In the book The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks, chapter 3, The Disembodied Lady. Is about a woman named Christina who is twenty-seven years old, who found out to have gallstones, and removal of her gallbladder. She was admitted to the hospital and was placed on antibiotic for microbial prophylaxis. Before her surgery, Christina was feeling symptoms of Anxiety hysteria, which is the feeling of uncertainty and bewilderment. The day before her surgery hey symptoms were getting worse. She found standing impossible to do and could hold nothing in her hand even if she wants to. When she went to get tested for her symptoms and the doctors thought it was a type of hysteria and labels it as a biparietal syndrome. Christina had lost …show more content…
During her recovery stage, she began to move more often than before. She became dependent on the use of her eyes and ears, to help move her body. If she closes her eyes, even for a brief moment she loses control of her body and it collapses. She was the first of her kind that was diagnosed with this disorder. The name of Christina’s disorder is called severe sensory neuronopathies …show more content…
Two of the many possible symptoms of sensory neuronopathy are involuntary muscle movement of the body and an abnormal gait. Other symptoms are areflexia, pseudoathetotic hand movements, allodynia, tonic pupils, orthostatic hypotension, gastrointestinal effects, erectile dysfunction, memory deficits and behavioral changes (site). It also has an impact on all senses that include pain, temperature, position and vibration (site). Individuals who have symptoms of sensory neuronopathy often go to different types of therapies for treatment. But the therapies have been shown to not fully benefit some individuals who go there. According to Cornblath, there has been a study that had used intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) to treat individuals with sensory neuropathy that have not responded to other therapies (Cornblath, 2003). Towards the end of the study, patients showed improvement in functional tasks and sensory evoked potential, but not in sensory nerve conduction (Cornblath,
Distinction between Real or Fake: Symptoms of Postpartum Psychosis in The Book of Margery Kempe
The book "Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness" by Susannah Calahan is a narrative telling the life changing story of an unimaginable descent into madness, and the genius, lifesaving diagnosis that almost didn't happen. Previously healthy Susannah never would have imagined waking up in the hospital one day with no recollection of her battle with a disease that not only threatened her sanity but also her life. A team of doctors spent a month trying to pin down a medical explanation of what exactly what had gone wrong. During this time, we learn more about Susannah's family, friends, and loved ones and how each of them affect her overall wellbeing. Eventually, with the help of one special
Treatment options and their success rates vary widely, and proponents of the cause are demanding more recognition, research, and success. The study of Arnold-Chiari malformations can lead to additional questions and new understandings about the I-function, sensory-motor input/output paths and the general make-up of the brain and nervous system, but a complete understanding of the disorder may be a long time coming. Impairment and sometimes loss of motor control of the body and its extremities is one of the many effects of this disorder. Patients may complain of headaches, neck pain, coughing, sneezing, dizziness, vertigo, disequilibrium, muscle weakness, balance problems, and loss of fine motor control (1). The senses (hearing, sight, smell, etc.).
Each sensation has its own neuronal receptor, such as: “mechanosensation, thermosensation, vibration, joint position, chemosensation, and electrosensation.” Oaklander then discusses “nocifensive sensations,” or senses that defend us from danger, such as pain and itch. These sensations trigger reflexes and strong movements. However, something that is often left undetected is chronic neuropathic pain, which can cause nerve damage. Shingles is a result of chronic neuropathic pain.
Mary has suffered with her illness for over 10 years. She has previously been diagnosis with a Cluster B type Personality Disorder. Mary comes across as narcissistic, self-engrossed and can be very demanding at times. Mary suffers from anxiety and is prone to panic attacks in relation to her PD diagnosis. At times Mary has been known to make ...
living in such a manner. I did not know the exact cause of her anxiety
In the United States 54 million people have a disability and only 15 percent were born with a disability (Jaeger & Bowman, 2005). If a person lives long enough, it is statistically likely that they will develop some kind of disability in their advancing years (Jaeger & Bowman, 2005). At some point in your life you could have experience a fractured bone, a minor cut, or had some type of surgery. Imagine after some minor injury that you may not even remember and then experiencing a constant pain so agonizing that no amount of pain medication can make you comfortable (Lang & Moskovitz, 2003). Some additional symptoms that you may also experience are severe burning pain, changes in bone and skin, excessive sweating, tissue swelling and extreme sensitivity to touch (Juris, 2005). These symptoms are associated with a disease that is called Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) but more recently termed as complex regional pain syndrome, type 1 (CRPS 1) (Juris, 2005). For simplification purposes this disease will be referred to as RSD throughout this paper.
