Rich Fetherston of Holbrook endured more than 3 ½ years of pain in his right knee, scheduling periodic shots that temporarily eased the pain. Rich wasn’t afraid of having joint replacement surgery – he was just too busy caring for his ailing wife.
Eventually he attended a free Mather Hospital joint replacement breakfast seminar. “I was impressed,” he said. “They’re using a computer and a robot for knee replacements. I listened to some people there who had their knees replaced a year apart.”
He scheduled his total knee replacement procedure two years ago with orthopedic surgeon Richard Savino, MD, and came to Mather Hospital for his pre-surgical testing. “I didn’t sit in a chair long enough for the chair to get warm. They actually escorted me to each test. I went to X-ray and everybody asked me, ‘Is there something I can do for you? Can I help you?’ I’ve had been in many hospitals with my wife and I was very impressed by Mather.”
“My operation was at 10 am. By 2 pm the physical therapist said we’re going to take you for a walk,” Rich said. After his second walk that day, the physical therapists told him he was going home the following day. He had home care visits by a nurse and a physical therapist and after three weeks continued his physical therapy at a facility close to his home.
After a few months he was back to doing everything he had before he experienced knee pain. “The only thing I didn’t do was go running down the street,” he said. “They said best thing do was walk, and I did walk.”
Rich returned to Mather this past March to have his other knee replaced.