WEBVTT - Case #25: Trent (Pt. 1) 0:00:03.360 --> 0:00:05.720 Rube. 0:00:09.039 --> 0:00:11.160 I couldn't move my arms the way I needed to. 0:00:11.320 --> 0:00:13.640 My head was kind of like a bottlehead. I couldn't 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:16.479 really control the muscles of my neck. He reminded me 0:00:16.480 --> 0:00:19.239 of kind of like a baby deer. The inabilities to 0:00:19.280 --> 0:00:22.000 control the balance for perception, the coordination, all the things 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:24.239 in his lower body just wasn't there. 0:00:25.160 --> 0:00:27.360 And they told us when he first got sick that 0:00:27.600 --> 0:00:32.000 I would be a widow in about two months because 0:00:32.040 --> 0:00:33.520 whatever he had was progressive. 0:00:33.800 --> 0:00:34.879 How do you process that? 0:00:35.720 --> 0:00:39.600 And I just I was helpless. I was completely helpless. Yeah, 0:00:39.640 --> 0:00:42.559 she got these brand new babies at home, so need 0:00:42.600 --> 0:00:52.440 their father, and she needs her husband. 0:00:52.880 --> 0:00:56.480 How terrifying would it be to fight an unknown enemy, 0:00:57.040 --> 0:01:00.840 one you didn't recognize and didn't see coming. What if 0:01:00.880 --> 0:01:04.960 that enemy was coming from within a disease that even 0:01:05.080 --> 0:01:10.720 doctors couldn't identify. Nearly half of all Americans suffer from 0:01:10.840 --> 0:01:15.480 some chronic illness, and many struggle for an accurate diagnosis. 0:01:16.560 --> 0:01:23.160 These are their stories. I'm Lauren Brete Pchecko, and this 0:01:23.640 --> 0:01:40.120 is symptomatic. Trent Fielder, a seasoned insurance appraiser with a 0:01:40.200 --> 0:01:44.000 knack for problem solving, centers his life around his family, 0:01:44.400 --> 0:01:47.960 deep rooted faith and his service dog Gunner, a loyal 0:01:48.040 --> 0:01:52.120 Laborador Retriever. Dedicated and genuine, Trent is the kind of 0:01:52.160 --> 0:01:54.880 person you'd want in your corner, both at work and 0:01:55.000 --> 0:01:56.040 in life. 0:01:56.440 --> 0:01:58.680 The majority of my job was spent out in the field, 0:01:58.720 --> 0:02:01.480 so I was driving around down the coast of Florida. 0:02:01.520 --> 0:02:03.040 That was basically my job. 0:02:03.520 --> 0:02:04.280 What did you do? 0:02:04.880 --> 0:02:08.280 I supervised auto appraisers for an insurance company, So I 0:02:08.320 --> 0:02:10.079 had the best job ever. I loved it. 0:02:11.280 --> 0:02:14.960 After the loss of his first wife, Trent experienced a 0:02:15.080 --> 0:02:19.240 roller coaster of emotions. During this difficult time, his mom 0:02:19.400 --> 0:02:21.440 and sister stepped up to support him. 0:02:22.320 --> 0:02:23.840 I had a discussion with my mom, who is still 0:02:23.880 --> 0:02:26.440 in Texas, and told her, I said, look, I think 0:02:26.440 --> 0:02:29.920 I don't want to go down this road again. Suddenly, 0:02:30.200 --> 0:02:32.800 the next morning, my sister had shown up, you know, 0:02:32.840 --> 0:02:35.880 and I knew exactly what was going on. So we 0:02:35.919 --> 0:02:38.240 talked throughout the day and I had work and did 0:02:38.280 --> 0:02:39.880 their thing. But the next morning I needed to take 0:02:39.880 --> 0:02:41.679 her back to the airport, and so I went to breakfast. 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:44.640 That's when Nicole entered the picture. 0:02:45.639 --> 0:02:47.760 It was a breakfast place called the First Watch, and 0:02:47.800 --> 0:02:51.480 it was super fast paced place you had your regulars 0:02:51.520 --> 0:02:54.120 and you knew their names and their faces, but everybody 0:02:54.120 --> 0:02:55.960 else they were just in and out so quickly. 