HOUSTON — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Wednesday left intensive care for the first time since she was shot in the head in Arizona more than two weeks ago, the latest big step in the long road to recovery.With her progress moving at "lightning speed," doctors had the Arizona lawmaker moved to TIRR Memorial Hermann hospital, where she immediately began therapy that could last several months.Doctors said she will have a valve inserted into her breathing tube to help her talk.A breathing tube was placed in Giffords' neck after she was shot.
Aisiku said while she can breathe independently and swallow safely, the tube cannot be immediately removed because of the length of time it has been in place.Instead, doctors will lessen her dependence on it, a process that has already begun, until it can be safely removed.
Precise details on Giffords' recovery were scant out of respect for the family's wishes, doctors said, though Kim said Giffords was making progress at "lightning speed.
"Doctors
did not say whether she is able to sit up or stand on her own.Doctors had previously reported that Giffords was having difficulty moving the right side of her body. On Wednesday, they described that as "weakness" and said her ability to move had improved.
Doctors said Giffords is doing her rehabilitation in her room and not in the hospital's large gym-like facilities where dozens of patients can undergo therapy simultaneously. She is interacting with the staff and her family and is awake "about as much as you or I are," Aisiku said.On Tuesday night, Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, were photographed in her room watching President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech.
The three-term Democratic lawmaker's ability to swallow safely could mean she won't need a tube feeding her much longer, said Dr. Imoigele Aisiku, director of neurocritical care at Memorial Hermann.
Giffords began physical, occupational and speech therapy just hours after she was transferred, under heavy guard, in an ambulance from the ICU of a Texas Medical Center hospital to the rehab center.
Aisiku said while she can breathe independently and swallow safely, the tube cannot be immediately removed because of the length of time it has been in place.Instead, doctors will lessen her dependence on it, a process that has already begun, until it can be safely removed.
Precise details on Giffords' recovery were scant out of respect for the family's wishes, doctors said, though Kim said Giffords was making progress at "lightning speed.
"Doctors
did not say whether she is able to sit up or stand on her own.Doctors had previously reported that Giffords was having difficulty moving the right side of her body. On Wednesday, they described that as "weakness" and said her ability to move had improved.Doctors said Giffords is doing her rehabilitation in her room and not in the hospital's large gym-like facilities where dozens of patients can undergo therapy simultaneously. She is interacting with the staff and her family and is awake "about as much as you or I are," Aisiku said.On Tuesday night, Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, were photographed in her room watching President Barack Obama's State of the Union speech.
The three-term Democratic lawmaker's ability to swallow safely could mean she won't need a tube feeding her much longer, said Dr. Imoigele Aisiku, director of neurocritical care at Memorial Hermann.
Giffords began physical, occupational and speech therapy just hours after she was transferred, under heavy guard, in an ambulance from the ICU of a Texas Medical Center hospital to the rehab center.
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