Gayle Cappelluti

I had been diagnosed as someone in great need of a total knee replacement better than a decade ago. I put it off in fear. Then suddenly, on the first day of Spring break 2019 (I am an Elementary Teacher), I awoke with severe pain in my ankle. It was so swollen! Why? I hadn't hurt it, twisted it, fallen....there was no accident of any kind. Several appointments with ankle specialists lead me to an MRI which diagnosed a stress fracture and osteochondritis dissecans. I made an appointment with Dr. Anne Holly Johnson, but it was scheduled for many weeks in the future. In the meantime, I continued to work on it, walk on it.

I saw another doctor at another hospital in the interim worried about the damage I might be doing. He put me in a boot, and advised me to stop working. I remained in that boot for 10 weeks with no improvement.

When I got in to see Dr. Johnson at HSS, it took her 5 minutes to decide I needed surgery. It was scheduled for 8/22. I failed to mention that the ankle is on the same leg as the "bad' knee. As soon as Dr. Johnson opened the ankle, she was convinced the stress fracture occurred as a result of my overcompensating for the painful knee. She strongly insisted I schedule knee replacement ASAP. I did.

Dr. David Mayman performed my total knee replacement just 17 days ago. Although I am in the very early days of recovery, already I am deeply grateful to the exceptional doctors of HSS. While I am quite a distance from being Back in the Game, my full recovery is in sight. I am confident I will be almost fully recovered by Summer, hiking, healthy and happy for the first time in years.