0:02:56.720 --> 0:02:59.480 And as we're sitting there at breakfast and talking about 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:02.639 that my mother had and concerns that other people would have. 0:03:03.280 --> 0:03:06.560 I was sitting there, the cherver came up and she 0:03:06.639 --> 0:03:08.400 asked us for we'd had a chance to look at anything, 0:03:08.720 --> 0:03:11.120 and that obviously was Nicole. And I looked up at 0:03:11.160 --> 0:03:15.880 her and lost my train of thought and lost my 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:19.720 ability to speak, and that's not me. So when she 0:03:19.800 --> 0:03:22.680 walked away, my sister just looked at me and she said, 0:03:23.000 --> 0:03:25.440 you've never done that before, and I was didn't what 0:03:25.600 --> 0:03:29.280 she said? She completely she I floored you. You lost 0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:31.040 your train of thought, you couldn't say anything. I was like, 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:32.919 let's just get back to what we're talking about. 0:03:35.360 --> 0:03:36.880 And you know, I was just doing my job and 0:03:36.920 --> 0:03:39.680 waiting tables, and then all of a sudden, the woman 0:03:39.800 --> 0:03:42.560 came back into the kitchen and I was like, hi, 0:03:42.880 --> 0:03:46.320 she goes the food was wonderful, the service was excellent, 0:03:46.640 --> 0:03:49.720 and my brother thinks you're cute, and I was like brother, 0:03:49.840 --> 0:03:51.960 I was like, uh okay, and she gave me his 0:03:52.040 --> 0:03:54.160 business card and then a couple of days later, I 0:03:54.200 --> 0:03:56.480 was doing laundry and just going through my pockets and 0:03:56.520 --> 0:03:58.560 I found his business card and then I was like, 0:03:58.600 --> 0:04:01.520 you know what, life's too short. I'm going to email him. 0:04:01.800 --> 0:04:04.360 And so I emailed him. This is my name and 0:04:04.440 --> 0:04:06.600 this is who I am. So if you want call me. 0:04:07.720 --> 0:04:11.360 What was it about her once you got to know 0:04:11.480 --> 0:04:14.520 her that made you realize you were going to break 0:04:14.560 --> 0:04:17.039 that vow you made to not get married again. 0:04:18.000 --> 0:04:21.040 Nicole has and I'm sure deny it all the time, 0:04:21.080 --> 0:04:26.400 but she has a natural light about her that is undeniable. 0:04:26.680 --> 0:04:30.920 And it's fun to introduce her to additional people or 0:04:30.960 --> 0:04:34.200 to watch her kind of under element and see how 0:04:34.240 --> 0:04:37.600 people respond naturally to her. They naturally want to open 0:04:37.680 --> 0:04:39.880 up to her, and they naturally feel better no matter 0:04:39.920 --> 0:04:41.120 what their circumstances are. 0:04:42.320 --> 0:04:44.920 And for people who don't know Trent, how would you 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:45.680 describe him? 0:04:46.360 --> 0:04:49.520 He's just a one tough son of a gun. And 0:04:50.080 --> 0:04:52.360 you know, it's like, don't tell him he can't, because 0:04:52.640 --> 0:04:55.080 he's going to and he will do it, maybe just 0:04:55.120 --> 0:05:03.360 despite you. He's very tenacious. 0:04:59.760 --> 0:05:02.640 To set the stage for the battles. Trent would face 0:05:02.680 --> 0:05:06.960 ahead after a whirlwind romance and wedding, the couple discovered 0:05:07.000 --> 0:05:11.480 they were expecting twins. However, complications arose in the womb 0:05:11.800 --> 0:05:15.839 when their daughter Nevah began taking nutrients from her brother Logan, 0:05:16.160 --> 0:05:17.559 putting both at risk. 0:05:20.760 --> 0:05:24.239 It became very dangerous. So, I mean we went from 0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:28.440 the joyous moving along the process to suddenly realizing something 0:05:28.560 --> 0:05:33.240 was wrong, and it kicked everything into overdrive. And from 0:05:33.520 --> 0:05:36.240 the moment of our first I guess realization is something 0:05:36.360 --> 0:05:39.360 was wrong. Within two weeks, the doctors came in and said, 0:05:39.360 --> 0:05:40.960 we have to take them. We had to take them now. 