Alex's Story
Active college student Alexandra (Alex) Evans enjoyed playing video games, studying gaming design, hanging out with friends and spending time with her family.
However, when a severe headache brought on slurred speech, Alex had the presence of mind to call 911. She was rushed to the hospital.
Emergency room doctors diagnosed a stroke and fluid on her brain, known as hydrocephalus. If left untreated, hydrocephalus can be fatal, so her care team acted fast, relieving pressure inside her skull by draining the extra cerebrospinal fluid from her brain.
Alex was left with significant weakness on her left side which affected her ability to walk, manage her personal needs and speak clearly. She also faced some cognitive challenges as a result of the stroke.
Once she was medically stable, her physicians recommended an intensive inpatient rehabilitation program to help her regain mobility and independence. Determined to get back to her family, friends and college classes, she selected Ochsner Rehabilitation Hospital for expert physical, occupational and speech therapy.
Upon arrival, the physician-led rehabilitation team at Ochsner Rehabilitation Hospital worked with Alex and her family to put a treatment plan in place. Alex and her family learned that recovering from a stroke might be one of the greatest challenges a person will ever face. But Alex was ready to begin the hard work to address the weakness affecting her ability to walk and talk.
Her physical therapy team noted Alex needed assistance to stand and was only able to walk 28 feet with a hemi-walker, a special one-sided walker. She also required significant assistance for balance and movement of her left leg.
Her physical therapists guided her through strengthening leg exercises including weight bearing on her left leg, squats and sidestepping. To improve Alex’s walking distance and quality, her therapists employed several advanced technologies. She practiced walking on a treadmill with the assistance of a body weight support harness called LiteGait to ensure she wouldn’t fall. Meantime, therapists applied electrical stimulation to her left leg, stimulating the muscles to contract helping her pick up her left foot while walking.
Knowing Alex’s love of video games, her physical therapists incorporated exercises using the hospital’s virtual reality therapy system to improve her balance and the grip strength of her left arm and hand. The virtual reality environment boosts the brain-body connection following stroke, helping the brain to rebuild important pathways.
Concurrently, Alex’s occupational therapy team focused on strengthening the use of her left arm. Her inability to use her arm greatly impacted her independence in everyday activities and she initially required significant assistance transferring positions, using the toilet, bathing and dressing. Her occupational therapists used the ArmeoSpring – a robotic device that supports the weight of the arm while the patient performs arm movements in an engaging, three-dimensional computer-generated environment – to help Alex build strength and coordination in her left arm. Alex responded favorably to the ArmeoSpring, and she celebrated with her family when she moved her left arm independently after several therapy sessions.
In addition to her physical challenges, Alex’s stroke affected her cognition – specifically her speed of processing, ability to solve complex problems and memory. The team’s speech therapists worked to address these concerns, engaging Alex in solving time management and mathematical problems to improve her speed and logic in problem solving and recalling word lists to strengthen her memory. After just a few treatment sessions, Alex’s attention, processing speed and memory returned to her pre-stroke capabilities.
The weakness on the left side of her face and mouth also caused Alex’s speech to sound slurred. Her speech therapists used mouth exercises including reciting tongue twisters to improve the strength, coordination and range of motion of her facial muscles. This therapy helped her pronounce words more deliberately and clearly, enhancing her communication and boosting her confidence.
Alex’s family rallied around her during her stay and encouraged her to exercise even outside of her therapy sessions. Although still rebuilding strength in her left arm, she was transferring positions, using the bathroom, dressing and showering independently.
After two weeks of inpatient rehabilitation, Alex’s team had her walking over 1000 feet, managing stairs independently and speaking clearly. Alex knew she had found the resolve to get back to her life.
As she prepared to return home, she eagerly anticipated reuniting with her dog and sleeping in her own bed.
To anyone dealing with a similar experience, Alex left this advice: “Just go through all the stuff. It’s worth it.”