Joann, a Canadian native and former high-tech marketing executive, was born into a military family and grew up living “a wonderful gypsy life,” she recalls. Joann eventually married and had two children of her own. The young family relocated to the United States in search of better healthcare as one of her children required specialized care for the first six years of life. Joann had no idea then that she too would require the specialized care best found here in the US.
Being a working wife and mom, Joann loved horseback riding for both pleasure and competition and attending her girls’ soccer games, which took them all over the country. As is often the case though, managing work and family left little time for much else in the way of hobbies.
A few years ago, Joann noticed that little things like walking normally, running up the stairs, evening beach walks with her husband, playing catch with her dogs, and even horseback riding became difficult. “I loved to travel – particularly faraway cruises – but had to stop because I couldn’t walk or tour the wonderful destinations. I could not bend either leg much at all or certainly couldn’t kneel on any surface. So, playing with my dogs or grandchildren on the floor was no longer an option for me,” Joann said.
The first real sign of an issue was the sharp pangs of pain behind the kneecaps, which Joann attributed to injuries she sustained in her teen years. As she got older, these pangs became “severe arthritic pains and eventually bone on bone often agonizing pain and swelling of my whole knee. I couldn’t walk for more than a few minutes at a time. Walking up or down the stairs or even a hill required more of a two-step action and cringing pain with each one. And eventually I tried to avoid any walking that was not absolutely necessary.”
Joann’s condition now not only impacted her life, but the life of her family. She recalls, “I had to ask one of them to bring me a drink or shoes or whatever rather than me being the one bringing it to them. I had to ask them to walk the dogs instead of doing it myself or going with them. But probably the worst impact of this condition was that I had to bring in help to help me care for my Alzheimer’s-stricken husband and eventually had to hospitalize him when I just couldn’t provide him with what he needed for safety anymore.” Sadly, Joann became a widow two years ago.
Knee replacement became the obvious choice for Joann, and she scheduled knee surgery twice, only to have it cancelled both times; once due to Covid and once for the flu. Still, she began physical therapy to prepare for the inevitable.
Joann had already built a relationship with Dr. Scott James and the staff at the Plymouth office of The Vascular Care Group when they began to help manage her carotid artery disease diagnosis. During one visit, while chatting with Regina, the nurse practitioner in the office, Joann recalls that she mentioned how much she dreaded the upcoming knee replacement surgeries. Regina suggested that she talk with Dr. James about a new procedure he was doing, called Genicular
Artery Embolization, that could maybe forestall the need for these surgeries. “Boy was that a godsend conversation,” Joann said.
Genicular Artery Embolization, or GAE, is a new treatment for those patients suffering with osteoarthritis of the knee or residual pain after knee replacement. A small catheter is inserted in the leg and tiny particles are injected that block the small vessels that supply the inflamed arthritic tissue around the lining of the knee. Blocking these vessels reduces the pain that accompanies osteoarthritis of the knee. This simple procedure, performed in the office, has been shown to reduce the inflammation and pain that often accompanies osteoarthritis of the knee. When done properly, this DOES NOT affect the blood flow to the leg.
Joann had the GAE procedure on both knees, on June 3 and June 17. Joann said, “I felt a huge difference the same day as the surgery in both cases. The crippling pain in my knee, particularly behind the kneecap, is virtually gone and has not returned. It just doesn’t hurt anymore.”
“The first thing I did was book a 10-day small-ship luxury cruise in the Mediterranean with my daughter. I no longer two-step up the stairs. I can play with my dogs on the floor. I can ride the stationary bike and do strengthening exercises. I can get my own drinks, etc. I can drive for more than half an hour. I can go shopping with my girls for hours. And so much more than I could list here. This has been my miracle.
Dr. James is an amazing medical man. He is respectful, kind, compassionate, professional, and the most competent surgeon I have ever experienced. He has built such a wonderful practice. His staff is the very best and his offices are large, bright, clean, and welcoming. I’ve been a lucky lady to find this guy and his team. I would rate these procedures a complete success in my case.”