Terry’s Story: ‘Absolutely No Regrets’ About Knee Replacement
Terry Calkins had it all planned. He knew exactly what he and his wife, Julie, would do after retiring from his job in December 2016. First, they vacationed in Florida for two weeks. Next they headed to Las Vegas for a quick visit. As spring approached, the golf courses near his Medway home beckoned. So did the couple’s pontoon boat, which they would use to cruise the C.J. Brown Reservoir.
But before he hit the links or the water, Terry made an appointment with James Klosterman, MD of Premier Orthopedics, part of Premier Physician Network. He knew he had degenerative arthritis in his right knee. Months earlier, Dr. Klosterman had given him a cortisone shot and knee brace to ease the pain. Now the pain had returned, and Terry figured it was time for another shot. “I expected him to shoot my knee with some lubricating stuff,” Terry laughed. Instead, Dr. Klosterman recommended knee replacement surgery. “I was shocked,” Terry remembered. But after talking it over with Julie, he agreed. Later that same day, he called to schedule the surgery.
Early on a Tuesday morning in April, Terry arrived at the hospital ready for his new knee. When the surgery was over, he was wheeled to his hospital room for the night. By morning he had already experienced his first round of physical therapy. “They don’t mess around!” he laughed. Later that day Terry was discharged and slowly climbed the steps to his bedroom at home. From that day forward, “I went up those steps every night, and down every morning,” he said.
A month of physical therapy at his home was followed by two more months of physical therapy at a nearby facility. “Oh, it wasn’t fun!” he recalled, but he was grateful for the expert treatment that restored his mobility. By June, Terry was back on the golf course. He and Julie spent the summer boating and camping. In December, they visited Peru and climbed the steps to historic Machu Picchu. A visit to the Galapagos Islands was next, where Terry found himself easily climbing in and out of the inflatable rafts (pangas) that took him and Julie to hikes around the islands.
Terry, now 65, has “absolutely no regrets” about following through with Dr. Klosterman’s recommendation for knee replacement. “I was very impressed with Dr. Klosterman’s skills and with his staff,” he said.
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