Marilyn admitted to RHSNM for “intense, rigorous, much-needed therapy following a stroke.
The night Marilyn Watson had a stroke seemed like any other. Marilyn and her daughter were grocery shopping at the local Walmart, as they had done so many times before. Marilyn had a faint dizzy spell but shook it off and continued down the aisle. A second one followed, but again, she brushed it off. They finished shopping and headed home.
The following day, Marilyn woke unable to move her right arm, which quickly progressed to her entire right side. Marilyn’s daughter rushed her to the emergency room, where tests revealed that Marilyn had a stroke.
The diagnosis left Marilyn with many thoughts. “How could I have had a stroke?” she wondered. Marilyn was an avid reader, a retired music teacher, and a choir singer. She attends a book club at her church and just got a new apartment. “Why was this happening to me?” Marylin continued to ponder as she traded in her books for a hospital gown and wondered if she’d ever use her dominant right hand again.
RHSNM helped strengthen Nellie’s communication skills, which boosted her confidence.
In March of this year, Nellie’s life changed when she went to the ER after experiencing stroke-like symptoms. Doctors decided to fly her to another hospital for a higher level of care, where she successfully had a blood clot removed. After her surgery, Nellie’s physician recommended that she come to the Rehabilitation Hospital of Southern New Mexico (RHSNM) to begin therapy and to participate in the stroke program.
Nellie says that before her stroke she was very active and enjoyed cooking, cleaning and maintaining the household, and spending time with her family. She and her husband enjoyed traveling to places like Hawaii, Indiana, Arizona, and other states around the USA. So, her goals were clear for her time at RHSNM. Nellie wanted to, “Get better and go traveling.”
Upon her arrival at RHSNM, Nellie stated that she was experiencing significant difficulty communicating her thoughts, wants, and needs. After being assessed by her speech-language pathologist, it was determined that she was experiencing moderate anomic aphasia. She worked diligently throughout her stay and had daily speech, occupational, and physical therapy sessions. Nellie says, “My speech therapist and physical therapist have really kept me motivated and I wanted to get well. Everybody has been so nice and swell, they took care of me, especially my therapists. Of course, Emily Grandle, my speech-language pathologist is helping me a whole bunch”
Since beginning her therapy, Nellie said it has become much easier for her to participate in social settings and communicate. Nellie continues to experience word-finding difficulty, writing, and communicating more complex thoughts, but has now transitioned to outpatient therapy at RHSNM.
Nellie has returned to cooking, cleaning, and spending much-deserved time with her husband and family since returning home. She says that her neurologist has been very happy with her progress since starting therapy at RHSNM. Nellie also shares that she is very proud of herself and excited for the progress she will continue to make.
