Feeling Like New After 30 Years

Cynthia Bishop tells of her wonderful experience at Dr. LaButti's office.

Cynthia Bishop says there is only one word to describe her knee replacement experience with Dr. LaButti – “wonderful!”

After 30 years of pain and swelling, Cynthia Bishop has a new knee. And she has never felt better.

Her problems began in the tenth grade. They came as no surprise to the cheerleader and tennis, basketball and volleyball player. A string of therapies continued for the next 30 years. “You name it and I did it,” she recalls. Medications, salves, machines and numerous injections that included cortisone and what Cynthia calls “chicken juice.” Each time the pain and swelling returned. And it got a little worse.  

About five years ago, she heard those two words that she wanted to eliminate from her vocabulary – “knee replacement.” There was no cartilage left in her right knee, and all attempts to rejuvenate simply failed. All along, she knew it in her head. It was not a question of if she would need surgery; it was a question of when.

But actually facing the situation was not easy. “I’m the caregiver,” explains the self-described impatient lady who likes to be in control. “I’m not used to having people take care of me.” She needed just the right doctor to make her happy and make her well.  

For the next year, Cynthia researched and visited orthopedic surgeons and talked with knee replacement patients. One day she stopped a stranger in a store. Cynthia saw a woman hobbling along, obviously in pain. Her badly swollen knee hosted a large scar that was seeping with infection. “A knee replacement?” she inquired. It was. The surgeon? Cross that name off the list of contenders.

She was consistently impressed by the good things she heard and read about Ronald S. LaButti, D.O., with Central States Orthopedic Specialists. Cynthia liked all the useful information that was on his website. And she liked the fact that Dr. LaButti had studied under one of the leading orthopedic surgeons in the world. That was enough for her to make an appointment.

From the very first moment, Cynthia saw something different about Dr. LaButti and his staff. “Everyone was so kind and caring, yet professional,” she recalls. “They treated me like I was all that mattered to them.” Once he examined her, Dr. LaButti confirmed that a knee replacement would be the only way to permanently relieve the pain. But there were options for temporary relief – the decision would be hers.

At last, she felt comfortable and in good hands. Surgery was scheduled for late June of last year. The experience at the hospital supported her decision even more. With four previous hospital surgical procedures as a comparison, Cynthia recalls how careful the nurses were during her pre-op visit. They checked and double checked all blood work to meet Dr. LaButti’s standards. “He’s a perfectionist,” they told her.

Although she had received detailed descriptions of what to expect and how she would likely feel, Cynthia said she was scared on the day of the surgery, as she kept thinking about the whole new joint that would be in her body when she awakened.

“My recovery was much quicker than I thought,” she says. “Everything about my experience was wonderful!” After six months, her range of motion is normal and her knee is 85 to 90 percent recovered. The mother of three is doing nearly everything she wants, including weekly volunteer work at a local animal shelter with her daughter.

“To anyone who is even considering a knee replacement, I recommend calling Dr. LaButti,” says Cynthia. For more info, visit the new website, ­www.hipandkneedoc.com.

For more information, contact

Dr. Ronald S. LaButti

www.hipandkneedoc.com

About Author Deanna Rebro

Deanna Rebro has worked in the publishing industry 30+ years, including eight years writing for Value News. She has also worked in real estate for the past six years. Deanna graduated from Kent State University in Kent, Ohio with a B.A. in Journalism. Outside of work, she serves as Vice President on the Board of Directors for Pet Adoption League. “Every story I write is a learning experience,” she said.