People are living longer lives, and that’s the good news. The bad news? Our bodies can’t always keep up.
Aches and pains slow plenty of people down as they age, but they can be fixed. Improvements in surgeries can get people up and moving faster than ever.
Michelle Dunaway introduces us to a patient in today’s MedWatch report.
Right now Betty Goldammer stays active though physical therapy, but she’s itching to get back to the golf course.
She says, “I haven’t tried my golf clubs yet, but Florida is coming, so (laughs) but otherwise I can do everything.”
It’s almost hard to believe she had a hip replacement six weeks ago. She joked, “It might help my game, I don’t know, probably not.”
It may not help her game, but it’s certainly helped relieve her pain. Betty says, “When I would sit still I’m fine, but the minute I got up to walk of course it was probably an 8 I mean I’m sure it could have been worse, but it was pretty bad. And then because you’re favoring your hip, it would affect my knee so my knee was almost as sore as my hip.”
Betty lives in Big Rapids, and was able to get an anterior hip replacement at Munson Healthcare Cadillac Hospital.
Dr. Aleksandar Tosic says, “It was originally started in the 80’s, but in the last several years there was an advancement in the procedure with introduction of a special table that helps us position the patient on the table.”
Doctor Tosic performs the surgery from the front of the hip instead of the traditional approach from the side, making it much easier on the patient, because the hip muscles stay intact.
He says, “The main advantage is early recovery, preserving the muscle strength, earlier mobility, earlier walking without any support, less pain also.”
Betty certainly proved that, when she showed up for her check up two weeks after surgery. Dr. Tosic says “She came in with a cane, and she just picked up her cane and she was walking without it and she just did it without any difficulty.”
Betty remembers it too. “I was holding it like this and he said i gotta film this, do it again .. and i said you want me to dance too?”
Dancing, walking, steps … Betty can do it all. Her only regret, she says, was waiting as long as she did.
“I think my first appointment might be June, July and I put it off until September because we have a cottage and I have a lot of kids, grand kids that like to come to the lake. Well it was so sore, you didn’t do very much. As soon as September came along, and it went so well, I was like why didn’t we do this sooner? Could have done it in July and enjoyed the rest of the summer.”
The good news for Betty, Florida is right around the corner.
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