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:44.919 Logan was a great risk and Avaiah was as well, 0:05:44.960 --> 0:05:47.800 and then if things didn't go right, then the risk 0:05:47.880 --> 0:05:51.680 was Nicole and I just had to button up and pray, 0:05:52.560 --> 0:05:56.000 but keep her excited and energize that you know you're 0:05:56.040 --> 0:05:57.799 going to be a mom. 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:01.800 Logan was born weighing just too pounds five ounces and 0:06:01.920 --> 0:06:06.240 Navajah at three pounds eleven ounces. Both babies spent their 0:06:06.320 --> 0:06:09.560 first few months in the nick you fighting to grow stronger, 0:06:10.040 --> 0:06:14.560 a stressful start for the new family. At the time 0:06:14.600 --> 0:06:16.520 you started exhibiting symptoms. 0:06:17.080 --> 0:06:21.039 The symptoms actually came months later, but they started piling. 0:06:21.080 --> 0:06:23.359 I mean, I was definitely I was wearing down my body. 0:06:23.400 --> 0:06:27.719 I was wearing down emotionally and spiritually fast because Logan 0:06:27.800 --> 0:06:30.480 was in the hospital for about almost three months and 0:06:30.960 --> 0:06:33.960 he had multiple times where there was possibility that he 0:06:34.000 --> 0:06:36.080 wouldn't make it. You know, they took us into that 0:06:36.960 --> 0:06:39.320 room that's in a hospital, or a room that's in 0:06:39.320 --> 0:06:41.520 a nicku that no parent ever wants to go into, 0:06:41.560 --> 0:06:44.680 and they're telling us that your son is dying. It 0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:50.599 was a lot to handle. And Nichol's very strong, but 0:06:50.640 --> 0:06:53.240 at the same time, I had to be stronger. 0:06:56.200 --> 0:07:00.599 And at this point you began to experience symptoms you 0:07:00.680 --> 0:07:04.200 couldn't quite explain. Take me back to that moment. 0:07:05.320 --> 0:07:07.560 The first ones, they were very obvious to me. I 0:07:07.560 --> 0:07:09.279 guess they didn't make sense, but I at the same 0:07:09.279 --> 0:07:13.240 time I was justifying why they were happening. December sixteenth, 0:07:13.320 --> 0:07:17.280 twenty eleven, was the day that everything went south for good. 0:07:17.840 --> 0:07:20.800 I was actually underneath a car and was trying to 0:07:20.840 --> 0:07:23.160 work an estimate on a vehicle. I'll never forget the 0:07:23.240 --> 0:07:27.120 vehicle either, Toyota, camer and Gray and at a body 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:30.560 shop that wasn't very friendly. And while I was under there, 0:07:30.640 --> 0:07:32.680 after I was done, I was trying to get out 0:07:32.960 --> 0:07:36.000 from underneath it, and my legs wouldn't hold my weight 0:07:36.040 --> 0:07:37.440 to be able to pull my body. 0:07:37.160 --> 0:07:40.000 Out, something you had done a million times before. 0:07:40.680 --> 0:07:42.600 Right I was worried I was gonna be stuck under there. 0:07:43.160 --> 0:07:44.840 It was the first moment I think I felt far 0:07:45.480 --> 0:07:48.680 that was distinct as to what is happening. 0:07:49.920 --> 0:07:54.040 Attempting to shake off the awkward maneuvering, Trent took over 0:07:54.120 --> 0:07:58.720 two hours to drive just six miles home, struggling the 0:07:58.760 --> 0:08:01.040 whole way to control his eat on the pedals. 0:08:05.240 --> 0:08:06.840 What did you initially chalk that up to? 0:08:07.720 --> 0:08:09.560 I just thought I was tired. You know, we were 0:08:09.560 --> 0:08:11.920 coming up on Christmas. I had saved all year for 0:08:12.240 --> 0:08:14.360 Christmas time off so that we get spend our first 0:08:14.440 --> 0:08:17.240 Christmas with family, and I just thought my body was 0:08:17.680 --> 0:08:19.560 really a step ahead of me wanting to go on 0:08:19.640 --> 0:08:23.200 vacation a little early. And it was Nicole who said, 0:08:23.520 --> 0:08:27.000 this is not exhaustion, this is something else, and she 0:08:27.120 --> 0:08:30.160 called the position. She did all of this, so I 0:08:30.160 --> 0:08:32.000 would have continued just to write it off. And then 0:08:32.040 --> 0:08:33.559 he said I need to see him right away. 0:08:34.280 --> 0:08:40.239 And even in the midst of newborn twins with challenges, 0:08:40.400 --> 0:08:42.000 your wife took one look at you, and it was 0:08:42.200 --> 0:08:43.800 blatantly obvious to her. 0:08:44.320 --> 0:08:47.240 And she was not going to accept my answer if 0:08:47.240 --> 0:08:48.320 you're just tired. 