Patient Name: Renee
Procedure: Knee Surgery
Location: Sentara RMH
Until just about a year ago, I had spent most of my life in pain. Seemingly simple everyday motions like standing up or walking down a flight of stairs were a struggle. When I was 12 (I’m now 52), I tore the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in my left knee while playing soccer, and then tore my other ACL just one year later. Over the years, the pain became nearly constant, affecting almost every facet of my life, and throughout that time I’d been unable to find relief—until I went to Sentara RMH.
These days, patients almost always have surgery to repair a torn ACL, but several decades ago I used a combination of physical therapy and strengthening exercises in an attempt to rehabilitate my knees. When those techniques didn’t work, I underwent separate ACL surgical repairs at ages 17 and 18.
Unfortunately, the procedures didn’t provide the solution I had hoped for. I developed arthritis in my knees and had to wear knee braces when participating in sports and other strenuous activities, and the pain grew progressively worse. Traveling for my job as a salesperson was an endurance test. And although I’m an avid music fan, I could no longer attend concerts, since they required too much standing.
I had gotten to the point in my life where being on my feet for 30 seconds was painful and standing up after being seated was absolutely excruciating. I tried to compensate for the pain with large doses of ibuprofen, but I worried about what the medication might be doing to my body.
I just stopped living in a lot of ways. I felt like my world had come to a screeching halt because of my knee pain. I knew that if I wanted to lead a normal life, doing nothing about the problem was no longer an option. In talking with sports medicine physician Thomas Weber, MD, of Sentara Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Specialists in Harrisonburg, I learned I needed total knee replacements to help eliminate the pain.
Dr. Weber started the conversation about next steps. He was an integral part of my care leading up to surgery. To help move my treatment plan forward, Dr. Weber recommended that I see a Sentara RMH orthopedic surgeon.
I was so impressed with my doctor. He was honest, upfront and kind. He made it very clear what my risks were, and that the recovery process was going to be extremely difficult.
I decided I wanted to have a bilateral knee replacement, meaning I would have both knees replaced at the same time—a less common surgical option for patients, according to my doctor.
My doctor agreed that a bilateral replacement was the best option for me, as operating on one knee and leaving the other would have actually inhibited my rehab. I knew I needed to get my body ready for surgery and recovery, so I began exercising before I even met with my doctor for the first time.
Thanks to my persistence, I eventually lost 30 pounds. I also benefited from the Sentara RMH team’s preoperative joint education class, where patients learn what to expect during and after surgery. The class covers everything from the preoperative to postoperative aspects of patients’ joint surgery, including preparing the home environment for their return from the hospital, making other discharge plans, learning about equipment such as walkers they will need in their home, and getting their muscles in shape for the recovery process.
Sentara RMH does a really good job of preparing you for what you’re facing. They’re obviously very focused on making this a successful program for their patients and ensuring they have as much knowledge and preparation as possible.
Having both knees replaced at one time is challenging, and I won’t sugarcoat the recovery process. You have to learn how to bend and straighten your leg all over again, and your body doesn’t want to do it because there’s so much swelling in there. I used a walker to get around during my recovery, since I couldn’t rely on either leg.
There were three or four days of inpatient physical therapy that were probably the most difficult of my life, but the physical therapists were just fantastic. They knew just how to work with me for the best outcome.
When I left the hospital, I continued with outpatient physical therapy, and the pain eventually went away after several months of perseverance. All the effort was totally worth it. Once you’re out of that pain zone, it’s amazing. The impact was tremendous—just losing the mental stress and no longer having that looming over me! There’s lightness in the fact that I know I can hop up out of my seat to answer the door or pick up the phone. And now I can trust my knees to go down steps. I used to take one step at a time, but I don’t even think about it now.
Five months after surgery, I traveled to London to visit one of my daughters who was studying abroad. My new knees took me up the more than 1,000 steps to the top of St. Paul’s Cathedral, for breathtaking views of the city skyline. I have also attended—and remained standing for—three Dave Matthews Band concerts since my surgery.
Knee replacements last an average of 15-30 years, so my doctor says there’s a chance I will need surgery again when I’m older—but I’m more than willing to go down that path, if needed.
My doctor is obviously an excellent surgeon. He and his staff were wonderful. They’re a very good team, and they work well together. I really felt like I got great care at Sentara RMH.