Zuhour thought that the gradual loss of feelings and energy in her lower limbs was due to tiredness until one day she wasn’t able to walk at all. Doctors feared she could be bedridden for life. However, after being away from her home for 14 months for treatment and intensive rehabilitation, Zuhour Saeed Al Ameri is driving herself to the doctor for a follow up treatment today.
An active woman, Zuhour was admitted to hospital with complications related to a surgery in September last year. Since she was also a kidney transplant recipient, her road to recovery was complicated and she had to stay in hospital for eight months.
“Before surgery, I was completely mobile,” the Emirati woman told Khaleej Times.
“Then one day, I was unable to walk due to generalised weakness and severe muscle deconditioning,” she said.
Doctors told Zuhour that her condition was related to multiple conditions including chronic renal failure, anaemia, status post sleeve gastrectomy, leak of anastomosis, abdominal abscess, being a kidney transplant recipient, as well as deep venous thrombosis.
After being hospitalised for months, Zuhour was transferred to NMC ProVita International Medical Center in Al Ain.
On August 30, Zuhour was diagnosed with generalised muscle weakness and severe muscle deconditioning. Meetings were held with Zuhour and her family to decide her plan of treatment, said Dr Ahmad Al Khayer, Medical Director of Rehabilitation Services
“Gradual engagement with exercises, which involved passive mobilisation, active mobilisation, then functional activities training, then training in activities of daily living were done. During the process, she was assisted to overcome many barriers towards recovery,” he said.
After an intensive, two-months rehabilitation programme, she made significant progress and was discharged on October 25. “It was hard to believe that I would be able to go home and live with my family; I hadn’t been home for nearly 14 months,” she said.
“I thought I would never walk again, and now I’ve been cleared to drive myself to my therapy appointments at the outpatient department,” she added.
Talking about her treatment, Zuhour said “the nurses, therapists and doctors never asked me to do anything uncomfortable. They would always ask me if I was ready before starting an exercise or therapy session. It was a cooperative process from beginning to end and; with their support; along with that of my brother; who was my most frequent visitor and thanks to God, I pulled through,” she said