[the backstory]
I've…read morebeen suffering from a major hip problem due to Osteonecrosis for a couple years. After a pretty severe fall, the "I can deal with it" turned into a significant hit to my quality of life. I could no longer walk without a cane and insane amounts of Oxycontin twice a day. I put up with the cane and Oxycontin through 4 MRIs, 3 CAT scans and more x-rays than I've ever had in my life. After 11 months of different surgical teams, they finally decided that I needed a total hip arthroplasty.
So I had my anterior anthroplasty done done by an amazing and talented team of surgeons. I went into surgery at 0730 and was convalescing in my hospital room six hours later. When the physical therapist came in to evaluate me a couple hours later (about ten hours after the start of my surgery), he was happy to see me using a walker to get from my bed to the latrine and back with little assistance.
Fast forward to the next morning. After a visit from the surgeons and anesthesiologist, I was deemed ready to be discharged. And I was very happy for that diagnosis. Happy, that is, until my insurance company said I'd be discharged to home.
Wait, what? Home? I could only get out of bed with assistance, walk twenty feet with a walker a considerable pain, and the insurance company was sending my home? WTF? So I called the mediator to ask why would I be sent home to a 100 year old house with poor access to necessary facilities (toilet/shower). After a lot of back and forth. insurance company relented and offered a week of in-patient physical/occupational therapy.
[end backstory]
I was released from the hospital and transferred to Select via ambulance 36 hours after surgery. I don't really remember much from my arrival except that the transfer from the ambulance gurney to my private room bed was painless. Since I was transferred on a Friday night, there wasn't a doctor to greet me, but the entire staff made me feel welcomed.
My first night in Select had a visit from an RN every two hours to check my vitals, assess my pain level, and provide prescriptions as required. My first full day in Select was pretty amazing, with the entire staff checking in on me on a two and four hour schedule. The nursing staff helped me stay in front of my significant pain with immediate and long lasting Oxycontin. I was kept on a four hour schedule of pain medication for the first four days in rehab, then as warranted.
Even though I arrived on a Friday night after closing time, I was scheduled for physical and occupational therapy the next morning. I had my OT first thing in the morning just to see how I could take care of myself (getting out of bed, walking, going to the bathroom etc). Obviously I needed a lot of work on those items. The OT set goals for me to meet over the next five days (get out of bed without assistance, walk to the bathroom without assistance etc). Then I had my PT appointment.
The PT, like the OT, assessed my abilities and set goals for my stay. [I should mention that 90% of the PT/OTs are bona fide doctors. Don't let their youth fool you.] I had an initial PT/OT on my weekend arrival, but then was assigned a dedicated PT and a dedicated OT for the rest of my stay. Both of them were amazing.
I've never been in a rehab facility, and only have memories of a grandparent being in one. If I was sent to a rehab facility like my grandmother, I would have been a sad camper. Her [my grandmother's] rehab facility smelled of urine, was staffed by angry people (angry to the point of caustic) and was a horror show on every level.
Select really changed my mind about what rehab hospitals can be. Every.single.person I came into contact with, from my assigned MD, to RNs to PTs and OTs to CNAs and housekeepers to kitchen staff were incredible. I complained about the first meal served to me and received a visit from the kitchen director to figure out what I needed over the course of my stay.
I wasn't quite ready to be released after my first five days, so the in-house advocate worked on my behalf to extend my stay for another five days. She even set up all of the home care devices I needed upon release to my house.
Here's the bottom line about Select Rehabilitation Hospital. I told my mom and her husband that if they ever needed to in-patient rehabilitation, this is the place they should advocate for. Select has a top of the line rehabilitation staff, an amazing support staff (MD/RN/CNA/Kitchen/Housekeeping) that provides a positive and whole-person approach to the rehabilitation process.
After less than one month from a total hip arthroplasty, I am virtually cane free (except for long walks), thanks to the dedication and professionalism of the staff. I should add that there were patients in worse shape that me that I witnessed amazing improvements in their physical abilities over the short time I stayed here.
Highly recommended.
