Nicole's Story
Nicole Garcia, a 49-year-old bus aide and work-from-home grant writer, attended the yearly Christmas party at work. She celebrated the holidays and the upcoming New Year with her colleagues and returned home.
Unfortunately, she brought COVID-19 home with her.
“At first it seemed like nothing. My symptoms included a scratchy throat and a slight fever,” Nicole recalled. However, as it became more difficult to breathe, Nicole knew a trip to the emergency room was necessary. She drove herself to Covenant HealthCare Emergency Care Center where she was admitted with dangerously low oxygen levels.
Nicole called her family and explained the situation before doctors placed a trach tube in her throat and put her on a ventilator for breathing support. She spent nearly three months in the hospital as her body slowly stabilized and oxygen levels came back up.
Weak from so much time spent immobile, Nicole needed specialized care to regain strength and independence. Her family chose Select Specialty Hospital – Saginaw. There, a physician-led, interdisciplinary team developed a personalized plan to return Nicole to the life she had before the virus.
The respiratory therapy team immediately started to work with Nicole on a series of breathing exercises that strengthened her ability to breathe on her own. Then a cap was placed over her tracheostomy to gauge Nicole’s ability to breathe without any assistance. She began to spend increasingly longer periods of time without breathing support from the machine, eventually liberating from it all together.
Because Nicole was still on a feeding tube, a speech-language pathologist and dietitian worked together to help transition her back to a regular diet. They practiced chewing and swallowing using ice chips, then performed a swallow trial to see if Nicole was ready for more solid foods. She was — another big milestone.
With her lungs stronger and her dietary needs met, it was time for Nicole to regain the strength she needed to take care of herself. Her physical therapist showed Nicole a series of exercises with resistance bands to strengthen her upper body. When she was ready to sit up, Nicole performed exercises while sitting on the side of her bed, which increased endurance and strengthened her core. Then came the the standing trials. “If there was a single moment in my recovery that seemed like a turning point, it was lifting myself off the bed and standing with help of a lift for two and a half minutes,” said Nicole.
With the support of her family, who sent “gifts and prayers” as well as her care team, who were always eager to celebrate her accomplishments, Nicole was soon strong enough to begin the next part of her journey at an inpatient rehabilitation facility. As she prepared to leave Select Specialty Hospital, Nicole reflected on her time there, saying “It was awesome. The good overpowered the bad and I am thankful for the confident staff.”
For those just starting the healing process, Nicole shares, “Accept encouragement, be thankful for the support of your family and love the help that you receive from the staff.”
Unfortunately, she brought COVID-19 home with her.
“At first it seemed like nothing. My symptoms included a scratchy throat and a slight fever,” Nicole recalled. However, as it became more difficult to breathe, Nicole knew a trip to the emergency room was necessary. She drove herself to Covenant HealthCare Emergency Care Center where she was admitted with dangerously low oxygen levels.
Nicole called her family and explained the situation before doctors placed a trach tube in her throat and put her on a ventilator for breathing support. She spent nearly three months in the hospital as her body slowly stabilized and oxygen levels came back up.
Weak from so much time spent immobile, Nicole needed specialized care to regain strength and independence. Her family chose Select Specialty Hospital – Saginaw. There, a physician-led, interdisciplinary team developed a personalized plan to return Nicole to the life she had before the virus.
The respiratory therapy team immediately started to work with Nicole on a series of breathing exercises that strengthened her ability to breathe on her own. Then a cap was placed over her tracheostomy to gauge Nicole’s ability to breathe without any assistance. She began to spend increasingly longer periods of time without breathing support from the machine, eventually liberating from it all together.
Because Nicole was still on a feeding tube, a speech-language pathologist and dietitian worked together to help transition her back to a regular diet. They practiced chewing and swallowing using ice chips, then performed a swallow trial to see if Nicole was ready for more solid foods. She was — another big milestone.
With her lungs stronger and her dietary needs met, it was time for Nicole to regain the strength she needed to take care of herself. Her physical therapist showed Nicole a series of exercises with resistance bands to strengthen her upper body. When she was ready to sit up, Nicole performed exercises while sitting on the side of her bed, which increased endurance and strengthened her core. Then came the the standing trials. “If there was a single moment in my recovery that seemed like a turning point, it was lifting myself off the bed and standing with help of a lift for two and a half minutes,” said Nicole.
With the support of her family, who sent “gifts and prayers” as well as her care team, who were always eager to celebrate her accomplishments, Nicole was soon strong enough to begin the next part of her journey at an inpatient rehabilitation facility. As she prepared to leave Select Specialty Hospital, Nicole reflected on her time there, saying “It was awesome. The good overpowered the bad and I am thankful for the confident staff.”
For those just starting the healing process, Nicole shares, “Accept encouragement, be thankful for the support of your family and love the help that you receive from the staff.”