John Dench

New York is a walking city. Sure there are trains, buses, trams, monorails, ferries and more. But walking is at the heart of getting around here. As you can imagine, a bad hip really hobbles the city experience. My condition - a degenerating hip joint — was getting steadily worse. And the COVID pandemic was no help, delaying any remedy. After several years of wrestling with tepid approaches, a friend’s doctor mentioned to me his hip and knee procedures at HSS. His words: “Don’t go anywhere else.”

My smarter half worked out the insurance and found Dr. McLawhorn’s practice at the hospital. After an insurance hiccup, our surgery was scheduled and arranged. Everything from the lead up to date of admission was organized, clear and to the point. The pre-surgery visit was efficient, professional and cordial — surpassed my expectations! The day of surgery was excellence in motion. From admittance to pre surgery to recovery back to my room, everything was seamless. My first steps even had some comic relief, as I heard the first words since my daughter was one year old, “Come on! You can do it! You can do it!” That evening, climbing stairs went equally well. I walked out of the hospital next morning and headed home with prescriptions and a short readable guide to recovery.

What most impressed me even more was the aftercare, including:

— Prescriptions: each one thoroughly explained for purpose and duration.

— Exercises: they sounded silly at first. What amazed me was I felt the improvement within a couple of hours after starting them. And my movement kept improving.

— Follow-up: for the first two weeks I had in-home visits several times a week from both an RN and a physical therapist. Both had a thorough list of questions and exercises to perform. I only needed the walker for the first week; the cane was left at home after two.

— Physical therapy: I had an outstanding list of options, including one only three blocks away. Six months, 2-3 times a week, and again, the improvement was noticeable nearly every time I went.

By the time I returned to work six weeks after surgery, people who saw me couldn’t believe the improvement. I was walking and moving like I had the original equipment. After six months, every morning feels like I’m on vacation (and still does)! The one-year follow-up went without a hitch. There’s a five-year follow-up as well. So far that should be good news as well.

I cannot too highly praise Dr. McLawhorn, his professional and friendly office, HSS, the surgical team and the follow-up nurses and physical therapists for renewing my lease on life, and enabling my return to the New York lifestyle I’ve grown to love. Bless you all!