Ann Lary’s knee problems started with a bad fall. Late one night, her dog was barking. When she went to investigate she turned her ankle and went down on her knee. “I heard snap, crackle and pop—all three of those sounds in one joint,” she says. It was the sound of her cartilage tearing.
Two scope surgeries failed to alleviate her pain. At age 50, many doctors felt she was too young to have knee replacement surgery. “But I wasn’t sleeping. I was using a cane to get around. I was three years away from retirement and I was afraid I’d end up in a wheelchair. I would rather have the quality of life now,” she says.
The Right Decision
Charles Toulson, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon and medical director of the Total Joint Replacement Center at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano, says, “Knee replacements are expected to last 15 to 20 years, and may only be able to be replaced once. But we need to consider each patient’s condition and circumstances.” Doctors at Baylor Plano agreed to perform her knee replacement, and in August 2010 she had the operation.
Moving Through Life
While Lary is quick to warn people that recovery takes a huge commitment, she is thrilled with her new knee. She’s back to the activities she took for granted before she injured it, such as finishing her grocery shopping in one trip rather than spreading it over two or three days, sitting through a church service or a movie, and shopping for fun with her friends. While she can’t kneel, she can sit crosslegged to tend her garden, a hobby she enjoys. She’s also helped her daughter Chesley plan her wedding. “I would certainly not have been able to do all this running, shopping, showers and planning prior to knee replacement,” she says.
Find Relief for Achy Joints
To register for a free joint pain seminar, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit www.BaylorHealth.com/PlanoEvents.
Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano is a 160-bed acute care hospital committed to serving North Texas residents with personalized care and advanced technology on a beautiful campus with hotel-like amenities and all private rooms. Services at the not-for-profit, fully-accredited facility include treatment for advanced spine deformities at the Baylor Scoliosis Center, neurosciences, orthopedics, medical and radiation oncology, surgical weight loss, women’s services, gynecology, urology, gastroenterology, pulmonary, sleep disorders, pain management, diabetes management and more. Baylor Plano offers patients access to digital imaging and is the first hospital in North Dallas and Collin County to offer minimally invasive robotic surgery through the FDA-approved da Vinci® S Surgical System. Baylor Plano ranks fourth on U.S. News & World Report's first-ever Best Hospitals metro area ranking for the Dallas/Fort Worth area and was named a top performer by The Joint Commission. Baylor Plano is also a 2010 recipient of the Texas Award for Performance Excellence and houses an Accredited Community Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Program by the American College of Surgeons Commissions on Cancer. Baylor Plano is the first hospital in Collin County to be accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. Jerri Garison is president of Baylor Plano. For more information on the hospital or for a physician referral, call toll free 1-800-4-BAYLOR or log onto www.BaylorHealth.com/Plano.
CONTACT:
Susan Hall
214.820.1817
susanh@baylorhealth.edu
Janeen Browning
469.814.2107
janeenbr@baylorhealth.edu
About Baylor Scott & White Health
As the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, Baylor Scott & White promotes the health and well-being of every individual, family and community it serves. It is committed to making quality care more accessible, convenient and affordable through its integrated delivery network, which includes the Baylor Scott & White Health Plan, Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, the Baylor Scott & White Quality Alliance and its leading digital health platform – MyBSWHealth. Through 51 hospitals and more than 1,200 access points, including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas, Fort Worth and Temple, the system offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care. Founded as a Christian ministry of healing more than a century ago, Baylor Scott & White today serves more than three million Texans. For more information, visit: BSWHealth.com
