Britany's Story
Britany Wayne, a 32-year-old stay-at-home mom, was experiencing loss of appetite, shortness of breath and stomach pains when she was taken by her father-in-law to the emergency room at Bristol Regional Medical Center, TN. Testing revealed she had COVID-19 and severe acute necrotizing pancreatitis.
Her doctors consulted with a general surgeon and determined surgery was the best course of action. Britany endured seven different surgeries that included discovering the extent of her illness, the health of her pancreas and the placement of an ileostomy to help her eliminate waste.
During this time, she required multiple blood infusions, a feeding tube and ventilator support to provide a constant supply oxygen. Because she would need the ventilator long term, Britany’s doctors surgically inserted a tracheostomy tube into her airway, a much less invasive form of breathing support than having a tube fed through her mouth and into her trachea. After two months, Britany was able to come off ventilator support and was deemed medically stable. Because she was incredibly weak and required total assistance for self-care, doctors suggested she transfer to a specialized facility that could help her continue healing.
For that, Britany was transferred to Select Specialty Hospital – Tri-Cities. Her mother-in-law, Karen, chose the facility based on its reputation for providing exceptional care. Karen believed it would give Britany the best chance to regain her independence and strength.
Upon admission, Britany’s mother-in-law set clear goals -- she wanted Britany to breathe on her own, to walk again and return to her “independent, big hearted self.” The physician-led team of nurses, therapists and clinicians created a plan to help Britany achieve all three.
While the nurses managed Britany’s day-to-day medications and kept her surgical wounds clean and properly dressed, Britany worked with respiratory therapy to strengthen her lungs and begin breathing on her own again. Though she was off the ventilator, she still had her tracheostomy tube and was receiving supplemental oxygen. Her therapist began to increase the amount of time Britany breathed on her own without support. Each day the time would be increased until, Britany no longer needed the oxygen. Forty-eight hours later, she had her tracheostomy tube removed. For Britany and her mother, this was a big turning point in her recovery.
Meanwhile, physical and occupational therapy sessions focused on strengthening Britany’s muscles, improving her mobility and regaining the ability to perform self-care tasks. She began on the edge of the bed with range of motion exercises using her arms and legs. By raising and lowering her extremities and slowly moving them through all normal daily motions, Britany began to resume strength in her limbs and core and increased her balance and endurance.
By practicing standing up from the bed and pivoting into a chair, Britany was able to increase the strength of her legs and regain flexibility so she could become more mobile. Working with an occupational therapist, she practiced brushing her hair, getting dressed and feeding herself. Repeating these activities of daily living with suggestions from her therapist on ways to conserve her strength, began returning some of Britany’s lost independence. “All the therapies were beneficial,” Britany said.
Her determination to get stronger was bolstered by the support of her family. Her mother, father, step-father and in-laws played a large role in her recovery. They provided the emotional comfort and encouragement to keep Britany moving forward.
At discharge, Britany looked forward to returning home.
Her doctors consulted with a general surgeon and determined surgery was the best course of action. Britany endured seven different surgeries that included discovering the extent of her illness, the health of her pancreas and the placement of an ileostomy to help her eliminate waste.
During this time, she required multiple blood infusions, a feeding tube and ventilator support to provide a constant supply oxygen. Because she would need the ventilator long term, Britany’s doctors surgically inserted a tracheostomy tube into her airway, a much less invasive form of breathing support than having a tube fed through her mouth and into her trachea. After two months, Britany was able to come off ventilator support and was deemed medically stable. Because she was incredibly weak and required total assistance for self-care, doctors suggested she transfer to a specialized facility that could help her continue healing.
For that, Britany was transferred to Select Specialty Hospital – Tri-Cities. Her mother-in-law, Karen, chose the facility based on its reputation for providing exceptional care. Karen believed it would give Britany the best chance to regain her independence and strength.
Upon admission, Britany’s mother-in-law set clear goals -- she wanted Britany to breathe on her own, to walk again and return to her “independent, big hearted self.” The physician-led team of nurses, therapists and clinicians created a plan to help Britany achieve all three.
While the nurses managed Britany’s day-to-day medications and kept her surgical wounds clean and properly dressed, Britany worked with respiratory therapy to strengthen her lungs and begin breathing on her own again. Though she was off the ventilator, she still had her tracheostomy tube and was receiving supplemental oxygen. Her therapist began to increase the amount of time Britany breathed on her own without support. Each day the time would be increased until, Britany no longer needed the oxygen. Forty-eight hours later, she had her tracheostomy tube removed. For Britany and her mother, this was a big turning point in her recovery.
Meanwhile, physical and occupational therapy sessions focused on strengthening Britany’s muscles, improving her mobility and regaining the ability to perform self-care tasks. She began on the edge of the bed with range of motion exercises using her arms and legs. By raising and lowering her extremities and slowly moving them through all normal daily motions, Britany began to resume strength in her limbs and core and increased her balance and endurance.
By practicing standing up from the bed and pivoting into a chair, Britany was able to increase the strength of her legs and regain flexibility so she could become more mobile. Working with an occupational therapist, she practiced brushing her hair, getting dressed and feeding herself. Repeating these activities of daily living with suggestions from her therapist on ways to conserve her strength, began returning some of Britany’s lost independence. “All the therapies were beneficial,” Britany said.
Her determination to get stronger was bolstered by the support of her family. Her mother, father, step-father and in-laws played a large role in her recovery. They provided the emotional comfort and encouragement to keep Britany moving forward.
At discharge, Britany looked forward to returning home.