An 81-year-old patient at McDonald County Living Center has impressed the staff with her recovery from a stroke.
Jane Wimer had only lived in McDonald County for a few months when she came to the living center on Sept. 25 for treatment for something else. She had been taking Warfarin, a blood thinner, and the tablets had been clinging to the lining of her stomach, causing bleeding. She was finished with treatment and ready to go home when she suffered a stroke in her sleep on Oct. 5. The stroke affected three-fourths of her body. A staff member came into her room and found her around 5 a.m., she said.
"I was a blob. I was hanging off the bed," she said.
For the first few days, she could not sit up or move, she said, and she could not stay awake.
"I could have slept 22 hours a day," she said.
She said she knew nothing about strokes before she had hers. She learned that it hurts when the healing begins because the muscles have not been used.
Through work with physical, occupational and speech therapists, Wimer has regained most of her abilities. Her right hand shakes and she cannot use it to write or eat. She needs a walker, but she can walk. She cannot raise her right arm all the way up yet, but therapists assure her she will be able to do so eventually.
"Everybody says, 'We have never seen anybody heal as quick as you do,'" Wimer said.
In the beginning, her memory was affected by the stroke. She said she would go to play bingo and she would hear the letter that was called and forget the number. Her memory has improved a great deal since then.
"This is a very, very nice place," she said of the McDonald County Living Center. "The staff is who I've gotten to know. They have just fussed over me amazingly."
She said that, while physical therapy is not fun, the physical therapists have been very kind.
"The big things are the staff and the physical therapists," she said.
On Feb. 14, Wimer is leaving the McDonald County Living Center to go to an assisted living facility in Neosho. She said when she visited the facility, the residents there spoke highly of it.
Kelly Long, a speech therapist at the McDonald County Living Center, said, "It's been a super recovery. After her stroke, she couldn't talk or move. She's made a fantastic recovery. She's worked hard, too. It's hard work. The patient has to put the work into it."
Long added, "We're going to miss her a lot. She's been a great patient."
Melodi Gerstner, an occupational therapist, said that, after the stroke, Wimer's right arm was completely flaccid, and her left arm had little movement. She couldn't stand up, had poor balance, had trouble following commands and had trouble staying awake.
"She's really close to being independent now. We're just fine-tuning her balance," she said. "She recently started tying her shoes, which is really difficult."
Gerstner said right now they are working on housekeeping tasks like putting away dishes and making the bed.
"Right now we're staying with her just in case she loses her balance, but she can basically do everything. She's come a long way," she said.
Vilma Berga, a physical therapist, said she worked with Wimer on getting in and out of bed and getting from a chair to a wheelchair. Early on, Wimer was not able to stand, she said.
"She is so cooperative and motivated," she said. "She improves every time we work with her. She's a good patient. She's a great success and we are very happy to work with her."
Administrator Susan Woods said, "I'm extremely happy for Jane. She has worked extremely hard. I'm glad she gets to go to a lower level (of care)."
General News on 02/06/2020