Judith Ambler

My family has a history of arthritis and at 73 I had both hips and knees replaced, three of them in three years. After my last knee replacement in April 2014, I experienced a great deal of pain and felt the knee just didn’t feel right. I mentioned it to my orthopedic surgeon on each visit. In November, the pain increased and in January, my doctor did tests for an infection and a blood clot. That was followed by many tests with no indication of the problem. A second opinion by a prominent orthopedic surgeon in the area indicated that I had bursitis and gave me an injection. That proved to be an incorrect diagnosis and at this point I was very concerned about what was wrong with me. My orthopedic surgeon then referred me to Dr. Buly at Hospital for Special Surgery.

Dr. Buly changed my life. After a year of pain and no understanding of what was wrong, I was very discouraged. My visit to Hospital for Special Surgery began with x-rays at 9:30 in the morning and, in short time, a visit to Dr. Buly. He asked me if I saw anything different between the two knees in the x-ray. I was immediately able to see an irregularity in one knee. He then sent me for other tests. My daughter and I ended up back in his office that evening where he was able to determine the problem. The bottom part of the implant was off 19 degrees.

Words can’t describe what Dr. Buly, his assistant, Elaine, and the total HSS staff did for me. As Elaine said to me that evening, “Now you know you aren’t crazy.” Dr. Buly and Elaine have such compassion and are so patient, making sure I understood and was comfortable with the knee revision that would correct the problem. We were able to get the hospital admission tests completed and scheduled the surgery that evening.

I can't say enough about Hospital for Special Surgery. Every member of the professional staff, from secretaries and nurses to the administrators were so caring. The way in which you are treated from the testing process to the stay in the hospital is quite impressive. Dr. Jennifer Berger, my Internist at the hospital providing pre-surgery support, called me at home to ensure I had the information that was needed before surgery. I will always be thankful and appreciate my experience at HSS and with Doctor Buly. It is no wonder the HSS is the number one orthopedic hospital and I feel fortunate to have had such an outstanding surgeon.