GOOD AS

Total knee replacement offers retired attorney chance to hit the road again

Bill Farrar couldn’t wait to return to the game he loves—and he hardly had to. Three months after his surgery, he was ready to hit the links despite a second knee that was scheduled for replacement later in the year.

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B ill Farrar was in his late 40s when he fi rst started hearing from his knees.

“The pain was fairly mild back then and would last just a few days,” Farrar recalls. “I could treat it with ibuprofen.”

Over the next decade, his knees turned up the volume. He heard them loud and clear in 2001 while spending a long weekend in Myrtle Beach.

“After three days of playing golf, my knees were so sore my wife had to drive us home to Virginia,” says the retired attorney, now living on Lady’s Island. “The pain was constant.”

An orthopedist diagnosed osteo-arthritis. To relieve the pain, Farrar was treated with Synvisc, an injection that supplements the fl uid in your knee to help lubricate and cushion the joint.

“It’s like getting an oil change for your knees,” he says.

Over the next seven years, he received two more rounds of Synvisc. And then the pain began to aff ect his life seri-ously. It hindered his mobility during the 77-day trip he took with his wife to Sydney, Australia, the South Pacifi c Islands and Hong Kong.

“There were a lot of things I wasn’t able to see because I couldn’t walk very far,” Farrar says. “The most diffi cult part was standing—after fi ve minutes I was in severe pain.”

Where the Rubber Meets the RoadLast fall, Farrar made an appointment with Edward Blocker, MD. The Beaufort Memorial orthopedist recommended a cortisone injection to his knee.

“We took the conservative route fi rst,” Blocker says. “I always say your knees will tell you when it’s time to fi x them.”

A few weeks later, Farrar’s knees gave him a shout.

“I had some apprehension about having knee replacement surgery, but why should I live the rest of my life in pain because I’m afraid?” Farrar says. “I’m 72 years old and only have X num-ber of years left.”

Surgery on his right knee was scheduled for Dec. 1. After attending Beaufort Memorial’s joint replace-ment class led by Orthopedic Care Coordinator Andrea Sadler, Farrar had lost all his fear.

“The class was the greatest thing,” he says. “Andrea demystifi ed every-thing. She told us exactly how it was going to happen almost minute by minute before, during and after the surgery. She was straightforward and honest and answered every question.”

Advanced MedicineWhile it’s no walk in the park, recover-ing from knee replacement surgery has become less painful in the last three years with the development of new surgical strategies and medications.

“At the end of the surgery, we inject a cocktail of Novocain-type medicines all around the knee that numbs the pain for three days,” Blocker says. “The dressing we use has silver impregnated in it that allows us to leave it on the wound for four or fi ve days, reducing the risk of infection.”

Instead of staples, Blocker uses dis-solvable stitches and skin glue over the incision. As a result, there is little or no drainage after the surgery.

Farrar was so happy with his new right knee, he scheduled replacement surgery for his left knee six months later.

“My life is so much more enjoyable now,” Farrar says. “We’re ready to start traveling again.” !

MOVING WITH A MISSION

There’s no sugarcoating it: Recovering from joint replacement surgery is tough going. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.

Beaufort Memorial’s innovative Joint Replacement Center (JRC) off ers patients state-of-the-art orthopedic care in a set-ting designed to make patients feel more like resort guests than invalids.

Hours after their surgery, they can ditch their hospital gowns and dress in their own clothes. They’re encouraged to get out of bed as soon as possible and walk the fl oor to destination stations fea-turing fun activities like a putting green and a cornhole toss.

On their second day at the center, they begin group physical and occupational therapy. The friendly competition has been shown to motivate patients to work harder, resulting in better outcomes.

At the end of their stay patients have a celebration with their fellow patients, and they take home souvenirs that include a JRC T-shirt and a starfi sh from a local chocolatier.

To learn more about BMH’s Joint Replacement Center, visit beaufortmemorial.org or call 843-522-7435. To watch a video about the center, go to bmhjointreplacement.org.

CALL

Are Your Knees Talkin’?When the pain in your knees is interfering with your daily activities, it may be time to speak with an orthopedic surgeon. To make an appointment with Dr. Edward Blocker of Beaufort Memorial Orthopedic Specialists, call 843-522-7100.

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