In “Girl Interrupted” Susanna Kaysen, the main character, goes through many episodes that give a picture of the disorder she’s suffering from. The first such incident occurs when the psychiatrist talks to Susanna about her failed suicide attempt. During the conversation, she is seen as confused and irritated by his presence. While the psychiatrist questions her, her mind seems to be somewhere else because she is having flashbacks of her past, maybe a sign of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). Susanna seems uncertain about things, she claims that she does not know what she feels.
The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat Written By: Dr. Oliver Sacks. Although the title suggests a comical book, Oliver Sacks presents an entirely different look at the mentally challenged/disturbed. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is a book that explains why a patient shows signs of loss, excesses, transport, and simplicity. Coincidentally, the book opens with its titling story, letting the reader explore the mind of an accomplished doctor who seems to have lost his true sight of life.
Her detrimental relationship with her mother turned into a psychosomatic disease, which later affected her life and the people in it.... ... middle of paper ... ... 12 Nov. 2013. http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=8255d75b-58ea-4383-be87-4f5601606c51%40sessionmgr13&vid=1&hid=26&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=lfh&AN=17088173>.
The Capgras Syndrome was initially considered purely as a psychiatric disorder. Such delusions of doubles was seen as one of the various symptoms of schizophrenia, and purely a female disorder [2]. Most of the explanations initially proposed were psychoanalytical in nature. From 1980s neurologists started analyzing the co-existing organic brain lesions originally thought to be unrelated to the symptoms.
A narrative is constructed to elicit a particular response from its audience. In the form of a written story, authors use specific narrative strategies to position the ‘ideal reader’ to attain the intended understanding of the meanings in the text. Oliver Sacks’ short story The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is an unusual short story because it does not display conventional plot development; the story does not contain conflict or resolution of conflict. The genre of the story is also difficult to define because it reads as an autobiographical account of an experience Sacks had with a patient while working as a neurologist. Although it is arguable that the narrative is a work of non-fiction, it is nevertheless a representation, distinct from a reflection of the real events. It is a construction, Sacks chose the elements that were included and omitted in the narrative and used narrative strategies to position readers to process the signs in the text and produce reach the dominant understanding. This blurring of truth and fiction is similar to that in the genre of ‘new journalism’. Although, rather than being a journalist writing a fictional piece of journalism, Sacks is a doctor writing a fictional medical analysis. To influence readers’ comprehension of the narrative, Sacks utilised the point of view strategy of subjective narration, atypical in this short story in that a characterisation or representation of Oliver Sacks is the narrator and Oliver Sacks the person is the real author. The story is character-driven rather than plot-driven and regardless of how accurate a depiction of the real people the characters are, they are constructions. Sacks gave the characters of Doctor P. and his namesake admirable and sympathetic trait...
When a person begins to suffer from Guillain- Barre Syndrome their myelin sheath of their nervous system is being attacked and destroyed by the immune system (NINDS, 2011). The myelin sheath begins to lose its ability to transmit signals rapidly and affectively. Since signals are not getting transmitted to the brain fast enough, a person begins to notice fewer sensory responses from the rest of the body (NINDS, 2011). A person wouldn’t be able to tell right away or at all if an item they are touching is hot, cold, or causing pain. There also wouldn’t be good signal transmission from the brain to the rest of the body (NINDS, 2011). There would be signs of the muscles being unable to respond to the weakened or distraught signals they were receiving. Since the myelin sheath is responsible for transmitting the signals from a long distance, the upper and lower extremities would be the first to show signs of muscle dysfunction.
Autonomic Neuropathy affects the internal organs primarily. It can affect the cardiovascular system by hampering its ability to regulate pulse, blood pressure, and body temperature. It can affect the digestive system with gastroparesis, dysphagia, and uncontrollable weight loss and malnutrition. Frequent urinary tract infections are common, as well. Sexual responses, other than drive and desire, are also affected in this type. It can affect the individual's ability to recognize symptoms associated with low blood sugar, thus putting the individual at risk for further nerve damage and diabetic risks (Dyck, Feldmen, & Vinick).
...dition, so the doctor thought that this weakness was the reason she died.What really killed her was being put back into the role that was forced and expected of her. When her husband walked in, all of her feminine freedom vanished.