A speedy recovery

Adelaide DelPrete looks over a 50-year-old Bird of Paradise plant at her home in Morada on Tuesday afternoon. DelPrete had gall bladder surgery in December and is now walking around and doing well. The next thing DelPrete would like to do is begin gardening again. (Brian Feulner/News-Sentinel)

A speedy recovery

Morada resident shares her story of a quick comeback after gall bladder surgery

By Pam Bauserman
News-Sentinel Staff Writer

Friday, February 29, 2008 7:01 AM PST

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With a walker in hand, Adelaide DelPrete slowly walks across her living room. She points to a plant sitting on her coffee table, which she says was a welcome home gift from her cat.

After having gall bladder surgery in December, DelPrete was left bedridden. She was told she had to go through physical rehabilitation, a process that normally takes a person six months. The 76-year-old Morada resident went through the program in three and is now in the comfort of her own home.

"I'm really thrilled about getting through in three months rather than six. That would be a half a year," she said.

While most usually get through therapy within four to six months, Lily Anunciacion, physical therapist and director of rehabilitation at Delta Rehabilitation and Care Center, said the speed of DelPrete's recovery is really all about motivation. Some people will only do therapy exercises while the therapist is in front of them. Therapists only see patients for three hours a day, but patients need to have the motivation to do the exercises on their own.

"It was (she who) made it happen fast. If a person has a great motivation they can recover fast," said Anunciacion.

Active as a volunteer for the Hospice of San Joaquin, DelPrete said she volunteered once a week in the clinical department. Her garden at home also kept her busy. She said she would often feel tired but didn't think anything of it.

One night Del Prete started having pains across her stomach and was vomiting all night.

"I was fine. I did everything. It just came on all of a sudden," she said.

She called her doctor and he told her she could be having a gall bladder attack or it could just be food poisoning. So, he first put her on a liquid diet and then a soft diet. A couple of weeks later, she experienced another bad pain. She went through a CT scan and then an ultrasound. The next day, she was told she needed surgery.

Following surgery, DelPrete was left bedridden and was unable to swallow. She was placed on a feeding tube and then was told she needed to go through physical rehabilitation.

"I was not too happy," she said. "That was the most traumatic thing to be stuck there."

Joanne Boos, administrative coordinator for the center, said when DelPrete first got there, she did not want to stay. Boos said she begged DelPrete just to give it another night or two, and in the end, DelPrete thanked her for it.

"When therapy sets in, they see that it works," said Boos.

Roxanne Vincent, the director of nurses, said when most people hear the words nursing home, they think that this is it for them. She wants patients to know people are not just laying around in bed.

"When they get through here, they get to go home," she said.

For three months, DelPrete was unable to eat food. She couldn't even drink liquids. She said she used to hear people complain about the food and would think to herself, "Oh, I wish I had some food."

In the beginning, her diet consisted of a fruit nectar. She then graduated to a pureed stew and finally she was able to eat food which was mechanically soft. Her first real meal was a Swiss steak and mashed potatoes.

Tips for successful physical rehabilitation

• Be motivated.
• Get therapy.
• Do all exercises.
• Don't be in a hurry. If exercises are overdone, it could take two days to be able to move again.
Source: Lily Anunciacion.

"I was so excited when I began to eat. I'd pray every night that I hope I can swallow," she said.

During her stay, DelPrete said there were exercises she would have to do such as walking with a walker, riding bicycles in which a person uses hands to pump, going up and down stairs and kicking legs up while standing next to a rail.

"They really work you," she said. "They really give you an incentive."

Programs for the patients are based on an individual level, said Anunciacion. An assessment is first given to see what they can do. An exercise program is then set up to make the whole body strong. It usually includes balance and coordination from sitting to standing, standing on a solid surface and then standing on a soft surface. The soft surface, said Anunciacion, challenges their balance and helps the body learn how to recover. Because of DelPrete's trouble swallowing, her program included facial exercises, said Anunciacion.

Other programs for the patients include community integration and a home assessment. Patients are assisted with shopping trips, cooking and doing laundry.

"If a patient is going home alone, we need to make sure they are safe enough when going into the community," said Anunciacion.

DelPrete tends to get tired these days, but continues to work on her recovery. She said she is trying to take it easy, rest and do her exercises.

Once she is fully recovered, she hopes to go back to volunteering with the Hospice. She would also like to plant a vegetable garden.

She feels she owes her thanks to the staff at Delta Rehabilitation.

"The RNs were wonderful. Delta really brought me through," she said. "I'd recommend it to anybody."

Contact Panorama Editor Pam Bauserman at pamelab@lodinews.com.

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