0:08:48.640 --> 0:08:51.880 Okay, so you go to the doctors the next day. 0:08:52.440 --> 0:08:56.040 I did, and he could tell something was obviously wrong, 0:08:56.080 --> 0:08:57.760 but you know, it's kind of hard to diagnose just 0:08:57.800 --> 0:09:01.199 in a primaries office. So they sent me over to 0:09:01.360 --> 0:09:03.520 a facility that's just next door to get a seat 0:09:03.760 --> 0:09:08.160 exam done. And after it was all done, they said, okay, 0:09:08.160 --> 0:09:11.000 you can go, and I just looked at them and 0:09:11.000 --> 0:09:13.160 I said, I can't. I can't get up. 0:09:14.240 --> 0:09:15.880 And you know, the. 0:09:15.679 --> 0:09:18.439 First response was okay, that's sometimes that's normally been laying 0:09:18.520 --> 0:09:20.480 down for a while, and so we'll set you up. 0:09:20.760 --> 0:09:23.960 Was they're trying to sit me up, I'm still going backwards, 0:09:24.320 --> 0:09:27.600 so I can't move my arms the way I needed to. 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:30.080 My head was kind of like a bobblehead. I couldn't 0:09:30.120 --> 0:09:33.080 really control the muscles of my neck. So they realized 0:09:33.080 --> 0:09:39.400 something was wrong in contacted ems. Then everything just cascaded downhill. 0:09:39.600 --> 0:09:43.600 I'm sorry, but that's it sounds like a horror movie. 0:09:43.640 --> 0:09:46.559 You can't wake up from. 0:09:46.200 --> 0:09:50.280 Very much, so because you're suddenly completely dependent on everybody else, 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:52.160 and you don't know why. 0:09:53.080 --> 0:09:56.800 Trent suddenly began losing control of his motor skills. With 0:09:56.960 --> 0:10:00.400 no family nearby for support, Nicole had to stay home 0:10:00.400 --> 0:10:03.880 with the kids, receiving updates from Trent only when he 0:10:03.920 --> 0:10:07.400 had the energy, which made the uncertainty overwhelming. 0:10:08.559 --> 0:10:11.160 I was probably in disbelief, like, they'll figure it out. 0:10:11.520 --> 0:10:14.280 This is weird, just acutely paralyzed. It was kind of 0:10:14.320 --> 0:10:17.000 like he couldn't feel his arms, and then he couldn't 0:10:17.000 --> 0:10:19.240 feel his legs, and I was like, what is going on, 0:10:19.640 --> 0:10:22.160 and they'll figure out something, but they never did. 0:10:26.720 --> 0:10:31.959 So, yeah, spinal tap, reflex exams, strength testing, trying to 0:10:31.960 --> 0:10:34.560 figure out how spasticity. They were doing everything they could 0:10:34.559 --> 0:10:37.840 and nothing was spastic. It just wouldn't move. The main 0:10:37.880 --> 0:10:40.840 neurologist there, he was fantastic. So what he did. It 0:10:40.840 --> 0:10:43.440 brought in other neurologists. I think there were five or six, 0:10:43.640 --> 0:10:46.840 and they all came up with essentially the same diagnosis. 0:10:47.120 --> 0:10:49.400 But what was interesting is the first time I knew 0:10:49.400 --> 0:10:52.400 I was really in trouble was I noticed that they 0:10:52.559 --> 0:10:55.760 pronounced it a different way, each one of them, and 0:10:55.840 --> 0:10:57.920 so I just asked him point blank, I said, you 0:10:58.000 --> 0:11:01.359 don't see this very often? Do you, And he said 0:11:01.800 --> 0:11:03.840 most neu all just will go through their entire career 0:11:03.840 --> 0:11:09.040 and never see this like wellish comfort. And that was 0:11:09.080 --> 0:11:11.320 when it started to set in that something was really wrong. 