Vickie McCall, a native Arcadian, and Desoto school records clerk, is a busy gal. When not working on one of her side businesses, she cans tomatoes and green beans and puts her baking skills to use. A born multi-tasker, McCall juggles jobs to her heart’s content.

She was preparing for another busy Thanksgiving – Christmas holiday season when human resources called to tell her a co-worker tested positive for COVID 19. Days later, she came down with the worst stomachache she’s ever known and thought she had a bad bug and would slough it off in a few days.

Turns out it was no ordinary flu. When McCall started having trouble breathing, she went to the hospital’s emergency room where she was diagnosed positive for the corona virus.

On December 4, 2020, McCall came to Desoto Memorial. While there, she tested positive for Covid-19 and was admitted and put on a respirator. Because there were no lung doctors, McCall was transferred on Dec 7 to Sarasota Memorial Hospital and quickly descended into far worse symptoms. What’s more, she spent several weeks in a medically induced coma. Like many patients with COVID, she was being kept alive with a ventilator.

Weeks later an ICU doctor told her spouse, “She’s in God’s hands now…there’s nothing more we can do.” As McCall was fighting for her life and still on a respirator, another nurse brought in a laptop so that family could connect online in a video chat, perhaps for the last time.

McCall was not lucid when her nurse set up a video call for her spouse, two brothers, father, sister, and sister-in-law. Tearful prayers were initiated by the nurse and the family mournfully joined in.

McCall was scheduled for a potential tracheostomy, which would involve creating an opening in her neck to place a tube into her airway. They put the ventilator at low levels to determine if McCall could breathe on her own. Miraculously, all the tests indicated that she was starting to breathe on her own and the ventilator was taken out.

McCall is very thankful to her ICU nurse for helping her make a comeback. But the deficits of prolonged time on ventilators means she would start at ground zero.

“All I could do was move my head and my hands,” says McCall. “My hair was so matted…I was a mess.” She says that the first two therapists patiently combed her hair giving her a sense of normalcy.

Baby steps were taken. Just getting out of bed took assistance from two therapists and transferring to a wheelchair almost left her spent for the day.

When she was wheeled into her room at Port Charlotte Rehabilitation Center (one of the first Covid 19 dedicated facility to isolate coronavirus patients in a private suite recovery area) her function was limited, and she had lost 16 pounds.

McCall admits she was surprised at the care and compassion shown by the nursing staff (Susan McCue, CNA, and Cheryl Kneir, LPN). “I never could believe all the steps they took to make me comfortable; they are angels.

“My therapists (Luigi Amabile COTA, Shannon Murphy COTA, Sherwin Carpiso DPT, Denise Leazenby, RT and Sara Lewis, RT, Jolyn Miller, PTA, Leanne Schroeder, PTA, and Alyssa McGarity SLP) were exceptionally patient,” says McCall. She admits that therapy was tough, but the therapists were all so motivational.

Port Charlotte Rehab Center is one of the few rehabilitation sites that combine respiratory therapy with physical therapy, which makes it a winning combination for McCall and other patients with lung diseases.

“We had to monitor her oxygen saturation rate during certain exercises,” says Sherwin Carpiso, Doctor of Physical Therapy, geriatric clinical specialist, certified lymphedema CDT, and wound care therapist as well as rehab instructor for Tai-Chi. He is a veteran physical therapist with 21 years’ experience who has successfully helped over 20 post-covid patients return to improved quality of life.

Throughout therapy, McCall is monitored for her oxygen saturation level. If it dips below a certain point, she needs to take a break. Because many standing activities drop her oxygen levels, she can become short of breath.

Carpiso reports that all patients, not just post-covid survivors, require custom therapy. For McCall’s start, all she could do was seated exercises,” But Vickie’s goals were to get back to work, so we upped the challenge,” he says.

“She asked me if we could try to use a treadmill and we did but it was at a very slow pace at 1.2 mph, and too slow for her regular community walking,” says Carpiso.

To push her further, Carpiso added a AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill. This piece of NASA-derived equipment enables individuals to walk at a lower percentage of their body weight and uses air pressure to help unweight the patient. Neoprene shorts are worn, generally over the top pants or leggings.

After the patient steps inside the chamber, which looks like a large bubble, they’re zipped inside.

Carpiso says that the Alter G allows the lower body to be enclosed and supported by the air pressure. “Once we calibrated the machine to Vickie, we took off 20 percent of her body weight,” he says. “From there, we were able to start her at 1.8 miles per hour and she progressed to three sets of 7 minutes.” In between sets, Carpiso took McCall’s oxygen saturation rates to determine exercise tolerance.

“Every post-Covid patient is different,” says Carpiso. “There’s very little research about protocols to take for this special population…and since I am an evidence-based clinician, I realize we’re in a brand-new territory.”

Territory aside, McCall was up for every challenge Carpiso gave her. “Attitude,” says Carpiso says, “is the defining factor for every patient in therapy,” says Carpiso. “Patient attitude can’t be measured, but it can dictate their success in recovery,” he says.

As McCall continues to improve with therapy, her only complaint is her post Covid effect of lack of taste. “Everything to me tastes funny, even coffee, it tastes bitter, so I throw it out…but I am so glad to be alive and well.”

For now, McCall continues to strengthen and improve her mobility and function and will soon be discharged from outpatient therapy.

On March 16, McCall walked out of Port Charlotte Rehab Center on her own and was surprised to see Mac, her husband, meet her on time. “He’s late to everything, but I guess he’s happy to get me home,” says McCall.

She is thankful to be back to work on the 1^st of April at Desoto schools record office with two of her co-workers (Christina Clemons and Vickie Mercer) that helped segue her therapy to Port Charlotte Rehab Center. “They are like sisters to me,” says McCall, “and are always looking out for my best interests.”

“We provide winning outcomes for people who were diagnosed with COVID-19 and suffer from ongoing physical, cognitive and functional difficulties,” says Geoff Fraser, a partner at Clear Choice Health Care in Melbourne FL, “When we improve their quality of life, nothing gives us greater joy.”

Port Charlotte Rehabilitation is located at 25325 Rampart Blvd, Port Charlotte, FL and call 941-235-8011 for more information on how we can help your recovery with our inpatient and outpatient programs.