Home therapy vs. Outpatient therapy

Tagging a few members, including @mlg2733 @hcollado @keithl56 @jefferyverfo2025, who may be familiar with what to expect from outpatient physical therapy, since you are starting it next week, @grrranny. @scottrl @kyleew6783 @menville and @hopeful33250 also may have some thoughts for you.

I had about 18 months of weekly outpatient PT.
It helped a lot. I only stopped because of covid; the mask requirement inhibited my breathing so much I couldn't exert myself.
But my therapists were very helpful and taught me exercises and activities that I'm still doing now, years later.
Please keep in mind that recovering from a stroke isn't like recovering from a broken bone. It can take a very long time to retrain your brain. I will never regain full use of my right hand, for example.
It takes commitment, persistence, and patience.

Here's a video of me taking my first unaided steps, a couple of months after the stroke:
https://m.youtube.com/shorts/ieuRR0a5FdY

Thanks for sharing your experience, Scott! i'm so happy to hear that the therapy was helpful to you, overall. they have only scheduled me for 3 and a half months so far. did medicare cover your whole 18 months?

I wasn't on Medicare at the time. I paid out of pocket.
Yes, it was expensive, and no, I couldn't really afford it.
But I couldn't afford not to do it.
It helped that the rehab center gave me a discount. (Being self-pay saved them a ton of paperwork.)

It sounds like you are receiving a good therapy program. I hope you are not depending on only the sessions you share with your therapists to speed your recovery. The changes your brain makes (neuroplasticity) after a stroke take time to manifest, as it figures out new pathways to revive old stroke destroyed functions. The more you exercise your brain, the faster recovery will happen. Check with your therapist(s) if you have any restrictions. If not, practive on your own any exercises you do with your therapist, if that is safe and possible for you to do alone. Do it often throughout the day, resting in between sessions to let your brain and muscles respond to the messages you are giving them through your exercises. Good luck. You have to keep moving to keep moving!

My husband is a 20-yr stroke survivor (hemorrhagic stroke) that affected his right side. He continues to work out even at this time as the earlier posting stated that you need to keep moving, stimulated w/various activities, but it helps that I continue to "hover" over my husband. I drag him all over the place and encourage him on outings, we're able to take more trips now that I'm retired as I want to keep him stimulated. He is doing fairly well but was doing much better the first 10 yrs as we also had a dog who kept him moving since he walked the dog 2x daily. My husband had over 9 months of therapy, similar to what you are currently going through w/in-patient rehab, PT/OT at home, then outpatient therapy all under my work's insurance. But we were fortunate that we also connected to another PT specialist who was referred to us from other therapists. We paid out of pocket for a few years and even now, my husband goes to a special needs gym in the SF Bay Area that caters not only to those w/spinal cord injuries but also those w/neuro injuries such as MS, stroke, PTSD, etc. Remember though that PT/OT isn't just when you're in the clinic, the exercises/routines you practice in clinic are also "homework" that will help w/a more effective recovery. You may never recover completely from a stroke but it takes time, patience, perseverence, and seeking support from groups here and local in your community. Even as a caregiver, I sought support and it helped me realize there are so many others who were not as lucky as we were, it could've been worse. Wishing you the best, stay positive, don't compare yourself w/others, you do you and work hard at your therapy.

After my stroke I did home health with PT, then outpatient and it really helped, they identified focused care that was needed that no one else noticed.

I had a stroke (right hippocampus) on June 1. I was in the hospital for 1 week, then transferred to a Rehab hospital for 1 week with daily PT. When released to home, I had PT 3 times a week for 2 weeks at home. I now go to Neuro rehab facility 5 times a week (40 mins each day.). Because I had no muscle weakness from my stroke, the PT is all about relearning to walk and balance myself (the hippocampus tracks the body in space) so I was extremely dizzy/woozy and was not able to walk without losing my balance. (I had vision issues, short-term memory loss, and word retrieval issues as well. However these are much improved 90% after a 4 weeks.) I learned to use a walker, and wearing a gait-belt where my husband would hold me to stabilize. After lots of walking and specific exercises to retrain my brain, I am able to walk on my own now… but slow and not gracefully. My walking has improved to about 75%. I continue rehab 5 days a week, and each day I make progress; it seems the more I exercise the more the “gyroscope” in my brain will “reset”. I firmly believe I would not have made the progress I have, without frequent rehab and home exercises. I don’t know if I will return to my 100%, but I am note getting to the point that I can function more normally and be independent and doing things we used to do. Best of luck, and work hard!

@gdcm, I can’t thank you and the others enough for sharing your experiences!
I won’t be able to have any help from my 84 year-old husband, as he has to be in recliner all day due to pulmonary fibrosis and severe kyphosis. My son may be able to help a little occasionally.

Do whatever you can & go to PT as often as possible! I was doubtful about how much it would help at the beginning. But each time after PT , I left feeling better with my brain much more clear…and I gradually was able to do more. (I am 69, and my husband has been able to help luckily). Perhaps consider going to outpatient PT more often, and doing your home exercises as often as you can. (Everytime I had to get up to go to the bathroom, I would use it as a cue to do my exercises….which ended up being double what I was asked to do. ) Best wishes to you! (hug)