was very sensative, and any movement was painful...I can imagine how much more painful it was with her. The things I found hard to understand in the book were the thoughts she had in her day to day activities....oh, I would be driving by the supermarket now, on my way to pick up my best friend Bonnie...these thoughts are just hard for me to believe. I know my thoughts were like "when will these leg spasms quit...when will I walk again...when will the aching in my legs get better...when will I get out of here....how much is this costing....when is my next therapy" these were my thoughts. The book does give a good view of just how devastating GBS can be. For me....It will be 4 years this Christmas since my GBS attack, and I am still not well. From the waist up I am about 95%, and from the waist down I am about 50% which includes leg and feet numbness, muscle spasms/cramps,joint pain, and stiffness. But I feel blessed to have back as much as I do, and I pray that God will give me the strength and courage to continue my recuperation from this catastrophic illness. |
|
