Kiana's Story
Orthopedic Rehabilitation
Kiana "Kiki" Fantasia, a 41-year-old business consultant, enjoyed an active lifestyle. An entrepreneur specializing in sales and marketing with a passion for travel, nature, yoga, and holistic living, she moved to Texas in 2022.As she battled with progressive symptoms of Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), an autoimmune disease that causes weakness in the arms and legs, Kiki used a rolling walker to help her navigate.
But one day while practicing walking down the ramp with her walker, she fell and suffered a right femur/hip fracture. She was taken by ambulance to Baylor Scott & White Marble Falls, where she underwent emergency surgery to repair her fractured hip. She also experienced extreme pain, not only from the surgery but also from CIDP.
After surgery, she said, “I was unable to walk, unable to get out of bed and unable to do everyday life.”
Once medically stable, Kiki was in need of intense rehabilitation to relearn to walk and care for herself. She chose Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation (BSWIR) - Lakeway for its proximity to her home and for its reputation.
Kiki set clear goals with the BSWIR - Lakeway care team upon admission. "To walk out better than before I fell," she said. Under the guidance of a physician-led team of therapists, Kiki embarked on a rehabilitation regimen that focused on strength training, balance restoration and relearning essential daily routines.
Every therapy session became a crucial step towards her ultimate goal of returning home. Physical therapy activities aimed to strengthen Kiki’s body and increase her endurance and activity tolerance. She also practiced mobility skills over a variety of surfaces. Occupational therapy activities helped her to relearn skills from dressing to showering and bath transfers.
Kiki was relentless in her focus, working through the pain. What was her breakthrough moment?
“It was the day I woke up and I did not have the same amount of pain,” she recalled. “It was that day that I started walking distance.”
Kiki stressed the importance of commitment to therapy and maintaining a positive mindset to accelerate a successful recovery.
“Initially I was really hindered by pain and I made a strong commitment between working with my doctors and my own mental focus/meditations to get past that to make the progress I needed,” she said. “Once I had that under control, and being able to start to walk distance again, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. “
Appreciative for the care received from nurses and staff, Kiki offered these generous words: "They ensured my needs were met, from mobility assistance to dietary requirements," she recounted, adding, “I felt really heard and met with the special needs that I had, including special diet supplements and requests for undisturbed meditation time.”
As she looked ahead to her discharge to home, Kiki anticipated snuggling with her beloved cats once again. Her experience at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation - Lakeway, left her thankful for the care and encouragement she received.
"I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity to have received this level of support," she expressed.
She offered the following advice to anyone who finds himself or herself in a similar situation: "Be committed to do the work that is asked of you in therapy and also what is needed on a mental and emotional level to see yourself as a success story.”