Following double knee replacement surgery at Ocean Medical Center, a Jackson woman finds relief from decades of pain.

More than 30 years ago, Anne Layton, 71, contracted Lyme disease. The infection caused inflammation and pain throughout her body, especially in both of her knees. Over the years, she received many treatments to relieve her knee pain, including medications and corticosteroid injections.

In 2016, her rheumatologist took her off an arthritis medication that was helping her knee pain because it started affecting her kidneys. “Suddenly, I couldn’t walk,” she says. “It felt like my legs were filled with concrete. I couldn’t get out of bed. I thought to myself, ‘This is it. It’s time to do something about my pain.’”

While reading an issue of HealthViews, Anne saw an article about Joseph Bogdan, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at Ocean Medical Center. She was shocked. When her son, Joey, was born 47 years ago with numerous complications, a pediatrician named Dr. Bogdan saved his life. She made an appointment with Dr. Bogdan and learned that the pediatrician was his dad. “I liked Dr. Bogdan right away,” Anne says. “I had a sense that he was honest, caring and highly skilled.”

TAKING THE NEXT STEP

Dr. Bogdan examined X-rays of Anne’s knees and told her that she was a good candidate for knee replacement surgery. “She’d already maximized conservative modalities, so knee replacement was the best option for improving her pain, mobility and quality of life,” he says.

On December 6, 2017, Dr. Bogdan performed the surgery on Anne’s right knee. “I couldn’t have hoped for the experience to go any better than it did,” she says. “Everything was like clockwork.” Anne was up and walking that same day. She was discharged to a rehabilitation facility the next day, where she stayed for nine days. After Anne went home, she continued receiving outpatient physical therapy for several weeks. On March 22, 2018, Dr. Bogdan replaced Anne’s left knee. Once again, the surgery and recovery went smoothly.

PAYING IT FORWARD

“Before the surgeries, I couldn’t go grocery shopping because my knees hurt so badly,” Anne says. Now, she walks daily for exercise. Anne regularly talks about her experience at a preoperative education class at Ocean for patients who are scheduled for or thinking about having the surgery.

“I love sharing my story with other patients,” she says. “Recently, a woman thanked me and said that now she’s not afraid to have the surgery. My only regret is being too afraid to do it sooner. Dr. Bogdan’s father saved my son’s life, and Dr. Bogdan gave me a new lease on life.”