Mary Beth Regan

My HSS journey has been a long and incredibly successful one. With more than 10 surgical procedures over a 5 year period, we often kid that I am a “frequent flier” with lots of HSS miles!

I met Dr. Stephen Fealy in 2014 when I was referred to him by my CrossFit coach. In 2015, he did a bilateral knee replacement for my husband. Around 2016, I dislocated my left kneecap – and because it did not really go back into place properly, Dr. Fealy warned me I would likely need it replaced at some point. I white-knuckled it through a few years until it became so uncomfortable, I arranged to have a TKA with him in October 2019. But before that, I had a series of shoulder issues that required his surgical skills in 2017 (MUA for a frozen shoulder and rotator cuff repair on the other arm). I loved the CPM chair Dr. Fealy ordered as it helped keep the unfrozen shoulder from stiffening up again. I think I used it 4 hours/day for at least a month – and often fell asleep in it.

In 2017, my body fell apart. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune condition that initially made my hands, knuckles, wrist and arms extraordinarily painful. Enter Dr. Daniel Osei. He was able to provide some relief through a series of cortisone injections and did a carpal tunnel release as well. But the pain in my neck and down my right arm just got worse. My hand was numb, I couldn’t sleep, concentrate and use my hand at all. I felt so defeated. Dr. Osei ordered an EMG and a few other tests which confirmed I had radiculopathy. The discs in my cervical spine were indeed compressing a nerve.

In the latter part of 2017, I was so fortunate to be sent to Dr. Todd Albert for my spine. I knew of his reputation and couldn’t believe my luck at being able to be treated by him When he came in the exam room, he said “I’ve reviewed all your imaging, you have radiculopathy and I’m confident I can help you.” At that, I burst into tears. I was worn out and pessimistic that it would never get better. Dr. Albert performed a spinal decompression and fusion (C5-C7) in December 2017. It was a pretty tough procedure - I wondered in the first few days if I would ever get my voice back. I was out of work for 8 weeks and started back with a limited schedule in February 2018.

Back to Dr. Fealy in October 2019. My left knee had started to buckle so it was time for the TKA. This was a challenging one. Apparently my body generated scar tissue so quickly, that despite my best efforts at PT and with my home program, it prohibited me from being able to fully extend my leg. Dr. Fealy did 2 separate manipulations which helped a bit, but didn’t seem to fully address the issue. My stubborn leg would still not fully extend.

In 2021, my husband and I relocated to Monmouth County, NJ. I began thinking a knee revision would be needed. And I was then introduced to Dr. Peter Sculco. We discussed a revision, decided to check my hips first. Surprise - they were severely arthritic. So we called an audible and instead, he replaced my left hip first. It was nothing short of miraculous – within 10 days, my leg straightened right out to full extension! About 2 months later, he replaced my right hip so that I was able to start 2022 with a matched pair (and no knee revision!).

I hoped I was done. I had a lot of titanium in me and by this time, I had had some 8-10 different procedures at HSS. Thus, the frequent flier label.

In September 2022, I was back with Dr. Osei so that he could do a release of the peroneal nerve in my left leg. It too was compressed and while it took some time to fully heal, the release provided much needed relief.

I had been doing CrossFit since 2011 with some sabbaticals while I rehabbed different body parts. I joined my current CrossFit “box” in late 2022 and had been going very regularly. In May 2024, I took a fall and tried to break it with my left hand. Instead, I not only broke my wrist, I just shattered it. Once again, I needed my friend Dr. Osei. He left a conference early to get back to NY and had me in the OR 2 days later to put a plate and screws in and add to my titanium collection.

I had just started doing Kettlebell Sport earlier in the year, but because of the broken wrist, couldn’t use my left hand. So, I simply trained with one arm. My team and I continued to work hard and competed in the All American Kettlebell Open in Atlantic City in October 2024. Not only did we do well as a team, we each earned first place in our respective events! We are looking to do another competition in December.

I could never thank my team at HSS enough for their help and support. I am forever indebted to them. They repaired me and gave me my life back. Everyone at HSS is tops in what they do - doctors, PAs, NPs, nurses, PCAs, PTs, technicians, and support staff to name a few. HSS is truly a special place where you know you’ll be treated by the best of the best. It’s the only place I will go for any orthopedic condition. I feel like I’m living proof of the HSS slogan “How You Move is Why We’re Here”!