Cathy's Story
Cathy Arthur, 72, moved to Arizona from Washington State for retirement and was making the most of days with swimming and walks. On a day in late January, she began to experience some heartburn and tingling in her arm and back, which sent her to HonorHealth Osborn Medical Center. It turned out that Cathy was experiencing an NSTEMI, a type of heart attack that typically results in less damage to a person’s heart. After undergoing a heart catheterization, a procedure in which a thin, flexible tube is inserted into a chamber or vessel of the heart, Cathy began to experience right-sided weakness. Hospital staff quickly realized what was happening and she was immediately sent for a CT scan and an MRI, at which point it was determined that Cathy had suffered a stroke.
The stroke left Cathy unable to move, much less walk. She also experienced dysphagia, or difficulty swallowing. Her endurance and coordination was dramatically decreased and she was unable to perform any daily personal care tasks without assistance. Two days after her stroke, Cathy was transferred to HonorHealth Rehabilitation Hospital to begin her recovery journey. There, a team of physicians, nurses and therapists worked with Cathy to put together a treatment plan to get her moving again.
Physical therapists focused on improving her strength, endurance, balance and walking through a variety of techniques and exercises. Cathy notes that the day she was able to move her big toe gave her renewed hope that she would be able to walk and be independent again; from there, she said, it was “just progress, progress, progress” with the push of her therapy team. Cathy’s physical therapists also helped her use adaptive equipment and applied neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), a device that sends electrical impulses to nerves and causes muscles to contract, to help increase strength and range of motion. Additionally, Cathy practiced navigating stairs and getting in and out of the car with assistance.
In speech therapy, therapists worked with Cathy on swallowing techniques and utilized a modified diet to ensure that she could eat and drink safely. They also provided Cathy with speech training and strategies to help her speak more loudly and clearly.
Occupational therapists guided Cathy on how to safely move from laying to sitting to standing and aided her in using adaptive equipment and techniques to perform her personal care. They also used myofascial release, a hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure on various parts of the body to eliminate pain and restore motion, as well as exercises to improve her arm strength. Cathy also worked with occupational therapists on how to safely perform daily responsibilities such as cleaning, cooking and medication management.
After just over three weeks at HonorHealth Rehabilitation Hospital, Cathy made great progress in physical, occupational and speech therapy and was ready to return home, where she plans to continue her recovery in outpatient therapy. Cathy’s balance, strength, endurance and walking had all improved to the point where she was able to walk over 200 feet while using a cane. Her speech and swallowing was much better and she needed only minimal assistance for most of her personal care and mobility.
Cathy was most looking forward to returning home to see her family and getting back to her hobbies, swimming and walking. “The knowledge and compassion of the therapists and staff was tremendous,” she said. “My team was so compassionate and kind. They helped me get to where I am today.”