[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/02\/andrews-hemorrhagic-stroke-story\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/02\/andrews-hemorrhagic-stroke-story\/","headline":"Andrew: Learning to Walk Again After a Hemorrhagic Stroke","name":"Andrew: Learning to Walk Again After a Hemorrhagic Stroke","description":"Andrew, 35, and his wife were looking forward to the imminent birth of their first child in April 2022 when he collapsed in a seizure onto the floor of his Hampton Township home. \u00a0Tests showed a ruptured aneurysm and severe bleeding in the brain. Andrew spent weeks in a coma as his medical team at […]","datePublished":"2024-02-27","dateModified":"2024-02-23","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/rehab","name":"UPMC Rehabilitation Institute","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/rehab","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/upmc-rehabilitation-institute\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-884653666.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/GettyImages-884653666.jpg","height":867,"width":2000},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/02\/andrews-hemorrhagic-stroke-story\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Rehabilitation"],"wordCount":971,"articleBody":"Andrew, 35, and his wife were looking forward to the imminent birth of their first child in April 2022 when he collapsed in a seizure onto the floor of his Hampton Township home. \u00a0Tests showed a ruptured aneurysm and severe bleeding in the brain.Andrew spent weeks in a coma as his medical team at UPMC Presbyterian worked feverishly to stabilize him. He had multiple surgeries and was placed on a ventilator. Eventually, he was finally able to meet his 3-week-old son, Willy, after he was transferred to the brain injury unit at UPMC Mercy to begin inpatient therapy with UPMC Rehabilitation Institute.At the time, he couldn\u2019t walk, talk, swallow, or breathe on his own.The Challenge: Overcoming a Devastating Loss of Function, SetbacksAlthough he was glad to be alive, Andrew initially didn\u2019t have high expectations for his recovery.\u201cI didn\u2019t expect to walk again. In my mind, I had to adapt to my new reality: being confined to a wheelchair and unable to communicate in the same way I did before,\u201d says Andrew, a program manager for a tech startup company. \u201cLuckily, I had some really good therapists who wouldn\u2019t accept that and pushed me to get better.\u201dBy the time he left UPMC Mercy five weeks later, Andrew could stand and was close to walking. Unfortunately, he was back in the hospital a week later for gallbladder surgery, then needed a neurosurgery procedure to place a shunt to drain fluid from his brain.\u201cThat set me back,\u201d says Andrew.Big Strides with Intensive Outpatient TherapyIn fall 2022, Andrew finally began intensive outpatient therapy, working twice a week with neurologic and vestibular physical therapist Helena Pingree, DPT, at UPMC Rehabilitation Institute \u2014 initially in Allison Park, then at the Cranberry Township location. He also had weekly outpatient occupational therapy focused on regaining the use of his hands.\u201cWhen I started working with Helena, I was wheelchair-bound. I could only take three steps with two people helping me,\u201d says Andrew. \u201cMy goal was to walk independently again and be able to hold my son.\u201dAndrew had big challenges to overcome. In addition to extreme weakness in his arms and legs, he had poor control of his body due to brain damage caused by the ruptured aneurysm, according to Helena.She developed a therapy program focusing on exercises to promote neuroplasticity \u2014 the brain\u2019s ability to change and adapt through experience. To do that, she introduced high-intensity gait training, which included walking and stepping at a vigorous enough pace to keep Andrew\u2019s heart rate at a target level. To create imbalance and retrain his brain, Helena added various exercises and tasks.Throughout his therapy, she also carefully monitored his blood pressure and heart rate to ensure the exercises were intense \u2014 but not overly taxing or harmful.\u201cI would challenge Andrew enough to nearly make him fall, but in a safe way, so he could relearn how to correct a loss of balance,\u201d explains Helena. \u201cBy introducing that error, combined with higher-intensity training, Andrew was able to learn how to control his arms, legs, posture, and balance again.\u201dPartners in TherapyThroughout his outpatient therapy program, Helena carefully explained each exercise so Andrew would understand the purpose of the movements and challenges. They also worked together to identify goals and troubleshoot problems.\u201cEach time he came in, I would ask: What are you having the most trouble with? What are the day-to-day things you are struggling with?\u2019\u201d says Helena. \u201cWe would problem solve together so I could tailor my treatment goals to his goals. He would meet the goals and I\u2019d set new ones.\u201dWith a baby at home, Helena created an \u201cobstacle course\u201d for him to practice stepping over and around toys and other items. Because Andrew wanted to go on walks with his family, she created uneven surfaces for him to negotiate and had him wear a weighted vest and leg weights. She also gave him exercises to do at home.\u201cHelena always did a really good job of explaining why she approached a problem in a certain way. It was very educational,\u201d says Andrew. \u201cOutpatient therapy was great. I would go in and, afterwards, I would see immediate results.\u201d\u201cBecause of the care I received, I was able to eventually walk independently with a cane. That opened so many doors for me and set me up for my future recovery.\u201dLike Father, Like SonAndrew continued his UPMC rehabilitation program through April 2023 \u2014\u00a0a full year after his stroke. As he progressed, he realized \u2013 to his amusement \u2013 that he and Willy were developing at the same pace.\u201cWhen Willy learned to roll over, I was learning to roll over. When I started walking, he started walking that same week,\u201d says Andrew.\u201cIt\u2019s been interesting to see the development and understand the frustrations that Willy is going through when he\u2019s unable to do something he wants to do. I think I understand that a little better than most parents.\u201dIn May, Andrew and his family moved to a new home in Florida, where he doesn\u2019t have to deal with cold, snowy weather or western Pennsylvania\u2019s hills. He now takes daily walks around their neighborhood \u2014 a half mile in just 18 minutes \u2014 using a single hiking pole.\u201cI was fortunate to get the care I needed at UPMC,\u201d says Andrew. \u201cThey helped me figure out how to walk again, which was huge.\u201dHelena gives the credit to Andrew. \u201cHe is such a great success story because he knew what he needed to do and he was such a hard worker,\u201d she says. \u201cWe educated him on all the pieces to the puzzle and Andrew did everything we asked him to do.\u201dFor more information about outpatient therapy at UPMC Rehabilitation Institute, call 1-888-723-4277."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2024","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"02","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/\/02\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Andrew: Learning to Walk Again After a Hemorrhagic Stroke","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2024\/02\/andrews-hemorrhagic-stroke-story\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]