BGO would like to congratulate our latest Comeback Champion- Ms. Shelley Theise! Shelley came to Bluegrass Orthopaedics for two issues: She saw Dr. Travis Hunt initially for her back pain and then more recently, Dr. Victor Marwin for both of her wrists.
"At BGO - I never feel like 'a patient'. I always feel like 'THE patient'!"
"When I first met Dr. Hunt and Mike Jones (PA-C), I was experiencing severe back pain and having trouble walking. When I initially heard my options, I was adamant - No Surgery! I had heard many horror stories about this type of surgery and was certain that I wanted no part of it. When Dr. Hunt and Mike met with me as I explained the worsening of my symptoms, I simply asked him: 'Are you a good surgeon?' He replied: 'I am an excellent surgeon'. No arrogance, no smirk, no attitude. The way he responded convinced me that I could trust him. He was so right about his skills!"
"The morning after my surgery, Dr. Hunt came to my hospital room and said: 'You were in a lot of pain - I took good care of you.' I knew that I would be able to do all my favorite activities again and that the surgery was a success. No 'ifs, ands, or buts!'"
Later, after years of feeling increasing pain, numbness, cold and a 'buzzing' in her hands, Shelley made an appointment with BGO's upper extremity specialist, Dr. Victor Marwin. Like many who work with their hands, Shelley was familiar with certain aches and pains, but when the pain began to interfere with her daily activities she knew the problem ran deeper.
Shelley remembers, "Dr. Marwin perfectly understood my hand pain, acknowledging as I listed my symptoms. Constant feeling of pins and needles, inability to fasten a button, earring, or anything requiring what I term as fine motor skill. Most importantly, my hands were ALWAYS REALLY COLD! When I played the piano, that buzzing was always there, almost to the point of numbness. At night, my only relief was to flatten my hand against my leg. Also, holding a steering wheel while driving - that was the worst!"
After a simple evaluation in the office with Dr. Marwin, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in upper extremity, diagnosed Shelley with bilateral carpal tunnel. Shelley's diagnosis called for surgery to alleviate her symptoms. She was understandably concerned with the challenges of surgery, including scarring and time away from the activities she enjoys. Thankfully, her care team led by Dr. Marwin recognized her needs and scheduled her for a minimally invasive carpal tunnel surgery with only local anesthetic.
The result of her surgery, Shelley said, "Was perfection!"
SheIley did not report any pain or numbness when the surgery was finished. In fact, she said, "I played my piano that afternoon!"
"Just before the surgery, Dr. Marwin told me that I had to remove my ring! He explained that my fingers may be a bit swollen following the surgery, so it had to come off prior. Recognizing my concern that something may happen to it, he immediately took an empty plastic bag with a string enclosure, tore the string out, attached my ring and made me a lovely necklace that I wore throughout. I still have the string because it's a nice reminder of the day my hands stopped hurting and were no longer freezing cold all the time."
To learn more about the BGO providers who helped Shelley, click the images below:
