Recovering to go home

After months in hospitals, inpatient rehabilitation helped a patient return home.

By the time Kayla had reached McLaren Oakland, she had already been through the worst of it.

But there was still a recovery in front of her.

“Everyone was very encouraging,” she said. “Everyone there was great to me. Best hospital I had ever been at.”

Kayla and her boyfriend had returned from vacation on Sept. 7. Almost immediately they began to not feel well.

Ultimately, they would both test positive for the coronavirus. Within days, as she was monitored her falling oxygen levels, Kayla would be admitted to an area hospital on Sept. 11.

Her case was severe enough to keep her in the hospital early January.

Recovered, she would now need a program to rehabilitate — to progress enough to reach the point where she could be safely discharged home to continue her recovery in an outpatient setting.

For this, she chose to be transferred to McLaren Oakland and its inpatient rehabilitation unit.

She came to McLaren Oakland still with nerve pain and very weak from her months-long battle.

“I had been through the worst of it,” she said. “With the nerve damage, it took a lot to move. Started to sit up on the side of the bed, but even that was a chore.”

She could barely stand and wasn’t able to walk. She herself even admitted, “I was going to take some work.”

But the staff was ready.

“Physical therapists really pushed me,” she said. “Not too bad but pushing me to push myself.”

By the time she was ready to be discharged, she was regaining her strength, walking short distances (further each day) and improving her confidence in her continued rehabilitation.

“Couldn’t imagine getting to this point,” she said when recalling her initial condition. “My legs were like Jell-O.”

Upon her discharge back home on Jan. 31, after nearly four months in hospitals, Kayla and her perseverance were recognized by the McLaren Oakland staff.

As she was being wheeled out of the hospital, McLaren Oakland staff lined the halls to “clap her out” before wishing her the best in her continued recovery.

She will still need several weeks of physical and occupational therapy, but she would be able to continue that in the comfort of her home.