0:11:12.640 --> 0:11:16.199 Trent soon found himself paralyzed from the waist down and 0:11:16.240 --> 0:11:19.960 losing feeling in other parts of his body. Doctors diagnosed 0:11:20.040 --> 0:11:24.920 him with Guyan Beret syndrome or GBS, a rare autoimmune 0:11:24.920 --> 0:11:29.959 disorder where the immune system attacks the nervous system, specifically 0:11:30.120 --> 0:11:33.480 the spine, causing muscle weakness and paralysis. 0:11:34.640 --> 0:11:36.720 And they told us when he first got sick that 0:11:37.080 --> 0:11:41.240 I would be a widow in about I think it 0:11:41.280 --> 0:11:42.000 was two months. 0:11:42.040 --> 0:11:46.400 Honestly, tell me exactly what they said and how. 0:11:46.280 --> 0:11:47.160 You process that? 0:11:48.240 --> 0:11:50.440 I mean, they said that his disease was progressive and 0:11:50.480 --> 0:11:54.600 that he wasn't going to make it and to prepare, 0:11:55.440 --> 0:11:57.720 you know, how do you process that? I think the 0:11:57.760 --> 0:12:01.360 only thing that I like, truly, really vividly remember is 0:12:01.880 --> 0:12:04.600 the grocery store down there is a Publix. I just 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:07.240 remember being in like Aisle five of publics and then 0:12:07.280 --> 0:12:09.440 I have a little mental breakdown and I cried for 0:12:09.480 --> 0:12:12.840 about thirty seconds, and then I was like, Okay, put 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:15.240 in my big girl pants in day by day. You 0:12:15.360 --> 0:12:17.520 just gotta do what you gotta do. That's like the 0:12:17.520 --> 0:12:20.240 one thing that I vividly remember from the whole thing, 0:12:20.840 --> 0:12:23.040 because all of it is just a blur, honestly. 0:12:27.480 --> 0:12:31.079 Once moved to the ICU, Trent's lungs began to shut 0:12:31.160 --> 0:12:35.120 down and he started losing more control of his bodily functions. 0:12:35.720 --> 0:12:39.880 Doctors acted quickly to prevent further damage. They attempted to 0:12:39.920 --> 0:12:44.960 regulate his immune system with steroids. Plasmaphoresis a process that 0:12:45.040 --> 0:12:49.520 filters harmful antibodies from the blood and replaces the plasma 0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:56.560 and intravenous immunoglobulin an infusion of antibodies, often called ivig. 0:12:59.200 --> 0:13:02.200 I needed to help give my body something else to 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:06.760 fight instead of fighting itself. So the steroids did one 0:13:06.840 --> 0:13:09.280 good thing. They kept my lungs functioning, even though the 0:13:09.320 --> 0:13:11.400 rest of my body was getting worse. I was able 0:13:11.440 --> 0:13:14.720 to breathe independently. I was trying to move my body 0:13:14.800 --> 0:13:17.640 by trying to do what I could to move whatever 0:13:17.679 --> 0:13:19.959 would move like. I fell out of the bed a 0:13:20.040 --> 0:13:23.520 number of times, just trying to get some sort of 0:13:23.520 --> 0:13:26.000 function back. I just I didn't understand what was happening. 0:13:27.080 --> 0:13:29.960 The doctors were able to get Trent breathing on his 0:13:30.000 --> 0:13:34.079 own again, but regaining feeling in his limbs took more time. 0:13:34.720 --> 0:13:38.280 Once his GBS was under control, he was transferred to 0:13:38.320 --> 0:13:42.680 a rehab hospital to start rebuilding his strength. Do you 0:13:42.720 --> 0:13:45.560 remember the first time you saw in a coal? 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:49.200 I saw in a coal right before they were going 0:13:49.280 --> 0:13:49.960 to transfer me. 0:13:50.800 --> 0:13:52.760 Do you remember the look on her face the first 0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:54.280 time she saw you in the hospital? 0:13:55.120 --> 0:13:57.040 What I remember? And I wish I could get the 0:13:57.080 --> 0:13:59.920 memory out of my head, but I remember being at 0:14:00.160 --> 0:14:03.280 to see through the doors of the ambulance and see 0:14:03.280 --> 0:14:10.439 her in my car behind the ambulance, and she could 0:14:10.520 --> 0:14:14.960 just kept wiping her eyes. She was going And I've 0:14:15.000 --> 0:14:18.640 never talked about that before, and I just I was helpless. 