Seven months ago, my partner suffered a Brain Aneurysm. We were in a remote area and it became a snowy day. Needless to say, it took many hours to get to Shock Trauma in a very snowy ambulance ride.
After a coiling, craniectomy, 30 days in ICU, 30 days in Acute rehab, in home OT, PT, SL and outpatient OT, PT, SL we are left to decide our next direction to continue forward progress. Now out of a wheel chair and walking with cane, we are focusing on the left arm and hand. Being dismissed from OT last week due to lack of progress in the left arm and hand.
Does anyone have any experiences with rehabs that were successful for the arm and hand? Or can anyone speak to their own experience with arm/hand paralysis?
wow a great progress with being off from the wheelchair given the severity of the aneurysm that your partner had to stay in the ICU for 30 days. My daughter, 27, was in the ICU for 21 days. She had a severe rupture 5 months ago, and got great care from Drs and Nurses and 4 weeks inpatients at Utah university hospital then 5 weeks at the Bay Area’s Santa Clara Valley Medical center, and going outpatient for now. I am looking forward to the day she can be off from wheel chair. Her arm is slowly recovery. Her short term memory is still sucky. She cannot remember what happened yesterday nor today. Do you have the short term memory issue?
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. It sounds like your daughter has been doing all the right things.
Short term memory loss was significant for the first couple months. However, having a good speech language pathologist has been very helpful. My partner also has been going to a good neuro optometrist that also helps with memory.
Remembering schedules and timeframes is still difficult. However, with time and daily exercises there is progress.
The arm and hand continue to be a puzzle. Also, at the follow up angiogram another aneurysm was found that will need treatment. The upside is we get to look at rupture prevention instead of response.
We are also trying to get her to see the neuro optometrist. Waiting for the referral from the clinic where her primary practices. I must say following up with the insurance, referral, and therapy schedules is quite a task ))-:
For schedules and time frames, which I still have problems with, my Speech Therapist encouraged the use of my smart phone. I look at the date every morning and will tell myself, sometimes have to look at it again several times through the day. I also set reminders in my calendar with two alerts usually 1 hr and the second 30 minutes before I have to leave for an appointment, etc. if I need to set a time on task, I use the alarm and give myself whatever is needed. I used to have to work about 15 minutes and take a 30 minute break. I can now do about 45-60 minutes with a 15-30 minute break. Sometimes I will make a playlist of music for x amount of time. When the playlist is done, it’s time for me to stop. Hope that makes sense. I think I’m a little off today
Any luck with the arm and hand paralysis? My daughter, Amy, still doesn’t have the hand movement yet. Her short term memory is getting better but still cannot yet remember she had for breakfast, lunch nor dinner at the end of the day and it is almost 11 months from being ruptured.
Thank you so much.