JUNE 7, 2023 – When Pat Johnsen retired in November 2021, she looked forward to settling into the next stage in her life and continuing to enjoy her active lifestyle. Unfortunately, arthritis was settling into her hips causing excruciating pain. Even walking was a struggle.
Pat Johnsen
By the early summer of 2022, Johnsen decided she had had enough. After interviewing three doctors, she chose orthopaedic surgeon Adam J. Lipman, M.D.
“By the time she sought treatment, Pat’s arthritis had reached stage 4, and she was experiencing chronic pain and loss of mobility,” Dr. Lipman said.
“Walking is something that you take for granted,” Johnsen said. “But arthritis eventually changed my whole gait and created this side-to-side motion. Eventually, I couldn’t go grocery shopping or even walk downstairs. I had always been an active person, and then I was pretty much incapacitated.”
Dr. Lipman performed Johnsen’s first total hip replacement in June and the second in August. Both were performed at Broward Health North using the direct anterior approach.
She stayed in the hospital one night after her first surgery but was up and walking the same day. The next morning, she participated in a physical therapy class with some other patients before she was discharged. After her second surgery, she was doing so well they sent her home the same day.
“During both my hospital visits I received exceptional care and attention from the entire staff, from the front door to the outpatient unit to the operating room, recovery room and orthopaedic unit,” Johnsen said. “Everyone who cared for me communicated all the details I needed to know and were very kind and compassionate.”
After both surgeries, she describes walking right away with a walker before graduating to using a cane for a couple of weeks. She says she only experienced minor pain. Occupational and physical therapy helped her learn to get around post-surgery.
Less than six months after her second surgery, Johnsen is back to her active lifestyle.
Having worked in the healthcare industry for 43 years, she knows what it takes to
deliver the best care possible. Because she received exceptional care during her surgeries at Broward Health North, she chose to volunteer in the hospital’s joint replacement center as a way to give back and say thank you for all they did for her.
“The outcomes of both my surgeries were excellent and I feel wonderful,” said Johnsen. “I experienced less pain than I expected, and I can’t thank Dr. Lipman enough for the care I received.”
To learn more about Broward Health’s orthopedic services, visit www.BrowardHealth.org/Orthopedics.