0:14:19.000 --> 0:14:22.000 I was completely helpless. Now she got these brand new 0:14:22.040 --> 0:14:26.280 babies at home that need their father, and she needs 0:14:26.280 --> 0:14:29.200 her husband. And that was what I broke. That was 0:14:29.200 --> 0:14:32.920 the first time I broke Ah, Trent. I felt like 0:14:33.640 --> 0:14:35.520 maybe I just needed to see her, Maybe it would 0:14:35.560 --> 0:14:38.080 give me a better perspective of what she was going through. 0:14:39.560 --> 0:14:40.920 Have you ever told her about that? 0:14:41.880 --> 0:14:43.960 No, that's literally the first time I've ever talked about it. 0:14:45.840 --> 0:14:49.400 So where were you on day one, had you lost 0:14:50.080 --> 0:14:50.920 all mobility? 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:54.240 I was able to move my neck around, I couldn't 0:14:54.240 --> 0:14:57.720 really lift it very well, so I'm trying to get 0:14:57.720 --> 0:14:59.560 my neck to do that. That was difficult, but I'd 0:14:59.640 --> 0:15:02.480 learned is to compensate by trying to start turning on 0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:04.920 my side or helping somebody to turn on my side 0:15:04.960 --> 0:15:08.360 where I could look from different angles. But I tried 0:15:08.400 --> 0:15:10.760 to start building my hands back. 0:15:11.920 --> 0:15:15.240 Trent struggled to comprehend how he had lost his mobility 0:15:15.400 --> 0:15:19.160 so rapidly, even more daunting. He had to focus on 0:15:19.280 --> 0:15:23.560 building the resilience to fight through whatever recovery he could achieve. 0:15:25.240 --> 0:15:28.920 Are you being given options in terms of treatment at 0:15:28.960 --> 0:15:29.800 this point. 0:15:30.280 --> 0:15:33.080 No, This hospital had only seen it once or twice. 0:15:33.320 --> 0:15:36.040 The neurologists and some of the physicians, even the physical 0:15:36.080 --> 0:15:38.560 therapists had read about it, but they never treated a 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:42.120 patient with this condition. And they were very honest about 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:44.200 that fact, saying we're going to learn as we go, 0:15:45.280 --> 0:15:48.160 and that was a comfort to me. I was afraid 0:15:48.200 --> 0:15:49.800 that there was nobody I had to talk to, but 0:15:50.400 --> 0:15:54.480 for them to make that specific, I guess goal in 0:15:54.600 --> 0:15:56.640 mind that we're going to work on this together and 0:15:56.640 --> 0:15:58.960 figure this out together. That was incredible. 0:16:00.360 --> 0:16:03.520 At thirty seven was seven month old twins at home. 0:16:03.920 --> 0:16:08.480 Trent faced an unexpected and terrifying new reality. His vision 0:16:08.520 --> 0:16:12.000 of fatherhood turned on its head. The fear and uncertainty 0:16:12.080 --> 0:16:14.400 were beginning to feel insurmountable. 0:16:15.800 --> 0:16:18.520 I was overwhelmed. I remember that one as I could 0:16:18.600 --> 0:16:21.720 not get my heart to slow down because I was 0:16:21.880 --> 0:16:24.480 now farther away from my children and farther away from 0:16:24.480 --> 0:16:26.560 my wife. The only things that I could think about 0:16:26.560 --> 0:16:29.840 were the negative things. I couldn't think about the opportunity 0:16:29.840 --> 0:16:31.600 that was there in front of me with the people 0:16:31.640 --> 0:16:35.280 that were part of my support team, and my focus 0:16:35.480 --> 0:16:37.960 was on what I lost. You know, it was am 0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:39.440 I going to be able to go back to what 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:43.080 I used to do? Not like this? It was very 0:16:43.160 --> 0:16:45.880 much wrapped up in the I can't do this anymore. 0:16:49.080 --> 0:16:52.920 We'll be right back with Symptomatic a Medical Mystery Podcast. 