back on the move

Joint replacements help people get moving again.

Marguerite Johnson of Mount Vernon plans to trade in her cane for her garden hoe after having a total hip replacement in December 2007.

“I feel like doing things again,” she said. “I’m getting quite independent.”

Last year was a busy healthcare year for Johnson who also had knee and shoulder repair surgery and cataracts removed from both eyes. The hip, however, had been getting more painful as the months passed.

“It made things more limited and harder to get around,” she said.

A busy volunteer with Emmanuel Baptist Church, who enjoys shopping and gardening, Johnson is not one to sit idle. So, she had hip replacement surgery at Skagit Valley Hospital, performed by Dr. Richard Gordon, an orthopedic surgeon with Skagit Valley Medical Center.

With a new hip, she was driving within the first two weeks after surgery and by February was enjoying a full schedule and walking steadily without a cane.

“I am doing real well,” she said, noting she recommends the procedure to others.

“Oh, definitely,” she said. “If they’ve got a problem, go for it.”

For Meredith Baker of Mount Vernon, it was her knee that was causing a limp and pain as a result of osteoarthritis.

“I was limping all the time and didn’t feel like doing anything,” said Baker. “I was tired all of the time.”

In September 2007, Baker had a partial knee replacement at Skagit Valley Hospital performed by Dr. Richard Williamson, orthopedic surgeon with Skagit-Island Orthopedics.

“Now I have a new lease on life,” Baker said, noting she is taking a yoga class, has increased energy and looks forward to hikes, gardening and playing more actively with her grandchildren.

“I’m totally glad I did it,” she said in an interview on the job in the hospital’s Family Birth Center where she greets families and provides support for literacy and parenting.

Baker participated in Skagit Valley Hospital’s Total Joint Replacement Class, which she said helped her prepare for the surgery.

“That pre-op class is essential, you’ve got to have a plan,” Baker said. “They teach you to do your exercises before the surgery and that was the ticket for me. For three weeks before surgery, I was faithful with the exercises so I was stronger and in better shape. The exercise plus physical therapy afterward helped me to recover quickly.”