William's story
On the day that half of him seemed to vanish, William Bennett knew what was happening. But that didn’t make it any less terrifying.
The 67-year-old had just returned from picking up his granddaughter from school. He was putting away his groceries when he lost feeling in the left side of his body. His wife dialed 911.
William was rushed to Riverside Regional Medical Center. With all sensation evaporating from his hands, he was tested and told that he’d had a stroke. He’d already guessed as much. His doctor gave him an injection of a drug that dissolved the blockage that was choking off the blood supply to his brain.
When the worst of it was over, William’s missing half ― his left half, to be exact ― still seemed lost. “I couldn’t do anything,” he said. “My whole left side went unresponsive.” He couldn’t walk or stand up from his hospital bed. Once he was medically stable, his physicians recommended a comprehensive inpatient rehabilitation program to help him regain mobility and independence.
William’s daughter, a social worker, told him about Riverside Rehabilitation Hospital. There, a physician-led team of physical, occupational, speech and recreational therapists would join with neuropsychologists to help William rediscover and cope with what the stroke had swept away.
“There was no way I was going home without rehab,” he said. “I did not have the tool kit. I was ready and wanted to get better.”
He arrived at Riverside Rehabilitation Hospital a week after he’d been admitted to the emergency room, anxious to get better. For starters, his occupational therapists used virtual reality to help him work on his weakened left side. Using a video game-style system, William tested his range of motion in his shoulder, elbow and wrist and his ability to grasp. In addition to using the game to strengthen and hone the motor control in his left arm, it helped with cognition. The stroke had blunted William’s abilities to understand distances between objects and turn thoughts into physical action, and the virtual reality machine helped sharpen them again.
William’s speech language pathologist, who also helped him with mouth pressure exercises to strengthen his speaking voice, also offered techniques to bring his mind back into focus. She gave him short-term recall tasks. For example, William listened to voicemails and his therapist asked him to recall and describe what he’d heard. William was also challenged to recall details from prescription labels and party invitations.
His recreational therapist played board games and card games like cribbage with him, but with a twist. They played the games while standing. William needed a special card holder to keep a grasp on the hands he’d been dealt, but he could take turns dealing. He could also move a game peg across a board. On one occasion, he played cards standing on his feet for a full 41 minutes.
To strengthen his body and increase his endurance, physical therapists put him on an exercise bike specially designed to compensate for people with weakened extremities. Riding helped him regain some of his lost strength. They also used electrostimulation on his leg, also known as e-stim, to pipe electrical impulses into muscles to make them contract through electrodes. Over time, e-stim can “train” muscles to respond to the body’s natural signals to contract, which is especially helpful for those recovering from a stroke.
William’s wife, two daughters and son-in-law all participated in his therapy at part of the hospital’s Care Partner Program, watching his progress and offering suggestions.
All of it began to add up. First, the strength training and standing exercises enabled him to get out of bed on his own. Strategies and exercises led to him being able to dress on his own. And soon he was walking with a cane.
“It is kind of overwhelming at first, putting on socks with one hand,” he said. “It was a lot to learn in a short amount of time. The doctors were upbeat and very nice, made me feel good about my progress.”
After 14 days, William returned home, where simple things were what he missed most. His own bed. His chair. Sitting on his porch and soaking in the sun.He’s continuing with outpatient therapy services. And thanks to his therapists at Riverside Rehabilitation Hospital, William’s missing half is back where it belongs.
“I feel like I am way beyond where I expected to be at this time,” he said. “I never thought I would be walking without a cane and taking my trash out only 21 days after my stroke.”