0:16:56.400 --> 0:17:05.040 Now back to Symptomatic a Medical Mystery Podcast. Trent's life 0:17:05.160 --> 0:17:08.760 suddenly changed when GBS caused him to lose control of 0:17:08.760 --> 0:17:12.960 his motor skills, landing him in the ICU with failing lungs. 0:17:13.560 --> 0:17:18.959 Doctors work to stabilize him with treatments like plasmaphoresis and IVG, 0:17:19.640 --> 0:17:23.560 eventually getting him breathing on his own again. However, feeling 0:17:23.640 --> 0:17:28.400 and mobility did not return, leaving his recovery uncertain. At 0:17:28.440 --> 0:17:31.520 thirty seven, with seven month old twins at home, Trent 0:17:31.600 --> 0:17:34.639 and his family were desperate to rebuild his strength and 0:17:34.720 --> 0:17:39.840 adapt to this new reality. 0:17:47.760 --> 0:17:50.840 He was in this motorized wheelchair. We were living in 0:17:50.880 --> 0:17:54.920 a two story home at the time. He was never fat, 0:17:54.960 --> 0:17:57.480 that he was a lot heavier than he is now, 0:17:58.119 --> 0:18:00.800 and just being able to not use his hands fully. 0:18:01.359 --> 0:18:03.040 I mean, our life was like a shit show for 0:18:03.119 --> 0:18:06.639 like a very long time because we got the infants 0:18:06.680 --> 0:18:09.240 and then they're in their little bumbo chairs and then 0:18:09.240 --> 0:18:12.320 their little bouncy chairs, and there's like bottles everywhere and 0:18:12.440 --> 0:18:15.560 the dog running around, and then this motorized wheelchair that 0:18:15.680 --> 0:18:18.080 was like a behemoth, and he couldn't really use his 0:18:18.200 --> 0:18:21.160 arm so much, and then we had to physically restructure 0:18:21.240 --> 0:18:23.399 everything in the house because he couldn't reach things up 0:18:23.440 --> 0:18:24.160 in the cabinet. 0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:28.880 Feeling overwhelmed, Trent and Nicole decided to move from Florida 0:18:28.920 --> 0:18:32.640 to Texas. Being closer to Trent's family meant they would 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:36.200 have the extra help and support they truly needed. 0:18:37.080 --> 0:18:40.520 And literally the first day we moved back to Texas. 0:18:40.880 --> 0:18:43.720 The next day my father died and so we were 0:18:43.760 --> 0:18:47.639 short of a huge part of my support system because 0:18:47.640 --> 0:18:50.400 he had really come through and been there to help 0:18:50.480 --> 0:18:53.000 me try to get back up on my feet. So 0:18:53.040 --> 0:18:54.800 we navigated a lot of grief and a lot of 0:18:55.119 --> 0:18:56.240 difficult situations. 0:18:57.880 --> 0:19:03.520 Thankfully, through seemingly in surmountable challenges came a glimmer of hope. 0:19:04.000 --> 0:19:07.600 Trent's new physical therapist decided it would be beneficial to 0:19:07.680 --> 0:19:11.520 involve his family, including the kids, while establishing a strength 0:19:11.560 --> 0:19:16.400 building routine. This was especially meaningful because his son, Logan, 0:19:16.600 --> 0:19:20.359 born prematurely and delayed in his development, was still learning 0:19:20.359 --> 0:19:21.840 how to move and walk. 0:19:22.840 --> 0:19:25.520 A lot of the physical therapy movements were trying to 0:19:25.640 --> 0:19:27.679 get at core strength, so it puts you on a 0:19:27.720 --> 0:19:31.520 big medicine ball rolling back and forth. Logan was laying 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:35.239 next to me, and so somebody went and got a 0:19:35.280 --> 0:19:39.600 small medicine ball and put him on the medicine ball. 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:44.760 Here's this little baby who is learning how to walk 0:19:44.880 --> 0:19:48.200 the same time his dad is. It gave me such 0:19:48.240 --> 0:19:53.119 an inspiring view as to my relationship with my kids, 0:19:53.119 --> 0:19:55.679 because I felt like I was losing that because I 0:19:55.760 --> 0:20:00.840 was away from them. It was beautiful. He got stronger, stronger, quicker, 0:20:00.840 --> 0:20:04.439 and quicker because we spent that same time together. 