Christine's Story
It’s devastating to go from being independent and active to needing help simply to get out of bed. Just ask Christine McCune.
The 67-year-old private investigator from Tappan Lake, Ohio, could often be found on hiking trails with her husband, Randy, and dog, Mac. But a few days after she was diagnosed with diverticulitis following a colonoscopy and upper endoscopy, Christine was in pain and knew something was wrong.
She asked Randy to take her to the emergency room at a local hospital and was transferred to Cleveland Clinic Akron General – and that’s where her memory of that day ends.
Christine was diagnosed with perforated diverticulitis. A weakened area of her bowel wall had ruptured, sending its contents into her abdomen. Christine was critically ill. In her nearly three weeks at Cleveland Clinic, Christine underwent two surgeries to remove the damaged portion of her bowel and clean out her abdominal cavity.
When she was stable enough to leave the intensive care unit, Christine was too weak to walk and unable to eat. She needed care to heal and regain strength. She chose Select Specialty Hospital – Canton, a critical illness recovery hospital.
Upon admission, Christine’s short term goal was to get home. Longer term, she needed to be strong enough for another surgery to reverse the ostomy that resulted from her illness. An ostomy is a small opening made in the belly where bodily waste is collected in a bag and removed.
A physician-led, interdisciplinary team collaborated to help Christine recover.
Nurses provided 24/7 care for Christine’s needs, including medications, comfort and ensuring her incisions were healing well.
Physical and occupational therapists worked together to get her back on her feet and caring for herself again. After three weeks in bed, Christine was so weak she needed help just to sit. To rebuild her strength and stamina, she worked through her program of resistance and stability exercises that included balancing herself on the edge of her bed, repetitions of sitting to standing as well as transferring from her bed to a nearby chair. Christine’s rehabilitation was complicated by a medical issue; her heart rate would become dangerously high so therapy staff was vigilant in monitoring and adjusting her activities in close coordination with her medical team.
Meantime, Christine was also relearning activities of daily living – grooming, bathing and dressing – which are important for physical and psychological recovery from a long hospitalization. As Christine became stronger, she began walking the halls and climbing stairs in the therapy gym.
Randy, who has Parkinson’s Disease, visited every day, both to encourage and learn how to help her. Randy was taught how to use a gait belt to help Christine walk or transfer from one location to another, to manage her heart rate and to set her up for independent self-care at home.
“We take care of each other,” Christine said.
Christine admits she was sometimes grumpy and didn’t want to participate in physical therapy.
“They had to make me do it – but then I thanked them,” she said.
By the time Christine returned home to Randy and Mac six weeks later, she could walk 180 feet with a walker and felt ready to tackle the 20-step entry to her house.
She was also eating again. Initially, Christine was fed intravenously but as her body healed, she was able to start eating by mouth again. She jested that the hospital meatloaf was good, but she’d rather have a grilled cheese.
“I need to get stronger, to eat more so I can make it through my next surgery,” Christine said.
Christine plans to return to Select Specialty Hospital to recover following her next surgery.
The 67-year-old private investigator from Tappan Lake, Ohio, could often be found on hiking trails with her husband, Randy, and dog, Mac. But a few days after she was diagnosed with diverticulitis following a colonoscopy and upper endoscopy, Christine was in pain and knew something was wrong.
She asked Randy to take her to the emergency room at a local hospital and was transferred to Cleveland Clinic Akron General – and that’s where her memory of that day ends.
Christine was diagnosed with perforated diverticulitis. A weakened area of her bowel wall had ruptured, sending its contents into her abdomen. Christine was critically ill. In her nearly three weeks at Cleveland Clinic, Christine underwent two surgeries to remove the damaged portion of her bowel and clean out her abdominal cavity.
When she was stable enough to leave the intensive care unit, Christine was too weak to walk and unable to eat. She needed care to heal and regain strength. She chose Select Specialty Hospital – Canton, a critical illness recovery hospital.
Upon admission, Christine’s short term goal was to get home. Longer term, she needed to be strong enough for another surgery to reverse the ostomy that resulted from her illness. An ostomy is a small opening made in the belly where bodily waste is collected in a bag and removed.
A physician-led, interdisciplinary team collaborated to help Christine recover.
Nurses provided 24/7 care for Christine’s needs, including medications, comfort and ensuring her incisions were healing well.
Physical and occupational therapists worked together to get her back on her feet and caring for herself again. After three weeks in bed, Christine was so weak she needed help just to sit. To rebuild her strength and stamina, she worked through her program of resistance and stability exercises that included balancing herself on the edge of her bed, repetitions of sitting to standing as well as transferring from her bed to a nearby chair. Christine’s rehabilitation was complicated by a medical issue; her heart rate would become dangerously high so therapy staff was vigilant in monitoring and adjusting her activities in close coordination with her medical team.
Meantime, Christine was also relearning activities of daily living – grooming, bathing and dressing – which are important for physical and psychological recovery from a long hospitalization. As Christine became stronger, she began walking the halls and climbing stairs in the therapy gym.
Randy, who has Parkinson’s Disease, visited every day, both to encourage and learn how to help her. Randy was taught how to use a gait belt to help Christine walk or transfer from one location to another, to manage her heart rate and to set her up for independent self-care at home.
“We take care of each other,” Christine said.
Christine admits she was sometimes grumpy and didn’t want to participate in physical therapy.
“They had to make me do it – but then I thanked them,” she said.
By the time Christine returned home to Randy and Mac six weeks later, she could walk 180 feet with a walker and felt ready to tackle the 20-step entry to her house.
She was also eating again. Initially, Christine was fed intravenously but as her body healed, she was able to start eating by mouth again. She jested that the hospital meatloaf was good, but she’d rather have a grilled cheese.
“I need to get stronger, to eat more so I can make it through my next surgery,” Christine said.
Christine plans to return to Select Specialty Hospital to recover following her next surgery.