Debbie suffered with bone-on-bone arthritis in both knees for more than 10 years. The pain from the arthritis and her degenerative joint disease caused her to gradually slow down her activity levels over that time, and as the activities slowed, she gained weight.
In 2023 the pain she suffered was so intense, she could barely walk to the end of her driveway to get her mail. She was unable to stand without holding on to something for support.
Debbie went to see an orthopedic surgeon who would not operate on her until her BMI was lowered. Luckily, she was able to secure a prescription for physical therapy. The exercises were excruciating at first, but the flexibility, movement and strength gained during the six months of therapy sessions allowed her to lose between 60 and 70 pounds. It also proved that she was committed to helping herself get better.
“My physical therapist really worked with me even though it was incredibly painful. Simply moving my joints allowed my muscles to wake up enough so I could move more easily,” said Debbie.
Her original doctor did not give her much credit for losing the significant amount of weight during the six months of physical therapy and recommended more weight loss. Dissatisfied with his opinion and attitude, Debbie explored other options.
She had heard about the robotic, non-muscle-cutting approach to knee surgery and was convinced that was the procedure she needed. She found Dr. Ron Hudanich after researching online.
Debbie met with Dr. Hudanich in February 2024 and immediately felt like she was in the right office. She still had some weight to lose, but Dr. Hudanich felt comfortable with performing the surgery since she had shown such dedication in doing her physical therapy exercises.
Dr. Hudanich performed the left knee surgery in April 2024 and it went fabulously. She was back in physical therapy two days after her surgery. After twelve weeks of work, her knee was more flexible and stronger than it had ever been before.
“Dr. Hudanich is compassionate, kind and he made me feel very confident from the moment I met him,” says Debbie. “All those painful years I never wanted to do the surgery because I didn’t think I would have the strength to handle recovery. Luckily, that wasn’t my experience. A compassionate doctor who believes in you can make all the difference.” said Debbie
After five months of regular recovery exercises and more weight loss, Debbie and Dr. Hudanich determined that she was strong enough and healed enough to have surgery on the right knee.
Two months after her second knee surgery Debbie was able to walk around St. Augustine on a trip with her family. She logged 10,000 steps per day and walked all over the city. She would not have been able to walk from the hotel to her car the year prior.
Five months after her second surgery, Debbie is “a million times better,” than she was just a year before. She can get in and out of bed without help and sit without pain and play with her grandchildren.
“The surgeries have changed my entire life. Even at 66 years of age, I feel as good as I did as a young mother chasing my kids around,” said Debbie. “Dr. Hudanich gave me my life back.”