0:20:05.400 --> 0:20:08.320 Oh, does he have any idea how much he inspired 0:20:08.359 --> 0:20:10.120 you through those dark times? 0:20:10.840 --> 0:20:13.280 I let him know that. All the time people ask 0:20:13.359 --> 0:20:15.399 me who your hero is or who gives you the 0:20:15.400 --> 0:20:20.960 most strength? And my kids do. And I told Logan 0:20:21.000 --> 0:20:23.840 from the beginning, I said, people think I'm a fighter, said, 0:20:23.840 --> 0:20:26.480 they don't know your story. I said, when they hear 0:20:26.520 --> 0:20:29.919 your story, they realize where my strength comes from. And 0:20:29.960 --> 0:20:32.720 I said, my strength comes from comes from you, Bud. 0:20:33.280 --> 0:20:35.960 And you can see the mile creep in on this 0:20:36.040 --> 0:20:37.240 little teenager face. 0:20:38.080 --> 0:20:41.960 A smile I got to see. So you guys learned 0:20:42.000 --> 0:20:45.879 to walk together. Basically, Yes, that's amazing. Do you know 0:20:45.920 --> 0:20:50.000 what he told me? What he told me that you 0:20:50.240 --> 0:20:51.000 are his hero? 0:20:51.840 --> 0:21:00.000 He is also my hero. So started to see some improvement. 0:21:00.560 --> 0:21:03.040 We reached a point where I was able to use 0:21:03.080 --> 0:21:07.320 a walker with some AFOs, the ankle foot orthosis, which 0:21:07.440 --> 0:21:10.120 for those that don't know, it's basically a brace that's 0:21:10.400 --> 0:21:13.320 right on top of your calfs and your legs and 0:21:13.640 --> 0:21:16.480 designed to give you some stability. So I was able 0:21:16.520 --> 0:21:18.240 to reach the point where I was able to function 0:21:18.320 --> 0:21:20.240 that way. I couldn't drive or anything like that, but 0:21:20.280 --> 0:21:23.000 I was able to get some movement. And then about 0:21:23.119 --> 0:21:25.280 ten months later I started going downhill again. 0:21:26.320 --> 0:21:29.520 And when it came back, what were the symptoms? What 0:21:29.560 --> 0:21:30.520 did that look like? 0:21:31.400 --> 0:21:34.960 The pain was immense, the spasticity was just out of control. 0:21:35.320 --> 0:21:38.000 The best explanation is, if you get the right treatment 0:21:38.000 --> 0:21:40.440 and your body starts to restart, because basically your body 0:21:40.480 --> 0:21:43.040 is shutting down, you have a really good chance for 0:21:43.080 --> 0:21:46.159 the nerves to start connecting the way they should. In 0:21:46.200 --> 0:21:51.480 my case, they didn't, so it sparked sharp pains. The 0:21:51.520 --> 0:21:54.720 spasms were brutal. The spasms were so bad at some 0:21:54.800 --> 0:21:57.720 point in my neck my neck would try to snap itself. 0:21:58.560 --> 0:22:01.000 I couldn't keep it in control, job would pop. It 0:22:01.119 --> 0:22:05.400 was very painful. So as the pain continued, the depression 0:22:05.480 --> 0:22:09.080 kicks in, the fear kicks in at that point. From 0:22:09.119 --> 0:22:12.920 what you read is that it's extremely rare for gallmbre 0:22:13.080 --> 0:22:16.880 to come back, and if it does, it will typically 0:22:16.920 --> 0:22:20.320 come back worse. But this was very similar. 0:22:21.800 --> 0:22:26.240 So you now have a great team caring for you. 0:22:26.880 --> 0:22:31.520 Are they testing you now? Are they questioning your initial diagnosis. 0:22:32.000 --> 0:22:36.440 They weren't necessarily questioning the initial diagnosis, but the longevity 0:22:36.480 --> 0:22:39.080 of what I was going through, so GALLMBRE. Typically, whatever 0:22:39.160 --> 0:22:42.320 damage it's done is done towards the beginning and next 0:22:42.400 --> 0:22:45.000 days in your system, usually typically around two years. But 0:22:45.080 --> 0:22:48.280 min had gone well beyond that, and I'd seen such 0:22:48.280 --> 0:22:53.240 a drastic quick decline on the second go ROUNM that 0:22:53.240 --> 0:22:55.480 that's when they went in and took a look at it, 0:22:55.520 --> 0:22:58.159 and they said, okay, well, whatever was in the beginning 0:22:58.240 --> 0:23:01.639 may have been so, but what fit much more broader 0:23:01.680 --> 0:23:03.120