Finding Strength, Endurance and Health with Phoenix PT: M’s Success Story

By, Allison R. Weder

“I received a phone call from France, where my mother was living. They said my mother wasn’t good.” J went to France right away. “I agreed, something wasn’t right. I told her, she should come with me to the states and maybe we could get her back to normal. She had nobody over there. We originated in Germany, but when my dad retired, they went to France. My dad has since passed, so she was alone.”

J brought her 89-year-old mother, M, home to Pennsylvania where she had been living for some time. J wanted to take her to the doctor right away, but M was worried about the potential unwelcome news she might receive. Instead, she wanted to visit with friends and family and take some time to meet her grandchildren. M had a wonderful time seeing everyone over several weeks, and once all the visits were over, M agreed to go to the hospital. J remembers that day well. “She was ready. It was her choice. I packed her up, and we made it to the hospital. The Emergency Room doctor came in to see her and said, ‘I don’t have good news.’ He said she had perforated ulcerative diverticulitis, and it was very bad.” The doctor gave M three weeks to live if she did not have surgery. M agreed to the surgery, saying “What do I have to lose!”

M had a bowel resection and colostomy bag put in. The surgery saved her life and while the recovery included some difficulties, eventually, M’s health significantly improved. Then, the focus turned to her hip. M was in pain every day and she endured that pain for about twenty years. She knew the only fix would be for her to have hip replacement surgery. J explains why she did not get the procedure in France. “She hadn’t wanted to do anything in France because her friends had horrible results there. She was scared to do anything there. Back in the US, I watched her, and she was almost walking pigeon toed. She was in pain twenty-four, seven. So, I said, let’s have you evaluated. She had such a good experience with her first doctor in the United States, it pushed her to see another one.” The new doctor evaluated M and agreed a hip replacement would help. M trusted her new doctor and decided to have the surgery.

M went home and began in-home physical therapy. She completed several weeks of sessions and then graduated to outpatient physical therapy. Because J is also a nurse, she knew about the quality of care her mother would receive at Phoenix Physical Therapy – Rural Valley – in Kittanning, Pennsylvania. She scheduled an appointment with Clinic Director, Bryan Brooks, PT, DPT. “She was walking on the walker when we first arrived. It took everything out of her, but she was so determined. She wanted to do so much more than she was physically able to do. She was very unsteady, and I was afraid she was going to fall. If she didn’t have her walker or something to hold on to, she was like a Weeble wobble. We went two times a week, just gaining strength and endurance.”

M’s sessions began slowly with exercises involving elastic bands. She started with ten repetitions and worked her way up to fifty repetitions. M did not speak English, so J was with her for every session. “They tied the bands on her legs and she had to open her knees. After a couple of weeks, she added weights to her feet. She started at two pounds and worked her way up to four pounds. Then she had to do steps. She started out very simple, standing up using her walker to march. Then she would kick back and sideways. It was exhausting.”

J saw progress after just two weeks of sessions with the Rural Valley crew. “When she advanced to the weights, that was already progress. I wasn’t surprised because I knew my mother’s determination. You can’t deter her. She doesn’t want to be a burden to me. She knows she can’t go back to France, but she wants to be independent. She wants to be good enough to go to Texas and travel to see her other daughter.” Bryan feels M’s attitude and grit helped her through this tough time. “M was one of the most determined patients I have ever worked with! She came through a lot of adversity and was full of high energy and spunk with each physical therapy session.”

Despite the language barrier, M came to trust her therapy team. “She loved it. She loved the people; she loved the interaction. They’re like another family. She looked forward to it and would ask about her next appointment. When we went on a Monday, and didn’t go back until Thursday, she couldn’t understand why we didn’t go on Tuesday. When the doctor told her she didn’t have to go anymore, she was actually disappointed.”

The progress M made during her time at Phoenix, allows her to do more with her daughter. “She graduated from wheelchair to rollator to walker and now she has a cane. But most of the time, she walks around without it! We went shopping the other day and she didn’t take the wheelchair; she took the rollator. It gave her a place to rest if she needed it. That’s what we’ve been doing. She made it all the way through one store!”

J knows the therapy plan Bryan created exclusively for her mother made the difference. “It was absolutely worth it. She has gained weight. I think the physical therapy made her more active. She looks good now! Her appetite is back. They were determined to get my mother to the point where she was stronger. She is way better than she was.”

J and M are both grateful for the time they spent at Phoenix. “Thank you and we love you! Keep up the good work!”