michael's Recovery Story  

Michael was a work-hard, play-hard type of person: driving a truck for work and enjoying cruises for vacation with his wife, Veronica. His life took a turn in the early 2000s when he began experiencing back and neck pain. His doctors told him he had severe stenosis and at some point, he would need spine surgery or he would likely not be able to continue walking. In 2019, he started experiencing weakness and knew he had to move forward with back surgery. Michael had a lumbar spinal surgery in January of 2019 and he experienced good improvement in his strength and less pain for a period of time. Unfortunately, later that year, he started experiencing new weakness and pain on the right side of his body and was having trouble walking. Michael and his wife Veronica recall that when Michael began suddenly dropping objects, they knew the time had come for another surgery. Michael opted to move forward with the recommendations of his physicians to have a neck surgery at a Bay Area hospital. He had a C5-C6 anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with placement of an interbody cage in September of 2019.

After the surgery, Michael immediately noticed an improvement in his strength in his right arm and leg. Despite this improvement, he still had a long recovery road ahead  of him. His medical team recommended Michael for Acute inpatient Rehabilitation and he was accepted to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center (SCVMC) Rehabilitation on the Spinal Cord Recovery unit. Upon admission, he was rated by the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation physicians as an incomplete spinal cord injury C1 AISA impairment scale D. While on 4ARU, Michael progressed from using a wheelchair and needing assistance with his buttons, shoelaces and shaving, to being able to walk with crutches and dress himself. 

Michael shared “When I was on the Spinal Cord unit, I learned the tools to help me function. Everyone on Rehab was helpful with my recovery”. Michael credits his Rehabilitation team of physicians, therapists, dieticians and nurses with helping him get back on track with improved strength, more walking and an improved diet and lifestyle.

He said that the two people that he remembers most are Shelley and Heather, Shelley is a registered dietician who taught him a lot about his diet. Because of the family history of diabetes and since he was overweight, Michael looked forward to sessions with Shelley. She coached him to “focus on the low hanging fruit” instead of having three sodas, have one: work on eating smaller portions. He learned to wait a little while when he was hungry which helps him not overeat as often.

Heather is a Recreational Therapist who took him to the garden in the SCVMC Rehabilitation Center’s Terrain Park. Michael reflected that being outside in the Rehabilitation Center’s garden felt like he “got out of his wheelchair” mentally. He had always liked to garden and when he left the hospital he started spending hours doing more of it, saying that “gardening showed me that I could enjoy my life again.”

Heather said “working with Michael was always fun. He had a great attitude from the very beginning and took suggestions from his therapists, even when doing so put him outside of his comfort zone. For me, the best measure of success is knowing that a patient learned from the work we did together and carried their learning forward as they continue to improve and progress in their recovery. Michael is an awesome example of that principal.”

After a 3 ½ week stay in Acute inpatient Rehabilitation, Michael and Veronica returned home. Michael made a lot of strength gains during his stay and his physicians scored him as a C4 ASIA impairment scale D upon discharge. Now, Michael spends a lot of time working in his home garden and cooking. This year, he is growing tomatoes, peppers, and green onions to make homemade salsa for his family.  

Seeing Michael work hard on walking and make healthier lifestyle choices is an inspiration to Veronica. She’s planning the next cruise and is happy that Michael is heathy enough to join her and enjoy their journey again. They are both happy to be back to the work-hard, play-hard lifestyle.

To learn more about the Rehabilitation Center at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, visit us at www.scvmc.org/health-care-services/rehabilitation