Kathleen's Story
Life interrupted
Kathleen Prokopchak’s turning point came with a sip of water. After weeks of tubes and machines, that simple act represented hope. “When I could have water,” she said, “I knew I was getting better.”
Before illness struck, Kathleen, 70, lived a full life in Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. She loved baking, gardening and arranging flowers. A retired office manager, she spent her days with her husband, Joe, and enjoyed outings with her daughter and grandchildren.
Everything changed when Kathleen developed necrotizing pneumonia, a severe lung infection. She became confused, struggled to breathe and was rushed by ambulance to UPMC McKeesport, then transferred to UPMC East for a higher level of care. Doctors placed her on a ventilator, inserted a feeding tube and administered powerful medications to fight the infection.
Once her condition was stable, Kathleen’s care team recommended Select Specialty Hospital – McKeesport, a critical illness recovery hospital specializing in advanced respiratory care. Kathleen and her family agreed.
Step by step
Kathleen arrived at Select Specialty Hospital still on a ventilator with a tracheostomy, a small opening in her throat to connect her to the machine, and the feeding tube. A physician-led multidisciplinary team met with Kathleen and her family to outline a personalized care plan.
In the first two weeks, nurses helped manage Kathleen’s pain with medication to ease her anxiety while she continued to fight the infection in her lungs. “At first, it was difficult, not knowing what was going to happen,” Kathleen said. “But a night shift nurse held my held my hand and told me everyone would take good care of me, and she was right.”
Respiratory therapists began their work to help Kathleen breathe on her own again. They started with spontaneous breathing trials, short sessions where they supervised Kathleen breathing without ventilator support to strengthen her lungs. At first, these trials lasted only minutes. Over time, they stretched longer as her body adjusted. The work was tiring and there were days Kathleen couldn’t keep her eyes open, but she never refused therapy.
Speech therapy started early as well. While Kathleen was working on advancing her breathing, her speech-language pathologist connected a speaking valve to her tracheostomy. The valve allowed air to pass over her vocal cords so Kathleen could talk for the first time since initially admitting to the hospital. Meantime, Kathleen also worked on exercises to improve her throat muscle strength and coordination for safe swallowing. She started with small sips of water followed by ice chips to increase swallowing strength. By the third week, Kathleen was speaking more and had advanced to eating softened foods and thickened liquids.
Five weeks after admission, Kathleen’s lungs had healed and her tracheostomy was removed.
It was a milestone moment. “Getting rid of my infection and having the tracheostomy removed,” Kathleen said, “that was huge.”
Through her hard work with the speech-language pathologist, Kathleen also advanced to a regular diet with thin liquids.
Kathleen’s family stayed close, joining therapy sessions and keeping her spirits up. Boosted by her family’s support and her successes, Kathleen kept working hard.
Physical and occupational therapists focused on rebuilding Kathleen’s strength and independence. Under their guidance, Kathleen practiced sitting at the edge of the bed which strengthened her core, and using a slide board to push her body weight from the side of the bed to a wheelchair. She marched her legs while sitting and pushed herself to standing with light assistance. Kathleen even took some steps using a wheeled walker with her therapists standing by to ensure her safety.
Occupational therapy focused on upper arm exercises to increase Kathleen’s strength for dressing, bathing and grooming. These activities signified further independence and prepared Kathleen to ultimately return home.
Looking forward and setting new goals
After six weeks, Kathleen was breathing independently, talking, eating a regular diet, bathing, dressing and propelling her wheelchair 50 feet. She was ready to continue rebuilding her strength and stamina through inpatient rehabilitation in preparation for returning home.
“Everyone was so great,” Kathleen said, reflecting on her time at Select Specialty Hospital, “People here care so much.”
As for Kathleen’s next goal, she looks forward to meeting her newest granddaughter who was born while she was recovering. “I can’t wait to see her,” she shared excitedly.