Karen's Story
Karen Alford had gotten used to her backache.
The 68-year-old from Carriere, Miss., always put off doing something about it because she’d been her husband’s caregiver and couldn’t afford to be out of commission. But procrastinating had come at a price. Now she could no longer stand up straight and had started suffering drop foot ― difficulty lifting the front part of her foot -- a condition that made it hard to walk.
After talking it over with two physicians ― one of whom was an old schoolmate Karen trusted ― she decided it was time. She entrusted her three cats and dog to her daughter and checked into nearby Sterling Surgical Hospital in Slidel, La., where doctors would rebuild the vertebrae in her lower back. Shortly after her operation, though, she could tell something else was wrong. Doctors found a blood clot. They operated quickly and had to redo a portion of her spinal surgery.
Two back operations in a matter of days had made Karen feel worse ― not better. Now she was in even more pain. And she was discouraged to discover she could no longer dress or bathe herself, walk or stand up from the wheelchair to which she suddenly found herself confined.
That’s when her doctors recommended Northshore Rehabilitation Hospital. Over the course of three weeks, the physician-led team of physical and occupational therapists helped Karen not only find the life she was hoping for when she opted for surgery in the first place, but also divine a hidden well of strength she hadn’t known was there.
Her physical therapist started working with Karen by asking her to practice moving between surfaces ― climbing from her bed to the wheelchair and back again, for instance. Next, they got her up and out of her chair. Karen tried standing and walking with the support of a walker.
To gather her strength, Karen spent some time in a gym, building her leg muscles with thick, oversized rubber bands called resistance bands and a stepper machine. When therapists outfitted Karen with a foot brace to help with her drop foot, her mobility improved.
Occupational therapists asked Karen to practice dressing and bathing, giving her safe strategies to do both without help. Once again, she went to the gym to improve her abilities in her upper body, this time using the resistance bands and a hand-cranked stationary bike to strengthen her arms. She also practiced getting into and out of a mock car.
It wasn’t always easy, but Karen pushed and started to show results. “I have learned that I was tougher than I thought,” she said. “My life journey is not over.”
Far from it, in fact. During her time in the hospital, Karen got the news that her second great-granddaughter had been born. She was ready to reunite with her pets and the family that was still growing.
At the end of 21 days, Karen could walk 300 feet with her walker. She could dress herself again. And while she couldn’t stand as straight as she once could, her ability had improved tremendously. Home health therapists would help her continue to aim for the Karen she’d long been putting off becoming.
“This place is fantastic,” she said of Northshore Rehabilitation Hospital. “Even if you’re discouraged, they just care and push you to get better.”