Julie's Story
Julie Niles, 69, had visited the emergency room twice with complaints of severe stomach pains but was sent home. During a visit with her family doctor, Julie’s pain was identified as a possible viscus perforation—a tear in in her bowels. She was taken by ambulance to UPMC Chautauqua, where she underwent emergency surgery to remove part of her bowel and place a colostomy. Though the surgery was successful, Julie was weakened by her condition and time spent in a hospital bed. She required 15 liters of supplemental oxygen to breathe, a feeding tube for nutrition and was unable to stand or walk on her own.
Julie’s extended road to recovery led her to Select Specialty Hospital – Erie, where a dedicated team of therapists and medical professionals developed a personalized care and treatment plan to help Julie regain the strength necessary to care for herself again.
Initially, the simplest tasks seemed too difficult. “Getting out of bed was a chore,” she said. However, with each passing day, Julie's determination yielded progress. She worked with a respiratory therapist to gradually step down her oxygen needs through a carefully planned series of breathing trials until she only needed three liters of supplemental oxygen.
Step-by-step, Julie and her physical therapist increased the distance she could walk down the hospital hallways until she could do 80 feet at a time. Unable to dress herself when she arrived, Julie worked with an occupational therapist to strengthen her upper and lower body by practicing self-care activities such as transferring between surfaces, brushing her hair and using a sock aid to put on her socks until she was capable of getting dressed with minimal assistance. After a flexible endoscopic evaluation to gauge swallowing safety, she was able to resume eating and began consuming a thin-liquid diet by mouth, eventually returning to a normal diet.
The outpouring of encouragement from her family and friends, combined with the expert care provided by her Select Specialty Hospital team, saw Julie through until the day of discharge to an inpatient rehabilitation facility to continue rebuilding strength.
Reflecting on her journey, Julie said: “My experience at Select has been very good. I have come a long way since I got here. I never thought this day would come.”