BaCk toaCtive, - Tanner Health System

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tHankS tO neW JOintS
laRRy evanS tuRneD tO tanneR anD CaRROlltOn ORtHOPaeDiC CliniC WHen
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He DeCiDeD tHat He’D RatHeR SPenD HiS tiMe HOlDing a gOlF CluB inSteaD OF a Cane
by Tony Montcalm
Larry Evans takes a swing in
the yard of his home near
Bowdon. Two bad knees and a
bad hip had left him debilitated,
using a cane and barely able to
get up and down his stairs.
After joint replacement surgery
at Tanner with the care team at
Carrollton Orthopaedic Clinic,
he’s back to golfing and
fishing again, two of his
favorite pastimes.
12 I heaLthY LIvINg
• www.taNNer.Org
Larry Evans traces his 15 years of knee pain back to a single
softball game many years ago when, racing in from the outfield,
he collided with the shortstop.
At the time of the collision, Evans and his friend — the shortstop, Jim
Rowe — both worked for Sony Music in Carrollton. Evans eventually
retired after 41 years with the company, while Rowe — in what would
turn out to be a stroke of luck for Evans — went on to a position at
Carrollton Orthopaedic Clinic.
After a decade and a half of seeing Evans, now in his 70s,
suffer from knee pain, Rowe had enough. He
scheduled an appointment for Evans to see
an orthopedic surgeon at the practice.
“At that point, he couldn’t say no,” said Rowe.
Evans also had a friend whose wife had
been a patient at Carrollton Orthopaedic
Clinic. From all corners, he had people telling
him to go, so he met with Gregory Slappey,
MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon
with Carrollton Orthopaedic Clinic and on the
medical staff at Tanner Health System.
Dr. Slappey determined that the best solution
for Evans was surgery to replace both knees.
neW kneeS nOt all tHe DOCtOR ORDeReD
“In fact, it wasn’t just that I needed two knee
replacements, but because of the way I had
been favoring them for so long, my hip was bad,
too,” said Evans. “It was all going to have to be
replaced.”
Evans recalled seeing a TV special some
years ago that showed a knee replacement — an
experience he called “gory” — but by that point, the
pain had become a tremendous burden.
“I used to be able to do anything, and I did,” said
Evans. “I could run, golf, fight bulls … but I had given
up almost everything. Golf, bowling, fishing, everything; I just couldn’t
do it anymore. I could hardly even get up and down the stairs. I was
almost in a wheelchair.”
With encouragement from the staff at Carrollton Orthopaedic Clinic —
and assurances that knee replacement surgery had come a long way since
No. 1 in georgia
for Orthopedics
Anthony
Colpini, MD
Charles
Hubbard, MD
Gregory
Slappey, MD
that TV special — Evans decided to begin his
journey away from pain.
A smart move, said Dr. Slappey: “The longer
he put it off, the more damage he was doing
to his joints. Benefiting people like Mr. Evans
— people who are missing out on life because
of pain — is one of the things that makes
orthopedic care so invaluable.”
tHRee SuRgeRieS in 10 MOntHS
Evans’ first step was getting a new hip. Dr.
Slappey and Charles Hubbard, MD, a boardcertified orthopedic surgeon at Carrollton
Orthopaedic Clinic, partnered to replace Evans’
hip in July 2007.
“Two days after they did my hip, I was out
having breakfast with the guys down at Huddle
House,” Evans said. “I was using a cane, but I
was out and about. They couldn’t believe it.”
Then, in January 2008, Dr. Slappey and
board-certified orthopedic surgeon Anthony
Colpini, MD, also at Carrollton Orthopaedic
Clinic, replaced his left knee. Less than five
months later, in May 2008, Evans was back
for surgery with Dr. Slappey and Carrollton
Orthopaedic Clinic board-certified surgeon
Jubal Watts, MD
Jubal Watts, MD, replacing the right knee.
Evans underwent all his surgeries
at Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton.
“Everyone treated me great,” said
Evans. “From the clerks to the nurses to
the anesthesia staff — and of course the
doctors — I couldn’t have asked for better,”
said Evans. “They made me feel welcome,
they were very polite and compassionate,
and they really gave me the confidence that
everything was going to be OK. At no point
did I have a bad experience.”
Five-StaR CaRe at tanneR
Though he didn’t realize it at the time, Evans
was receiving some of the best orthopedic
care in the state, and indeed in the nation.
