Linda's Story
Stroke rehabilitation
Linda Quintanilla had just returned from her lunch break at Baylor Scott & White ophthalmology clinic when a coworker noticed something was off. Her face was drooping, and it was enough to raise concern. A technician helped her get to the emergency room—which was located on the same campus. Linda’s condition quickly worsened leaving her unable to walk and her left side weakened.Bloodwork and imaging confirmed Linda was having a stroke. She was given TPA, a clot-busting medication, just seven minutes before the cutoff window. From there, she was admitted to the ICU for two days and remained in the hospital recovering for a week.
When Linda was medically stable, she transferred to Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation (BSWIR) - Lakeway to begin the next phase of her recovery.
Linda arrived with hemiplegia—complete weakness on her left side—and was unable to walk or move her dominant arm and her speech was slurred. Linda admits that she was nervous and scared at first, but she was clear regarding her goals. Linda wanted to regain her independence, speak more clearly and walk on her own.
Linda, a mother of three from Thrall, Texas, worked as a patient service representative and spent her free time cheering on her children at softball and football games and relaxing with her family—especially during weekend barbecues with her husband Isaias and an adult daughter.
Being away from home was tough, especially since she was so far away. After a week of inpatient rehabilitation, she got extremely emotional and homesick, but powered through. Despite missing her family, Linda made steady progress. Her physician-led care team included physical, occupational, speech and recreational therapists—all working together to help her regain strength and function.
Physical therapy focused on rebuilding muscle tone and endurance. Linda used a recumbent bike that combined upper and lower body workouts to exercise her arms and legs while also improving cardio stamina. She also used dumbbells to regain upper body strength and endurance during individual and group therapy sessions.
In occupational therapy, Linda used putty to strengthen her hands and participated in activities that supported her return to daily living activities such as learning to use a reacher. One major milestone came when Linda went grocery shopping in the community with her therapists—an outing that measured her progress in a real-world environment. These exercises improved Linda’s strength and range of motion and her ability to practice functional independence.
In speech therapy, Linda received neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on the left side of her face, a technique that helps reactivate muscles needed for speech. Electric stimulation is a non-invasive technique that delivers electrical impulses to the skin causing muscle contractions that strengthen and reeducate muscles.
Linda also participated in recreational therapy, where coloring became a soothing and helpful tool to refine her fine motor control.
In the two weeks she spent at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation, Linda was able to meet her goals. By discharge, she could walk independently, navigate stairs with occasional use of a walker, eat with her left hand, complete activities of daily living independently using assistive devices and speak more clearly.
Linda credited the entire team for creating a supportive environment. “They’ve been great,” she said. “I’ve loved every therapist.” She also appreciated the care of the nursing staff, marveling that they never seemed to get frustrated with her, and said that her physician was second to none. “He was very thorough and didn’t sugar-coat,” she explained. “I’ve never had a doctor like him.”
Linda’s family and community support played a major role in her recovery. Her mother was able to participate in the hospital’s Care Partner Program to get the education to support Linda’s continued recovery at home and her husband and children participated in family training with her physical therapists so they are also able to support her at home.
“I’m very grateful for everyone’s thoughts, prayers and support,” said Linda. Her mother brought the family home-cooked meals while Linda was away, and her children’s friends and family helped to transport the kids where they needed to go.
Looking toward the future, Linda is most excited about being back in her own bed and spending time with her loved ones. Her experience at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation not only helped her recover physically but gave her a renewed perspective. “It’s making me be a better person,” she said.
Linda is currently continuing her journey as an outpatient at Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation - Lakeway Day Neuro Program. This program offers the advantages of living at home while receiving the benefits of a full-day of rehabilitation. Linda’s next goals are to further improve her gait, endurance, strength and higher-level cognition and executive functioning skills.