Michael's Story
When military veteran Michael “Mike” Casseneuve began experiencing a “pinching feeling” in his left arm, various doctors initially dismissed his pain, suspecting a pinched nerve in the bicep or – worst-case scenario – carpal tunnel syndrome.
Over the next two years, the pain slowly began to affect the ability of the 51-year-old Florida native to do the things he loved, including cooking, baking and Frisbee golf. He and his wife, Michelle, began to push for answers.
After multiple doctors’ appointments, trips to the emergency room and MRIs, it was discovered that Mike had a tumor on his cervical spinal cord called a hemangioblastoma. Situated at the base of his spine, Mike’s tumor was benign (non-cancerous) and slow growing, originating from the vascular system of the central nervous system. Additionally, imaging found that Mike had a syringomyelia, or the development of a fluid-filled cyst within the spinal cord.
By the time Mike underwent surgery at UF Health Shands Hospital to remove as much of the tumor as possible, he was having difficulty walking and struggling to use his left arm to hold items and feed himself. The surgery was a success, but left Mike struggling with pain and decreased strength, balance and coordination.
Once stabilized, his physician recommended inpatient rehabilitation. Mike knew that UF Health Rehabilitation Hospital was the right place for the next step in his recovery. “We knew ya’ll were the best,” Mike said, adding that he was familiar with the hospital because other family members underwent rehab there.
Four days after his surgery, Mike arrived at UF Health Rehabilitation Hospital. For the first few days, the pain in his neck was so severe that he was unable to tolerate sitting upright. As a result, his care team helped Mike using a Hoyer lift, which is an electrically operated lift designed to assist clinicians in safely moving patients from their bed or chair to another surface. Mike’s lack of mobility was impairing his ability to walk or perform his self-care tasks, including bathing and dressing.
Following this assessment, Mike’s physician-led care team of nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists devised a treatment plan to help Mike reach his goals of walking and “getting back to baking, working and doing the things I like to do.”
Physical therapists worked to get Mike moving as much as possible. He initially needed total assistance to go from sitting to standing and could only walk 10 feet with the assistance of two people and an EVA walker, which has a wide base and provides support to the forearms. In his therapy sessions, Mike worked to improve his balance and strength by doing obstacle courses set up by his therapists, which included stepping over low hurdles and going up and down steps. By walking increased distances with a walker and, eventually, a cane, helped Mike improve his endurance. Mike also used blaze pods, which are small devices that light up on the floor to create visual cues and prompts. As Mike worked to reach and tap the blaze pods, it helped him improve his balance and ability to stand for longer periods.
In occupational therapy, Mike and his team focused on increasing his independence in transferring and completing his personal care tasks. Therapists worked with Mike on how to complete a standing pivot, a transfer technique that helps someone stand up from a seated position, pivot on their feet and sit down on another surface. Mike also worked extensively to improve his hand coordination, strength, motor control and use of his fingers. Therapists had him practice his fine motor dexterity skills through a variety of activities, including reaching for objects, in hand object manipulation with pins/dowels, placing balls on dowels of increasing heights, placing clothes pins onto wooden dowels, putting together metal pipes to simulate work activities and performing lacing activities with his right hand. Mike was also given Thera-putty and an exercise program to use in his room.
Mike’s wife, Michelle, was actively involved in every therapy session, undergoing training so she would be comfortable and confident helping Mike when he returned home. Other loving family members provided support both in-person and virtually. “I couldn’t ask for a better support system in my life,” he said. “Someone was always here and willing to jump in to help.”
An emotional turning point in Mike’s recovery took place the first time he used a cane instead of a walker. “That was when I knew I was going to be okay,” he said.
“Mike called me while I was at work in tears telling me about it. It made me cry and everybody at work cry,” Michelle recalled. “He kept saying, ‘I did it, I really did it.’”
After 10 days of intensive rehabilitation at UF Health Rehabilitation Hospital, Mike had made exceptional progress. He was able to perform his personal tasks while using a rolling walker, could walk 150 feet and go up and down a dozen stairs. Knowing that he still isn’t quite where he wants to be, Mike committed to continue his recovery with outpatient therapy.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better experience,” Mike said of his time at UF Health Rehabilitation Hospital. “It’s because of everything the team has done that I’ve been able to get to where I am now.” Mike’s care team noted that he was willing to do whatever they asked because he knew it would help him.
Mike’s recovery had an unintended benefit as well. “I was one of the most impatient people before I came here,” he admits. “The biggest thing I learned was to be patient with myself and everyone around me.”
“Everything was awesome,” he concluded.