The Long and Lonely Road to Recovery
When our job's done, the patient's work is just beginning.
T
hat's Mishka, my
tough and unrelent-
ing physical thera-
pist, in the purple polo.
Aside from her annoying
habit of increasing the
weights and doubling the
reps whenever I told her
that I loved a particular
exercise or machine, I
liked Mishka. During my
thrice-weekly torture appointments after my knee replacement, she
worked very hard to get me to where I am now, walking without assis-
tance and driving, 3 months post-op.
I'm the not-so-tough one on the right with the new knee. I've got the
scars from surgery and the tears from PT to prove it. I've also got a
new-found appreciation for what our patients endure when they recov-
er from surgery. We may think it's over once we've wheelchaired our
patients to the front door, but oftentimes their job is just beginning.
Sweat and tears
Patients must often endure physical therapy — or pain therapy, as I
call it — after surgery. The pain of PT often goes overlooked from our
side of the OR table, where outpatient rehabilitation is packaged like
a leisurely benefit. You get to recover in your own home! I cried doing
PT in the hospital ... and when the therapist came to my house ... and
on my first day at rehab.
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Behind Closed Doors
Paula Watkins, RN, CNOR
• HURTS SO GOOD Paula Watkins, RN, CNOR, (right) and her physical therapist, Mishka.
Paula
Watkins,
RN,
CNOR