Carl's Story
Carl Blanks, 72, was born and raised in North Carolina, but moved to Newport News, Virginia, after retiring from the U.S. Army as an aviation mechanic. He worked for Howmet Aerospace Corporation for another 17 years until he retired for good.
“I’m a homebody now,” Carl says. He takes care of his family and often travels to North Carolina to see loved ones.
Carl said he noticed he had shortness of breath when he was moving around for a year or more, but kept putting it off until it got bad enough that he went to see his primary care doctor, followed by a cardiologist.
Carl had severe aortic stenosis, which occurs when the aortic valve of the heart thickens and narrows, preventing normal blood flow between the heart’s main pumping chamber and the body’s main artery. Over time, the heart’s left ventricle has to pump harder, often leading to heart failure.
Carl needed open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve.
Carl and his wife, Willie Mae, arrived bright and early at Sentara Heart Hospital in Norfolk for his surgery.
“My doctor told me I should be back home within seven days.” Carl Said. “I was a little nervous but I didn’t worry too much.”
Carl’s recovery did not go as planned. He went into cardiac arrest five times, and returned to the operating room several times for additional surgeries. Carl spent a month in the hospital battling complications.
When he was stabilized, Carl’s care team recommended Select Specialty Hospital – Hampton Roads, a critical illness recovery hospital, for extended healing.
Carl’s main goal was “to get back home as soon as possible.”
Carl arrived at Select Specialty Hospital with a tracheostomy, a surgically-made slit in his windpipe with a tube that provided supplemental oxygen. Carl couldn’t eat and was fed through a tube in his nose. He was unable to think clearly and too weak to get out of bed.
A patient-centered team of physicians, nurses, and therapists created a plan to help Carl regain independence and return to home and his family.
To help Carl decrease his dependence on high oxygen levels, respiratory therapists began by slowly lowering his supplemental oxygen while he was resting and closely monitoring him. As Carl demonstrated he could breathe without supplemental oxygen for increasing amounts of time at rest, therapists later worked to decrease and eliminate his need for increased oxygen with exertion while he participated in activities that increased his work of breathing such as physical therapy. A speech-language pathologist also attached a special valve to his tracheostomy tube that pushed air through his vocal cords, helping him to learn to speak again while ensuring he was still able to breathe easily. Speaking valves don’t just help patients communicate; they also help them become accustomed to normal breathing patterns again.
Speech therapists also began working with him on swallowing exercises to help make sure his muscles were strong enough to swallow food and liquid again without aspirating.
During this time, physical and occupational therapists began a mobility program. They started with small steps like sitting up in bed and rolling from side to side. Carl progressed to getting out of bed, sitting in a chair and standing again. Carl had to rebuild a lot of strength after spending over a month in bed.
It wasn’t long before Carl was able to have to have both his feeding tube and his tracheostomy removed. He was quickly regaining his independence.
“When I took my first step it felt amazing!” he said. “Everyone was so nice and they were always encouraging. They took really great care of me.”
Willie Mae and their daughter, Lamanda, visited with him every day, encouraging him to work hard to recover. Carl especially anticipated his upcoming 50th wedding anniversary.
“I’m looking forward to being home and healthy again to celebrate with my wife,” he said.
After three weeks at Select Specialty Hospital, Carl was breathing on his own, talking, eating and walking again. He discharged to Riverside Rehabilitation Hospital with his goal of getting home – and 11 days later he met that goal.
“I’m a homebody now,” Carl says. He takes care of his family and often travels to North Carolina to see loved ones.
Carl said he noticed he had shortness of breath when he was moving around for a year or more, but kept putting it off until it got bad enough that he went to see his primary care doctor, followed by a cardiologist.
Carl had severe aortic stenosis, which occurs when the aortic valve of the heart thickens and narrows, preventing normal blood flow between the heart’s main pumping chamber and the body’s main artery. Over time, the heart’s left ventricle has to pump harder, often leading to heart failure.
Carl needed open heart surgery to replace his aortic valve.
Carl and his wife, Willie Mae, arrived bright and early at Sentara Heart Hospital in Norfolk for his surgery.
“My doctor told me I should be back home within seven days.” Carl Said. “I was a little nervous but I didn’t worry too much.”
Carl’s recovery did not go as planned. He went into cardiac arrest five times, and returned to the operating room several times for additional surgeries. Carl spent a month in the hospital battling complications.
When he was stabilized, Carl’s care team recommended Select Specialty Hospital – Hampton Roads, a critical illness recovery hospital, for extended healing.
Carl’s main goal was “to get back home as soon as possible.”
Carl arrived at Select Specialty Hospital with a tracheostomy, a surgically-made slit in his windpipe with a tube that provided supplemental oxygen. Carl couldn’t eat and was fed through a tube in his nose. He was unable to think clearly and too weak to get out of bed.
A patient-centered team of physicians, nurses, and therapists created a plan to help Carl regain independence and return to home and his family.
To help Carl decrease his dependence on high oxygen levels, respiratory therapists began by slowly lowering his supplemental oxygen while he was resting and closely monitoring him. As Carl demonstrated he could breathe without supplemental oxygen for increasing amounts of time at rest, therapists later worked to decrease and eliminate his need for increased oxygen with exertion while he participated in activities that increased his work of breathing such as physical therapy. A speech-language pathologist also attached a special valve to his tracheostomy tube that pushed air through his vocal cords, helping him to learn to speak again while ensuring he was still able to breathe easily. Speaking valves don’t just help patients communicate; they also help them become accustomed to normal breathing patterns again.
Speech therapists also began working with him on swallowing exercises to help make sure his muscles were strong enough to swallow food and liquid again without aspirating.
During this time, physical and occupational therapists began a mobility program. They started with small steps like sitting up in bed and rolling from side to side. Carl progressed to getting out of bed, sitting in a chair and standing again. Carl had to rebuild a lot of strength after spending over a month in bed.
It wasn’t long before Carl was able to have to have both his feeding tube and his tracheostomy removed. He was quickly regaining his independence.
“When I took my first step it felt amazing!” he said. “Everyone was so nice and they were always encouraging. They took really great care of me.”
Willie Mae and their daughter, Lamanda, visited with him every day, encouraging him to work hard to recover. Carl especially anticipated his upcoming 50th wedding anniversary.
“I’m looking forward to being home and healthy again to celebrate with my wife,” he said.
After three weeks at Select Specialty Hospital, Carl was breathing on his own, talking, eating and walking again. He discharged to Riverside Rehabilitation Hospital with his goal of getting home – and 11 days later he met that goal.