Genevieve Berretta

I think the hardest part about knee replacement surgery is making the decision to do it. After that, it’s finding the right surgeon because TKR surgery is a serious surgery. You have to plan the best time to heal and have a support team and supplies in place post surgery. Think about all of this very carefully.

When it came to choosing a surgeon, my dear friend Marie Mesidor, who is an Operating Room Surgical Technician at HSS, highly recommended Dr. Gausden as my surgeon and Dr. Cheng as my anesthesiologist. Knowing that Marie worked side by side with both doctors was all the research I needed to do and as such I approached the surgery with complete confidence.

The entire experience at HSS was streamlined almost to the minute from PT consult to bloodwork to x-rays to MRIs to meeting with Dr. Gausden and PA Hayden. The professionalism with every HSS staff member at every level pre and post op was incredible. Pre-op, Dr. Gausden, Dr. Cheng and Hayden all met me to assure me everything would be great. My surgery was scheduled for 8am and by 9:20, my sister, who was with me, received news that the surgery went really well. By 9:45 I was in recovery and at 10am I was fully awake and not a bit sleepy or groggy from anesthesia. In fact, I awakened quite chatty and hungry! Thank you Dr. Cheng as the anesthesia was just right and I remember you at my bedside.

After several hours of chatting and eating a turkey sandwich and the best Reuben sandwich I’d ever eaten, it was time to test the knee. The physical therapist walked me around and since I have 13 steps at home to get up I tested successfully on the stairs. So by 6pm that night, 10 hours after surgery, I was wheeled to my sister’s car and my journey to recovery began.

My recovery thoughts: Dr. Gausden recommended the NICE ice/compression machine and this was a gamechanger. At $150 a week, I thought of it as a spa treatment. After I walked about I’d rest on couch with my leg elevated and I’d turn on the machine as a treat. I highly recommend this machine and I rented mine for four weeks; make sure you have walker, cane, or commode if necessary and a device that sits on your toilet to heighten it as going low is difficult and painful; get up and walk as much as you can and follow all physical therapy exercises. Walking is the true gamechanger and I was walking up and down my thirteen steps from the first night on. At first I was afraid to go down but I secured my knee, used my cane, and had someone walk ahead of me. By the third day, felt confident enough to go down on my own. Each day was better and better. I assessed my pain and managed my pain meds to treat the pain as needed. By week four, I was driving again and walking to and from physical therapy which is about a mile and a half there and back. For my six week checkup, I travelled by bus and train from Brooklyn and pre-surgery I did not think this would be possible at six weeks.

In closing out my long story, I just want to say living without arthritic pain is another gamechanger. I still have post-surgery pain but this will end as I heal over time. And this pain is manageable and does not require any pain meds. This pain requires patience and diligence working with your physical therapist. I visit mine twice a week. But choosing Dr. Gausden and her team was the best decision I could ever have made, as this surgery makes me look forward to days ahead chasing after my granddaughter. Thank you Marie Mesidor for guiding me and making me look forward to the future.❤️