Andrew lived with blindness in both eyes, a leg amputation, diabetes, and high blood pressure before experiencing a stroke that left him bedbound.  After developing an infection on his lower back, he was transferred to Kindred Hospital for physical and occupational therapy.  Andrew regained many of his daily skills and discharged to an acute rehabilitation center to continue his journey.

From Kindred Hospital Houston Northwest

Andrew, 38, came to Kindred Hospital Houston Northwest after facing many health challenges. He lives with diabetes, high blood pressure, blindness in both eyes, and had his left leg amputated below the knee. After having a stroke, he experienced a serious decline in his health and became bedbound for several months.

During that time, he developed a painful pressure sore on his lower back that didn’t get better with home wound care. He was also dealing with nausea, vomiting, and constipation. Andrew went to the emergency room, where a CT scan showed signs of an infection near his lower back and tailbone. He was transferred to Kindred Hospital for continued healing and rehabilitation.

When Andrew arrived at Kindred, he had limited movement. He needed a lot of help to sit up in bed and couldn’t safely try any transfers yet. In physical therapy, he needed full support to keep his balance while sitting on the edge of the bed. In occupational therapy, he was able to feed and groom himself with just a little help, but dressing tasks were too difficult to try at first. At that time, he didn’t need special help with breathing.

But with time, care, and determination, Andrew made great progress. He could soon roll in bed with just supervision and sit up with less help. He eventually began standing with assistance and was able to push himself in a wheelchair for over 200 feet with someone nearby to help if needed.

In occupational therapy, he became more independent with feeding and grooming. He was able to dress his upper body with only a little help, and while lower body dressing remained difficult due to his vision and strength, he improved to needing only maximum assistance.

Thanks to his dedication and the support of his entire care team, Andrew regained many of his daily skills. He was safely discharged to an acute rehabilitation center to continue his journey, stronger and more hopeful than before.