<< Back to articles

    Double Pneumonia Patient Regains Swallowing with VitalStim Therapy

The Leesburg Regional Medical Center (LRMC) in Leesburg, FL, was recently featured in the Daily Commercial newspaper after speech language pathologist Mary Pat Godigkeit successfully used VitalStim Therapy to treat a patient with a recent history of double pneumonia who could barely breathe or swallow.

"I was deathly sick," the patient, Bill Maddix, told the newspaper. "I called the ambulance at about five in the morning and thought I was going to die. I couldn't get my breath."

Bill, 68, heard about VitalStim Therapy from his doctor and began therapy shortly after he was admitted to LRMC. He went through 24 treatment sessions over three to four months with Mary Pat and showed steady improvement until regaining nearly full swallow function.

"When we began VitalStim Therapy, Bill could barely swallow and scored 1 on the FCM scale (Functional Communication Measure - developed by ASHA)," said Mary Pat. "When we completed the therapy sessions, his score was 6 out of a possible 7." Today, Bill can eat anything except dry cereal.

"It's truly amazing," Bill says. "Mary Pat and VitalStim Therapy made all the difference in the world."

LRMC has been using VitalStim Therapy for almost six months and has successfully treated more than six patients, including stroke survivors and head and neck cancer patients.