Mrs E

When we approached Mrs E to ask whether she would agree to us writing an account of her recovery for our website, the reply was: “yes, I would love to, I want to tell everyone about my phenomenal recovery; I want to help others to know what is possible and I would like to write my own story!”

Mrs E came to Holy Cross in February 2023 for intensive neuro-rehabilitation, following a stroke in December 2022. When she was admitted Mrs E was unable to support her neck, she could not eat and was only able to drink thickened fluids. She struggled to speak and was reliant on our staff for all activities of daily living.

A week after her arrival we were able to remove her tracheostomy and our Speech and Language Therapist got to work by gradually introducing soft food into Mrs E’s diet. A difficulty we had to overcome was that she had limited functional use of her upper limbs due to joint pain, stiffness, oedema and incoordination. Our Occupational Therapist devised an upper limb retraining programme to improve the range of joint movement and hand function, her grasp and pinch functions. Mrs E was soon able to feed herself using an adapted spoon. At this stage a member of staff had to be present whilst Mrs E was feeding herself, due to the risk of choking. Each week our Speech and Language Therapist was able to introduce a new food type.

Four months after arriving at Holy Cross Mrs E is eating a normal diet, she uses a knife and fork, no longer needs a member of staff to be present whilst she is eating and she can drink normal, un-thickened fluids. Mrs E has recovered her speech and has ably narrated her story! Mrs E is now independent for simple personal care tasks and is able to use her upper limbs for functional activities such as using her mobile phone, i-pad and TV remote control.

As Mrs E continues to regain her strength, she can support her neck and stand, she is starting to look forward to what she will do in the future.