Darrell's Story
A routine visit to his physician escalated into a nearly two-month fight for life for Darrell Robinson, a 46-year-old forklift driver from Columbus, Georgia.
Darrell’s blood pressure was dangerously high when he arrived at his appointment, prompting his physician to send him to the emergency room at Piedmont Columbus Regional – Midtown Hospital by ambulance. Darrell started to panic and a medic gave him oxygen.
The next thing he knew, he was lying in an intensive care unit, a breathing tube down his throat, connected to a maze of machines.
Tests revealed Darrell had pulmonary edema, an excess buildup of fluid in his lungs, and acute kidney injury. Doctors started Darrell on continuous renal replacement therapy and hemodialysis and inserted a feeding tube in his stomach.
When it became clear Darrell was going to be in intensive care for a while, he also underwent a tracheostomy – a surgically-made slit in his windpipe that connected to a ventilator – to improve his comfort and safety on the ventilator.
Darrell spent seven and a half weeks at Piedmont. Eventually he stabilized and was able to breathe without the ventilator, but he was too weak to talk, walk or eat on his own. He transitioned to Select Specialty Hospital – Midtown Atlanta, where a physician-led multidisciplinary team developed a personalized plan to help him regain his independence.
“I was not able to move,” Darrell remembers. “I knew how to, but I couldn’t do it. I had to learn again.”
As a result of his illness, Darrell was restless and agitated and initially needed comprehensive nursing care to manage his safety. As time passed, educational interventions and medications managed his symptoms, making it easier to shift Darrell’s treatment toward rehabilitation.
Four days after his arrival, Darrell’s speech-language pathologist introduced him to a Passy-Muir speaking valve. The valve connected to Darrell’s tracheostomy tube and moved air through his vocal cords, allowing him to speak again. Darrell recited numbers and days of the week to improve the volume and quality of his voice. He answered questions and solved problems as a way to improve his memory and cognitive skills.
Darrell began breathing trials that included capping his tracheostomy tube and providing oxygen through his nose to assess his ability to breathe with minimal support. Three weeks after admission, Darrell reached an important milestone: his tracheostomy tube was removed.
Meanwhile, Darrell also participated in exercises to strengthen his throat muscles so he could eventually eat again. A month after admission to Select Specialty Hospital, Darrell passed a special study demonstrating he could swallow without aspirating.
When he was able to eat ice chips – his first in three months – he said he knew for sure he would make it home.
Darrell quickly progressed from minced foods to a regular diet and soon his feeding tube was gone.
To regain strength in his core and limbs, Darrell had physical and occupational therapy almost daily. Initially, it was a struggle for him to even move himself in bed but through exercises that included holding himself upright on the edge of the bed, repeatedly transitioning from a sit-to stand position or from his bed to a chair, Darrell was back on his feet. He practiced walking between parallel bars and eventually with a walker.
He lifted weights and pinched putty between his thumb and fingers to regain strength and dexterity in his arms and hands. Activities he once did easily – showering, brushing his teeth, applying lotion – soon became independence-building activities.
Recovery was a series of ups and downs, Darrell said. “Therapy is hard work.”
He credited his partner Janice and brother Kevin for providing much-needed encouragement, saying, “They were always there for me, calling me, visiting me – they supported me every step of the way.”
And, he’s grateful to the care team that motivated him every day.
“I thank them, I appreciate them and I can never repay what they did,” he said, pointing to milestones like walking, eating and using the bathroom on his own.
One month after his admission to Select Specialty Hospital, Darrell transitioned to an inpatient rehabilitation hospital to continue his recovery. He looked forward to returning home with Janice and to the “simple life” he enjoyed before his illness: going to work, playing with their dog, eating Mexican food and watching movies.
He shared this encouragement for others who are just beginning their recovery journey: “You still got a lot of life to live. Work hard, do your therapy, and you will be on your way.”