Racine Scace
Out of the Wheelchair and into the World
Racine Scace walks across the room in high-heeled sandals, moving with the confidence of a model on a runway. The small audience who watches the beautiful 37-year-old woman marvel at the effortless strides she takes. They know that five years ago she was imprisoned in a wheelchair, having suffered a spinal stroke that didn't have to happen. It is hard for them to believe what they have just seen.
"I'm in a state of complete gratitude," says Racine. "I owe my life to Dr. Andy Judelson. Without him, I would still be desperate, in excruciating pain and unable to walk. He's my hero."
The Stroke That Started It All
To explain her situation today, Racine takes us back to California and the stroke in 1997 that changed her world forever.
"I was back home after a hospital stay for a work-related injury," she begins. "One morning I woke up, started to walk across the room and suddenly crashed to the floor. I was instantly paralyzed. I tried to get the phone but it was out of my reach. This was at 6 a.m. I lay there all day, through the night and until 3 p.m. the next day when a neighbor came over and found me. I don't remember the pain because I blacked out. An ambulance took me to the hospital where I slipped into a coma, not waking up until ten days later. I couldn't feel anything from the waist down. I was 27 years old with a 4-year-old, unable financially or physically to care for myself or my child. It was completely devastating and frightening."
Racine's condition worsened because of the more than 30 hours it took to get medical treatment. The sooner the response, the better the projected outcome is for the stroke survivor. Later her muscles atrophied due to lack of use. She remained in the hospital for three weeks, then was transferred to a rehabilitation hospital where she stayed for five weeks. With no hope of real recovery, she was sent home.
While friends cared for her daughter, Racine was home alone and terrified. She sank into a deep depression and never left her house. Then one day she made the decision to get better. The doctors had suggested a red scooter for her transportation. There was no way she was signing up for that. She would someday walk again. It would be the biggest challenge of her life.
"I called a gentleman whom I had met at the hospital," says Racine. "He had undergone back surgery that helped him walk again, and had said to contact him if I wanted to talk. He came over that day and never left. He filled up my refrigerator, bought me a microwave and helped in countless other ways. This man found me attractive and understood my depression and pain. He was everything to me. I had hope for the first time in months. Rod is now my husband. We moved to the East Coast, where he grew up, and he sought treatment for me at RHCI. I hoped to get some movement in my legs and stop the pain. I was suffering so much that I would have cut my legs off to get rid of the pain."
Progress at RHCI
In 2002, Racine became a patient of Andrew Judelson, M.D., RHCI staff physiatrist. He considers her one of many remarkable success stories at RHCI.
"Racine was in a wheelchair when I first met with her because she was dependent upon it and on people to care for her," Dr. Judelson says. "She also relied on extensive medications to cover everything from pain and anxiety to insomnia. But instead of helping, these medications were actually overmedicating her. We didn't eliminate all the medications, but slowly we worked to reduce and remove those she didn't need."
Racine was also enrolled in a comprehensive multidisciplinary pain management program aimed at decreasing her pain levels and improving her level of functioning. Her ultimate goal was to be totally self-reliant.
Physical therapy focused mainly on correcting foot problems that had also affected the use of her legs. Ankle braces were introduced; gradually Racine gained the strength and balance to walk without them. Through occupational therapy, she mastered the mechanics of everyday living involved in caring for herself and running a household. During the treatment at RHCI, she became pregnant and had a daughter, something that probably would not have happened had she continued on extensive medications.
From Racine's point of view, her whole life has changed.
"My pain is now manageable," she says with a smile. "I have a husband, two wonderful daughters, Mariah and Ava, and I can walk and drive. It never would have been possible without Dr. Judelson and RHCI."
