At just 66 years old, Marc Potter, a retired attorney who resides in rural Bonner Springs, Kan., considers himself too young to sit on the sidelines of life.
“I injured my left knee several years ago when I fell on the ice,” Potter says. “After that, it would give out on me unexpectedly. I couldn’t sit on the floor to play with my grandchildren, or even stand in church long enough to sing a hymn without leaning on a pew or sitting down. My knee would just give out on me.”
Though Potter had had arthroscopic surgery a decade earlier, the repair didn’t last.
“I wasn’t anxious to have my knee replaced,” he admits, “so I tried several other medical treatments first, but nothing seemed to work.”
When Potter decided it was time for surgery, he turned to Providence Medical Center, Kansas City, Kan., and George Robinson, M.D., a board-certified orthopaedic surgeon on staff at the hospital and the Joint Center’s medical director.
“I had my surgery the Tuesday after New Year’s, and was home just three days later,” Potter says. “While hospitalized, I did therapy twice a day. I never even took a pain pill—the entire experience was outstanding!”
Once home, Potter continued to recover quickly.
“I went home that Friday using a walker and by Monday, I no longer needed it,” he says. With just the aid of a cane, he progressed to driving in only 12 days. “I did the physical therapy they prescribed for me, plus 50 percent more,” Potter says. “I was anxious to get back to my normal routine.”
And that’s exactly what he did.
Potter is now able to trim his yard, sit on the floor and play with his grandchildren, and stand for extended periods of time without worry. He’s even able to actively take part in the Kiwanis Bike Rodeo, sponsored by Providence, helping kids learn about bicycle safety.
“It’s just given me a new lease on life,” he says. Recently, he put his new knee to the test while on a trip to New Orleans, La. “I went to the Kiwanis Club national convention,” he says. “We walked three and one-half miles one day sightseeing around town. I never could have done that before my knee replacement.”
While hospitalized at Providence, Potter says his care was exemplary.
“Everyone I came in contact with was wonderful,” he adds. “My only regret is that I didn’t have the surgery sooner! I’m not waiting to have the right knee replaced. I’m planning to return to the Providence Joint Center in January 2013. They were caring, competent and qualified. The staff at Providence just couldn’t have been nicer!”
“It’s great to hear from patients like Mr. Potter,” says Karen Orr, R.N., M.S.N., M.B.A., C.M.S.R.N., director of the Providence Joint and Spine Centers and 4 North Surgical Unit. “To know that he received such wonderful care in the Joint Center and that he is so pleased he is planning to return is wonderful, but the most important thing is that his new knee is functioning so well that he’s returned to his active lifestyle.”
The Providence Joint Center provides patients and their families with all the tools necessary for the best possible outcomes in total joint replacement.
The program is a wellness-focused inpatient center that features surgical block scheduling, group physical and occupational therapy, pre-operative education, dedicated staffing, community outreach, resource management, reduced length-of-stay and patient amenities.
The Providence Joint Center’s multi-disciplinary team is composed of a group of orthopaedic surgeons, an orthopaedic operations and clinical resource specialist, staff nurses, a physical therapist, an occupational therapist and case management.
For more information on the Providence Joint Center, visit www.providence-health.org. Select “Services,” then “Orthopaedics/The Joint Center.” There, you will find a virtual tour of the center, plus other patient stories. Or, call 913-596-4489.
