Lorraine Billie

It took a team of great doctors at HSS to keep me in the game. Having been an avid runner for forty years left me with a pair of arthritic knees. I also developed degenerative disc disease in my spine many years after spinal surgery for a herniated discs in my spine. Dr. Vladimir Kramskiy from pain management is brilliant. He kept the osteoarthritis in both my knees manageable by injecting my knees under ultra sound guidance with a lubricating gel. He helped the disc and arthritis problems in my back by giving me epidural injections and a spinal ablation.

A hip and knee surgeon was called in when the knee injections did not give me long lasting relief. He replaced my left knee in 2018 and my right in 2019. Both replacements were life changing. I was able to walk up and down stairs and walk in the park with a pair of straight knees. I hope to start running again in 2020.

Dr. Alexander Hughes is a brilliant surgeon. Dr. Kramskiy recommended a consultation with him when my epidural injections and spinal ablation were not giving me long term relief. The discs in my back from a surgery 25 years ago were pinching the nerves in my spine. The leg and back pain were hindering my day to day activities. Dr. Hughes looked at my test results, examined me and recommended a spinal fusion. Surgery was preformed March 2019. Surgery changed my life. I am pain free.