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Biking, golfing, and playing with his grandchildren are three
things David Cummings of Choteau anticipates as he heals
from knee surgery.
David was underway on a Navy ship when he injured himself
on a ladder, hyperextending both knees and ultimately cutting
short his Navy career.
Thirty-three years later, he rated his quality of life as a 2 on
a 10-point scale.
"I had a lot of pain, a lot of frustration," he said. "I couldn't
do the things I normally did."
Orthopedic surgeon Dr. Tysen Timmer did total knee surgery
on both of David's knees, with the first surgery in December
and the second in June.
"Both knees are getting stronger, and I can walk without a
waddle now," David said. "It's a huge change."
David's body is readjusting to having properly aligned and
functioning knees, and Dr. Timmer noted David "doesn't walk
in circles anymore" as they walked to an exam room together.
"It was a long haul, but I got 'er done," David said of having
two surgeries within months of one another.
"Dr. Timmer did a great job," David said. "He explained what
I should expect from the surgeries."
The process was smooth from intake to patient navigation to
surgery to recovery, and David appreciates everyone who was
part of caring for him at Benefis.
"We said, 'Let's get this done,' and boom boom boom, it was
done. I was very very happy," he said. "Every staff member
has been excellent to work with. You've got a lot of good
people here."
David, 61, looks forward to getting a lot of use out of these
new knees.
"I was very, very happy," he said. "I'm still healing, but I'm
walking and doing things around the house like upkeep. As
my knees get stronger, I'm getting more activity in and losing
weight. Hopefully, my body will continue to adjust and come
back to normal."
'It's a Huge Change': Orthopedic
Surgery Offers New Lease on Life