For the third year in a row, HealthGrades
ranked Tanner Medical Center/Carrollton
No. 1 in Georgia and in the top 5 percent in
the country for overall orthopedic services,
giving the hospital five-star ratings for
joint replacement, spine surgery, total knee
replacement, total hip replacement, hip fracture
[CONTINUED ON PAGE 14]
Tanner Medical Center/
Carrollton offers some of
the best orthopedic care in
the country according to
HealthGrades, the nation’s
leading independent source
of physician information and
hospital quality ratings. Here
are the honors Tanner earned:
•Ranked No. 1 in Georgia
for Overall Orthopedic
Services for three years in
a row (2010–2012)
•HealthGrades’ Orthopedic
Surgery Excellence Award
for five years in a row
(2008–2012)
•HealthGrades’ Joint
Replacement Excellence
Award, 2012
•Ranked among the
Top 5 percent in the nation
for Overall Orthopedic
Services for four years in a
row (2009–2012)
•Ranked among the
Top 10 percent in the nation
for Joint Replacement, 2012
•Ranked among the
Top 10 percent in Georgia for
Joint Replacement for four
years in a row (2009–2012)
•
Five-Star Rated for Overall
Orthopedic Services for five
years in a row (2008–2012)
•Five-Star Rated for Joint
Replacement for four years
in a row (2009–2012)
•Five-Star Rated for Spine
Larry Evans now spends more
time with a pool cue in hand
than a cane after undergoing
three joint replacement
procedures in 10 months
at Tanner Medical Center/
Carrollton, which has been
ranked No. 1 in Georgia in
overall orthopedic services
for three years in a row by
HealthGrades.
Surgery for five years in a
row (2008–2012)
•Five-Star Rated for Total
Knee Replacement for four
years in a row (2009–2012)
•Five-Star Rated for Total
Hip Replacement, 2012
•Five-Star Rated for Hip
Fracture Treatment for eight
years in a row (2005–2012)
•Five-Star Rated for Back
and Neck Surgery for five
years in a row (2008–2012)
taNNer
• wINter 2012
I 13
information and hospital quality ratings,
evaluated patient outcomes at nearly
5,000 hospitals nationwide. Outcomes
were measured based on mortality or
in-hospital complications in determining
the nation’s top hospitals.
[CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13]
treatment and back and neck surgery.
The quality of Tanner’s orthopedic
program also garnered HealthGrades’
Orthopedic Surgery Excellence Award for
the fifth straight year, and the hospital
earned the distinction of being No. 1 in
Georgia for overall orthopedic services
for 2012.
HealthGrades, the nation’s leading
independent source of physician
BaCk On HiS Feet anD in HiS BOat
Before Evans’ surgery, he had started using
a cane, and getting out on the lake in his
boat was nearly out of the question.
“We hated seeing him like that,” says
Rowe. “He was a guy who could do
anything. If he wanted a garage, he built
one. His house was little more than a shack
when he bought it, and now it’s really a
nice place to live. For someone who was
capable of so much life to not be able to
get around … it was almost as painful to
watch as it was for him to walk.”
Today, Evans’ home on Lake Tisinger
is once again the site of frequent fish fries.
His new knees and hip allow the greatgrandfather to move without even a flinch.
“My schedule is, we bowl on Tuesdays
and Thursdays, I play golf once or twice a
week, I fish five nights of the week, and of
course we have card games and I do almost
all my own landscaping out here.”
Evans now encourages anyone in pain to
explore his or her options with a physician:
“Don’t put it off and go through pain like I
did. Don’t waste any more time. You’re out
of the hospital in about four days, you go
to rehab and physical therapy, and in two
or three weeks you’re walking like normal
again. And, when it’s time to have it done,
Tanner has a great facility.”
Excellent Care:
A Sure Shot Here
Looking for options for your joint pain? Some
of the best orthopedic care in the country
is available from Tanner Health System and
Carrollton Orthopaedic Clinic. To find out more
about Tanner’s orthopedic services or to schedule
a consultation, call us at 770.214.CARE today.
Are You a Candidate for Knee Replacement?
Most people who undergo knee replacement have severe
arthritis or other major knee problems, such as a tumor.
Your doctor may request tests to see how much your knee
is damaged.
Surgery is only a consideration after other, more
conservative treatments — such as exercise and medicine
— have failed. Gregory Slappey, MD, a board-certified
orthopedic surgeon with Carrollton Orthopaedic Clinic, says
these factors also weigh into whether you’re a candidate
for knee replacement surgery:
your age. The operation is safe for people of all ages,
but artificial knees typically last about 10 to 15 years.
Someone who is younger than 65 may need to have a
second surgery. However, this also depends on a person’s
activity level and other factors.
your health. Heart disease and other conditions should
be under control before surgery. Obese adults may need
to lose weight before surgery.
your commitment to recovery. For successful
rehabilitation, you will need to follow a strict exercise
schedule for several weeks.
•
•
•
Learn more about the exceptional orthopedic care available
from Tanner and Carrollton Orthopaedic Clinic by clicking
“Services” at www.tanner.org and choosing “Orthopedic
Services.”
14 I heaLthY LIvINg
• www.taNNer.Org
Gregory Slappey, MD, (left) and Anthony Colpini, MD, (right) of the
Carrollton Orthopaedic Clinic.