After experiencing the benefits of inpatient therapy at Piedmont Encompass, I knew outpatient therapy would benefit me too, even if I didn’t know how just yet. I was able to get an appointment for physical therapy fairly quickly. Outpatient therapy was another story. I didn’t get an OT evaluation for over a month. By the time I had that appointment my hand had recovered so much that I was told I didn’t need their services after an assessment.
Physical Therapy on the other hand was definitely needed (this is true even today although I’m moving to the Wellness Center with a personal trainer). I feel like I was dealt a winning hand with my therapists, Lauren and Sydney (pictured above). Lauren administered an initial assessment where I still needed a walker to get around. An important part of my therapy was seeing what improved from week to week or month to month. I used a recumbant bike and eventually the treadmill for a warmup and then I was given different exercises to improve my balance. Lauren and Sydney also used electrical stimulation on my foot trying to coax my ankle to move again. One of the big problems for many after a stroke is the inability to lift one’s toes as they walk. At the end of my therapy I was able to walk a mile outside and do 3.5 mph for five minutes on the treadmill. I would get reassessed every so often and it was motivating to realize I was able to do things I couldn’t do even a couple of weeks before. For the first couple of weeks I had to use my walker. I knew it was time to stop using it when Lauren told me that if I was carrying it instead of using it then just get rid of it. Rolling it around had gotten too slow!
By the end of my therapy, Lauren and Sydney felt as much like friends as they did therapists. As the weeks went by I would learn of Lauren’s love for her dog Charlie and the game of soccer. I found out Sydney had the same passion for going to estate sales that I have (I knew she looked familiar). I felt very lucky to have been in their care. I was able to rehabilitate in a fun environment with interesting exercises which were always a little bit challenging, but not frustrating and unreachable. They were my healthcare heroes along with the myriad of doctors and nurses when I was in the hospital. They worked well together as a team and kept track of my progress.
I should also mention Bonnie who I became friends with. Bonnie worked at the front desk and did a great job scheduling my visits, rescheduling them as needed (not very often) and keeping me up to speed on what I needed to know–all with a smile. She was an invaluable part of the team!
The rehabilitation center in Trilith is state of the art and located within Piedmont’s modern Wellness Center. When I was warming up on the bike or treadmill, I would see all the other people completing their workouts and it gave me a very visible goal to eventually pursue.
After about two months I was finally discharged and told that I could move to the regular gym. Piedmont offers a post stroke progam with a trainer twice a week for a very reasonable price. It includes full Wellness Center access and I’ll be joining after that. I was both excited that I was done, but had grown to love the routine, and a bit sad that it was ending. The nice thing is that I’ll still be able wave to Lauren and Sydney once in awhile!
They made me realize how important it was to keep moving. I’m convinced that allowed me to get so much better after only ten weeks. That, along with their constant encouragement (it really did help mentally!) was so important to my recovery. I’m writing this to let them know that as much as anything else. I’m able to live with a daily routine now even though I still deal with crushing fatigue at times from the stroke. I have so much of my normal life back and I hope that I simply continue to improve. I would not have thought this was possible thinking back to my first couple of days in the hospital where someone had to walk me to the toilet!