Rebecca's story
Rebecca “Rebbie” McCree, 53, is an Army veteran and self-described, “Army Brat” who moved quite a bit during her life, but has lived in Hampton, VA for the past 15 years to be close to her dad and help her sister with his care. In her free time, Rebbie enjoys walking and riding her bike. After receiving total knee replacements for both knees in quick succession, Rebbie chose Riverside Rehabilitation Hospital for her recovery based on its reputation and location close to her home.
On admission, she couldn’t walk, get out of bed or move, and found herself suddenly dependent on others for many of her activities of daily living. She set goals to regain independence and resume walking and riding her bike.
At Riverside Rehabilitation Hospital, Rebbie received physical and occupational therapy and also participated in group therapy sessions. She found the structure of the programs to be intense but necessary to help regain strength. The therapy team worked with her on knee bends and leg lifts, and she was encouraged with progress when her pain started subsiding and she began to see results.
Rebbie appreciated that her family was by her side for support and encouragement during her recovery journey, sharing, “My a-ha moment was when I was able to get around with less assistance.”
Although it was difficult for her to give up control, she found the recovery experience to be humbling but rewarding. Rebbie was very grateful for her two weeks of inpatient rehabilitation and the fact that she was able to achieve her goals of regaining independence.
At discharge, Rebbie was excited to return home to her dog, Bo, and to pamper herself with hair, nail and massage appointments. She was ecstatic to reclaim her freedom and to get back to living the life that she enjoyed pre-surgery.
Following discharge to home, she continued rehabilitation with home physical therapy and planned to participate in outpatient therapy as well to get even stronger.