The close relationship that can develop between a physiotherapist and their patient was evident when a Bowen Mountain resident saw her physio this week.
Cassandra Bangel undertook a huge journey with physio Jessica Bacha, 26, after she had a brain bleed in June last year, and so has entered the Australian Physiotherapy Association’s ‘I Love My Physio’ competition in tribute to Ms Bacha.
“I got a headache on the Friday, and on Sunday night I had pins and needles and my left side stopped working,” Cassandra said. “My boyfriend, mum and sister took me to hospital.”
She was diagnosed with cerebral arteriovenous malformation, transferred to Liverpool Hospital, and put into an induced coma.
Three days later she had a major operation to remove the formation, a knot of veins that cause blood to pool in the brain. When the pressure builds up enough, they can burst, which is what happened.
Ms Bacha said Cassandra, now 21, was lucky, as 10-15 per cent of those with AVM die after a bleed, and 25-30 per cent are left with weakness and paralysis,” Ms Bacha said.
“Hers was on the surface so it was easy to treat.”
After her surgery Cassandra could barely move at all. She was in hospital for six weeks, during which time she underwent intensive physiotherapy to get her body moving again.
“Her fingers were the first part of her left side to move,” Ms Bacha said. “That’s unusual – usually it’s the part of you closest to the brain. It gave an indication we would get a good outcome.”
Cassandra said it was a long road back. “I learnt to sit first,” she said. She was put on tilt tables three times a day for half an hour each time to get her body used to weight bearing again, and while strapped to the table would play quoits and practise grasping other objects as well.
She progressed to eventually walking between parallel bars, and took her first independent steps about two months after the brain bleed.
After she went home, her mother still had to drive her to twice weekly ongoing physio sessions. It wasn’t until January this year her GP gave her the all-clear to drive again herself.
The next milestone was walking down the aisle in July this year to wed her fiance Nathan Bangel, then of Sackville, who had slept in his car outside the hospital many nights to be near her during her recovery.
