Are you a candidate for joint replacement surgery? If you think you might benefit from joint replacement surgery, keep reading to find out how this treatment in the Joint Replacement Program at Texas Health Center for Diagnostics & Surgery in Plano, TX gave an entire family a second chance at life.
Ron did not want hip replacement surgery
Concerned about the recovery from joint replacement surgery Ron had been putting off hip replacement surgery. But he wasn't the only family member that needed joint replacement. His wife, Cora, and son, Matt both suffered from joint pain and needed a solution too. That's when the Joint Replacement Program at Texas Health Center for Diagnostics and Surgery became a family name for them.
Ron and Cora Wilkinson first heard of Dr. Hohman in the unlikeliest setting at the most perfect time.
They had just changed churches and joined a Life Group, where the man teaching was a vibrant 82-year-old retired insurance executive. As the couple got to know him, they discovered that he had just had a hip surgery a week and a half prior.
This struck Ron, who was just about to “pull the pin” and commit 3 to 4 months of his life to getting his own hip replaced. But here was a man just a week and a half after hip surgery, who was already walking around and carrying on with his life. How?
Ron had to know—especially after he had to miss dancing at his son’s wedding because of the intense pain his hip had put him through for too long.
Ron meets Dr. Hohman at the Joint Replacement Program at Texas Health Center for Diagnostics and Surgery
He found out the man had been seeing Dr. Donald Hohman, the Medical Director of the Joint Replacement Program at Texas Health Center for Diagnostics and Surgery and one of the leading hip and knee surgeons in Dallas. So Ron met with Dr. Hohman, and before long, he had a new surgery scheduled at Texas Health Center for Diagnostics and Surgery.
“I see patients daily who suffer from debilitating hip pain caused by osteoarthritis,” shared Dr. Hohman. “This disease affects more than 32.5 million adults in the US and when conservative treatment options fail to provide relief for them, hip replacement surgery can be a good option. Hip replacement is a surgery where a diseased or damaged hip joint is removed and replaced with an artificial one. It’s typically done to treat hip pain that interferes with activities of daily living. When I met Mr. Wilkinson and we talked about his symptoms, how they were affecting his life and what his goals were, it was clear hip replacement surgery could help him. I was also confident that Ron would be willing to put in the work both before and after surgery to ensure his hip replacement would be successful.”
“He was so factual and on time about everything,” Ron says. “He told me he’d replace my hip in the morning, have me walking by 2pm, and send me home the next day. I was walking at 1:30pm that day! He and all the people in the hospital were something else. He followed through, and we know just how great that hospital (THCDS) is. They were all just great.”
Ron’s experience led to a family chain of enthusiastic referrals after that. After that, Ron and Cora referred their own son Matt to meet with Dr. Hohman and ultimately get a knee replacement. Soon enough, it was Cora’s turn.
Ron's wife, Cora, gets a new hip too!
“I was really struggling—I could not go see my very best friend because she lived upstairs,” the 81-year-old recalls. “I couldn't go up and down stairs. I had to take the handicap ramp at church, instead of the three little steps that it takes to get in the front door.”
Dr. Hohman has worked on one of Cora’s knees, and is now getting ready to do the other one. But one was enough to confirm to Cora that this doctor was “the real deal.”
“When Mrs. Wilkinson and I met it was apparent her pain was so troublesome that she was forced to miss out on many of the activities she enjoys,” Dr. Hohman remembers. Similar to hip replacement surgery, knee replacement is used to treat chronic, debilitating knee pain that disrupts a patients’ quality of life. “After our discussion, a physical exam and a review of her imaging studies, I was confident knee replacement surgery was going to be a good option that could get her back to doing the things she wanted, like visiting her best friend again.”
“Walking up and down the hallway, on the same day of surgery… it's just marvelous,” Cora says. “And I can go up and down stairs again.”
The Texas Health Center for Diagnostics and Surgery (THCDS) is the "real deal"
What also turned out being “the real deal” to Cora and Ron? The Texas Health Center for Diagnostics and Surgery (THCDS), where they’ve had each of their procedures done. The Joint Replacement Program at THCDS is completely centered around helping the patient be successful in their surgery. This starts prior to surgery with each patient meeting with a joint replacement coordinator, going through specifically tailored education classes and post-surgical follow up. This coupled with excellent surgical expertise and award-winning hospital staff helps set patients up for post-surgical success.
“They treat the patients like royalty,” Cora recalls. “They anticipate your needs. You don't ever have to even ask for anything because they're already doing it or helping you, and everybody in there is very positive and so pleasant. You just know that you're in great hands, and everything's going to be wonderful, because they make you feel that way. They make you feel very confident about your recovery. Even though I was afraid to walk down the hall because, I mean after all, I just got a new knee, they understood. But they encouraged me to give it a try, just being extremely encouraging and compassionate.”
You can get moving again, too!
At Texas Health Center for Diagnostics & Surgery, we know that you want to keep up with the pace of life around you, without joint pain slowing you down. You want to move again. Perhaps you know you need a physician, but you aren’t sure how to find one. Maybe you’re worried about an extended recovery time from a Total Joint Replacement. Maybe you’re afraid that your mobility won't improve — or even that it may only worsen. Whatever concerns you’re dealing with over your joint pain, we’re here to help.
3 Steps To Get Moving Again
1. Schedule a consultation with a joint replacement specialist.
2. With your surgeon, determine the best treatment plan for you.
3. Participate in a pre-surgical education class. If you can’t attend a course in person, virtual education can be scheduled.
If you have any questions, please contact our joint replacement coordinator, Mary Anne Browne, RN, at (972) 403-2843.
The Joint Replacement Texas Health Center for Diagnostics & Surgery
6020 W Parker Rd, Plano, TX 75093
thcds.com/joint-replacement
972-608-5146
Texas Health Center for Diagnostics & Surgery is a joint venture owned by Texas Health Resources and physicians dedicated to the community and meets the definition under federal law of physician-owned hospitals. Physicians on the medical staff practice independently and are not employees or agents of the hospital.
