Patient Testimony: Stroke Rehabilitation
How we helped a patient after a stroke
After having a stroke on a skiing holiday, this patient contacted our Stroke Rehab Clinic to help with her recovery. Watch her inspiring video testimony on her recovery as an inpatient with us, how she was looked after by our teams and her outlook on the future.
Find out more about our stroke rehab clinic, therapies teams and the consultant who treated this patient.
Stroke Rehabilitation Clinic at St John & St Elizabeth Hospital – Patient’s Journey Transcript
We were on holiday in Switzerland. I was standing by a lift station near the top, waiting for my husband to join me. As he approached and I tried to move forward, my right foot and leg couldn’t move.
They called over the staff in the lift station to get medical help. The helicopter came within 20 minutes with a doctor. In all it was 45 minutes between me sitting down in the snow and arriving hospital. As a team of people prepared me for scanning taking off my ski boots and the rest of the ski kit, I blacked out.
I was paralyzed in my right arm and right leg. My ability to swallow and to speak was also affected. Whilst I was in Hospital in Switzerland, my husband was trying to find out how to get me back to London and what care gave me the best chance for recovery.
Kevin found St John and Saint Elizabeth Hospital and Dr Amlani called us immediately. We felt reassures that we found the right team and the right place.
A typical day in the clinic started with the carer taking my blood pressure reading. The rehab session started any time from 9 30am, finishing around 4pm. There were two Physio and two occupational therapy sessions daily, There was also speech therapy and counselling services. Dr Amlani checked on me daily, monitoring also my medical recovery and finding the course of my stroke, which involved brain and heart scans, blood tests and two weeks of wearing a heart monitor.
My stay was for four weeks. By the end of the stay, I was able to walk indoors without a stick and I started to be able to control my fingers and thumb. The rehab team was great at nudging the recovery forward with the aim to build my Independence. Now 15 months after the stroke, I feel much better.
I no longer need medication. My walking is still improving and I’m able to use my right arm and hand too. I’m able to swim and ride a bicycle again. Dr Amlani and his team have shown me good habits to adopt, how to exercise effectively, to stay positive, to look for progress and to continue on this journey confidently.