Woman has eyes taped shut after whole body is paralysed
A fitness enthusiast has had to have her eyes taped shut after an infection led to a disease that paralysed her entire body.
Delilah Corkery, 47, from the US state of California, was diagnosed with bronchitis in February 28, 2018.
But just as she hoped she was getting over the worst of that illness, she started to notice peculiar symptoms developing.
In March 2018, Ms Corkery went out for a meal with some friends when she noticed that the food tasted bland and she couldn’t actually distinguish any taste from what she ate.
She also felt uncomfortably hot, but when she washed her hands under the tap, the warm water burned her skin.
The following day, Ms Corkery started losing the feeling in her fingertips and this gradually progressed to her legs and arms.
She went to the nearest hospital with her fiancé Erik, but after waiting to be seen for seven hours, it took all but five minutes for a doctor to diagnose her with vertigo, prescribe her medication and send her back home.
However, when she woke up the next day, Ms Corkery was in excruciating pain and could no
longer walk unaided.
She was immediately sent to the hospital, where staff ran stroke tests, X-rays, MRI tests, blood tests and a spinal tap, which indicated a raised level of proteins, which is indicative of Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS).
Ms Corkery was started on an IVIG treatment immediately, but by this time she had lost the
function in her legs, arms, face, including her eyes, and her bowel.
The extent of her case meant she couldn’t even blink but could still see, so she would have her eyes taped shut for eight hours every night for the following three months.
“I was diagnosed with bronchitis two weeks prior to my first symptoms, and they say a
respiratory illness can trigger GBS,” Ms Corkery said.
“I was out eating dinner and all the food tasted bland, like there was no taste. I also felt
really hot. But when I got home that night, I washed my hands and the water was icy cold.
“I then tried hot water and it was burning hot and touching anything metal felt like fire.”
Ms Corkery said she was given sleeping and anti-anxiety medication every night because she felt paranoid.
“I was always wondering if someone else was in the room as I couldn’t see anything,” she said.
“I had to tape them shut for eight hours every night. The nurses, or Erik, would come in and
remove them in the morning. I had to continue taping my eyes for three months every night
after I left rehab.”
After three weeks in hospital, Ms Corkery was transferred to a rehabilitation centre where
she spent almost a month regaining her strength. She then returned home at the end of
April, after seven weeks of intense treatment.
She spoke about the difficulty of going from being such a physically active person to not
being able to blink or go to the toilet herself.
“I had to be moved by the nurses every few hours because I couldn’t control anything.
Going to the bathroom was the worst because GBS affected all my nerves, including my
bowels,” she said.
“I had to be lifted in and out of bed to use the toilet with an electronic lifting device. I was
refusing the pain medication they were giving me because it made me feel sleepy and loopy,
so I was in a lot of pain.
“Just the slightest touch of my legs would be extremely painful. If they lifted my leg it would
just drop to the side. So finally, I asked if there was something else I could try and they gave
me something called Lyrica.”
The Lyrica meant Ms Corkery was able to slightly lift her knee to her chest using her arms.
She described it as the most amazing feeling.
A few days after first taking it, she could then turn herself over onto her stomach.
“I learned that I’m stronger than I thought. I don’t take anything for granted and I’m filled
with gratefulness. I sometimes have to stop and remember all that I’m doing and experiencing at that very moment is special,” she said.
“GBS is a serious condition and can happen to anybody, no matter how healthy you are. One
thing that I had on my side was my good health which is what all the therapists attributed
my quick recovery to.”
You can follow more of Delilah’s journey on Instagram.
– Australscope
