Missouri man returns home after overcoming life-threatening respiratory failure
Kenneth and Shelly Walker left their home in Texas to move to Potosi, Missouri, so they could be closer to family. Kenneth, 67, a self-admitted homebody, enjoys a quiet life spending time with his grandchildren and caring for his lawn. However, the Walkers’ retirement took an unexpected turn when Kenneth began coughing, fell ill and needed emergency medical attention.
Although he was first taken to a local hospital, his condition required more advanced care and Kenneth transferred to SSM Health St. Clare Hospital – Fenton. There, doctors diagnosed him with respiratory failure. Due to the severity of his illness, he was intubated. That same night, doctors reached out to his family to discuss his critical status.
Looking back, Kenneth reflects on what he later learned: “I know they called my family in because they did not think I would live through the night.”
Kenneth remained in the intensive care unit for 18 days, and finally stabilized.
At that point, Shelly made the decision to transfer Kenneth to Select Specialty Hospital – Town and County in St. Louis, Missouri. Although far from their home, she was confident the critical illness recovery hospital offered the best chance for him to regain his independence. At the time of admission, Kenneth couldn’t breathe, eat, talk or walk. He now also had a tracheostomy (trach), a slit in his windpipe with a tube that connected to his ventilator, as well as a feeding tube.
Shortly after he arrived, Kenneth’s physician-led, multidisciplinary team developed a personalized plan that included a mix of respiratory, speech, physical and occupational therapy.
Guided by a pulmonologist, the respiratory therapy team began breathing trials, gradually increasing his time off the ventilator while closely monitoring his lung function. Each day, his breathing improved. By day four, with the help of a special valve that connected to his trach and pushed air through his vocal cords, Kenneth spoke for the first time since being hospitalized. One day later, he was liberated from the ventilator. In six more days, his trach was removed.
At the same time, Kenneth’s speech-language pathologist was working with him on exercises to strengthen his throat and tongue muscles so he could eventually eat again. After 10 days, a special study confirmed he could swallow safely, and he began a diet of pureed foods and thin liquids. He progressed to a regular diet three days later and soon, he no longer needed a feeding tube.
Meanwhile, Kenneth worked closely with his physical and occupational therapy teams to rebuild his strength, range of motion and balance. Physical therapy began with foundational skills, such as holding himself upright at the edge of the bed and transitioning from sit to stand positions.
“I was unable to walk or stand,” he recalls. “My legs were like rubber.”
He progressed quickly and in just six days, he could stand. Two days later, he was walking. Having feared he would never walk again, this was a high point in his recovery.
“Walking was my greatest milestone,” says Kenneth, who could do steps and walk 320 feet with rest breaks and standby assistance by the time he was discharged. “The therapy really helped.”
Occupational therapy also played an important role in preparing Kenneth to return home. His therapists focused on helping him regain independence in daily self-care tasks, such as dressing and using the toilet. Over time, he progressed from needing total assistance for hygiene to needing only minimal help to get dressed. While he continued to experience some back pain and needed to take seated rest breaks, he could sit at the edge of the bed, stand with supervision and walk short distances, such as to the sink in his room.
Adding to the emotional challenge of his recovery, Shelly couldn’t visit every day as she does not drive. Their home was more than an hour away so the distance made the time apart more difficult.
“I just wanted to be home,” Kenneth admits.
Kenneth turned that desire into motivation. Just 24 days after arriving at Select Specialty Hospital, he had reached his goals and was headed home.
Grateful for the care he received, he says, “We made the right choice when we came to Select.”