Darryl's Story
Darryl Fannin, 59, a retired diesel mechanic, father of seven and grandfather of 12, had recently started dialysis for renal disease. When Darryl, who is widowed, developed a high fever and shortness of breath at home, his son called 911. Darryl was taken to an emergency room and transferred him to Mercy Fairfield for more advanced care.
Darryl was diagnosed with a number of health issues with the most serious being sepsis and Fourniers Gangrene, a rare but deadly infection. Darryl did not realize he had developed a wound that had gotten infected. Following multiple surgeries to remove dead tissue, Darryl couldn’t come off the ventilator to breathe on his own.
After 27 days in that hospital, Darryl no longer required intensive care, but did need 24/7 care. He transferred to Select Specialty Hospital – Cincinnati North, a critical illness recovery hospital.
Upon admission, Darryl’s goals were to “get off the ventilator and get back to a normal life.”
He couldn’t eat, talk, walk and he still needed daily treatment for his wound. A physician-led, interdisciplinary team collaborated to help Darryl regain his independence and return home.
Specially-trained nurses cared for Darryl’s wound, cleaning it, applying medication and a gauze dressing. Nutrition played an important role in healing, too. A wound care doctor helped to successfully close the wound through skin grafts.
Meanwhile, Darryl participated in respiratory, speech, physical and occupational therapy almost every day. He arrived with a tracheostomy – a surgically-made slit in his windpipe with a tube that connected to the ventilator. To help Darryl regain his ability to breathe, his care team took him off the ventilator for short spurts and closely monitored him. Each day, he was able to breathe longer on his own, strengthening his lungs. The team put a special valve on his tracheostomy tube that moved air through his vocal cords, enabling him to speak again.
A key moment, Darryl said, “was when I got off the ventilator and could talk to my son.”
He also loved when his mom visited, saying she “gave me hope.”
Speech therapists also worked with Darryl on exercises to strengthen muscles needed to swallow. When he passed a test that demonstrated he could do so without aspirating, he was able to start eating again.
All the while, Darryl was also participating in exercises to rebuild his strength and stamina.
“I just kept pushing and did what my therapist told me,” he said.
This included arm and leg exercises to regain range of motion, balancing himself on the edge of the bed while reaching and bending, repeatedly going from a sit-to-stand position, transferring from the bed to a wheelchair and eventually taking his first steps.
“The best part was getting into a wheelchair and getting out of my room,” he said. He also remembered the first time he stood up “and saw what a mess I was in the mirror.”
Six weeks after admission, Darryl was breathing, eating, talking and walking and could manage a lot of his own grooming again. His tracheostomy tube was gone. He transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation hospital where he looked forward to exercising to continue regaining strength and independence.
“I love exercise,” he said. Going forward, he planned to “take better care of myself because I didn’t see this coming.”
Darryl was diagnosed with a number of health issues with the most serious being sepsis and Fourniers Gangrene, a rare but deadly infection. Darryl did not realize he had developed a wound that had gotten infected. Following multiple surgeries to remove dead tissue, Darryl couldn’t come off the ventilator to breathe on his own.
After 27 days in that hospital, Darryl no longer required intensive care, but did need 24/7 care. He transferred to Select Specialty Hospital – Cincinnati North, a critical illness recovery hospital.
Upon admission, Darryl’s goals were to “get off the ventilator and get back to a normal life.”
He couldn’t eat, talk, walk and he still needed daily treatment for his wound. A physician-led, interdisciplinary team collaborated to help Darryl regain his independence and return home.
Specially-trained nurses cared for Darryl’s wound, cleaning it, applying medication and a gauze dressing. Nutrition played an important role in healing, too. A wound care doctor helped to successfully close the wound through skin grafts.
Meanwhile, Darryl participated in respiratory, speech, physical and occupational therapy almost every day. He arrived with a tracheostomy – a surgically-made slit in his windpipe with a tube that connected to the ventilator. To help Darryl regain his ability to breathe, his care team took him off the ventilator for short spurts and closely monitored him. Each day, he was able to breathe longer on his own, strengthening his lungs. The team put a special valve on his tracheostomy tube that moved air through his vocal cords, enabling him to speak again.
A key moment, Darryl said, “was when I got off the ventilator and could talk to my son.”
He also loved when his mom visited, saying she “gave me hope.”
Speech therapists also worked with Darryl on exercises to strengthen muscles needed to swallow. When he passed a test that demonstrated he could do so without aspirating, he was able to start eating again.
All the while, Darryl was also participating in exercises to rebuild his strength and stamina.
“I just kept pushing and did what my therapist told me,” he said.
This included arm and leg exercises to regain range of motion, balancing himself on the edge of the bed while reaching and bending, repeatedly going from a sit-to-stand position, transferring from the bed to a wheelchair and eventually taking his first steps.
“The best part was getting into a wheelchair and getting out of my room,” he said. He also remembered the first time he stood up “and saw what a mess I was in the mirror.”
Six weeks after admission, Darryl was breathing, eating, talking and walking and could manage a lot of his own grooming again. His tracheostomy tube was gone. He transferred to an inpatient rehabilitation hospital where he looked forward to exercising to continue regaining strength and independence.
“I love exercise,” he said. Going forward, he planned to “take better care of myself because I didn’t see this coming.”