Rehabilitation for a Woman with a Spinal Injury
The last weeks of August 2009 I spent getting my classroom ready for my preschoolers to come back. I began getting a stiff back, and pain in my legs. After a few weeks of steroids, I ended up in the emergency room and then Cleveland Clinic.
I was diagnosed with a few forms of spinal tumors, and had surgery on September 17, 2009. While in the Clinic, the staff tried unsuccessfully to get me to stand. I was told I may or may not walk again.
On October 2 I was transferred to 7A, the Spinal Cord Injury Unit, at MetroHealth. It was a Friday, so the weekend I spent with my family not quite knowing what to expect. First thing Monday morning, my Occupational Therapist, John, came in with a smile ready to help me start my day.
I was dressed and hoisted into a chair; I was ready and scared. That's when I met Amanda, my Physical Therapist. She instantly made me feel comfortable. Not only did she not let me get away with sitting and feeling sorry for myself, but she also taught me there is no reason for my life to end because I was in a wheelchair.
I learned to dress myself, get in and out of my chair by myself, and to thank God everyday for the fact I am alive. I had some wonderful angels on the floor that would check on me, drag me to the shower, scrub me until I slept like a baby, and provide daily encouragement.
I made beautiful artwork to keep my mind busy, and visits by doggies keep my soul busy. I attended mass on Sunday mornings and received communion almost every day. Then there was Dr. Melvin Mejia, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Every morning he was there with a smile, every night he was there with encouragement. He made me laugh, made me cry, and made me think.
My parents were amazed at the time he would spend listening to me and answering my questions, sometimes for the 4th or 5th time. When you are on a ward for a month you develop friendships and a common bond that only folks who have been through it can understand.
I pray every night for the folks on that floor and the staff that help them. I left that hospital feeling comfortable knowing how to take care of myself, and looking forward to my new life. When I left I could walk 35+ feet with my regular walker. I was on a catheter program and learned to do it myself.
I have been home since October 30 and in PT here. I no longer need to catheter, and today, took my first steps with the help of my PT!! This has been a very long, scary journey, and I know it's not over yet. Like all spinal injury patients, I have good "nerve" days and bad "nerve" days, and never know what to expect.
I hope to return to 7A, this time as a volunteer to help patients like me, get back to their families and their lives. I am so thankful to Dr. "Melvin" and the staff of 7A and the Physical Therapy/Occupational Therapy departments. Bless you all, and I will be back...on my on two feet.
Angela McDonnell
Submitted by:
Angela McDonnell
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