Mary – Gibraltar
‘I cannot praise Dr. Boerger enough! He’s very professional, and a lovely man. If someone is afraid of having knee surgery, I would recommend not to over think it. Have a consultation with Dr. Boerger, let him put you mind at rest, and after the surgery you will be given a new lease of life!’
In 2019 Mary had a left knee replacement, which was a success, so when she started to have severe pain a few years later in her other knee, that stopped her from sleeping, she booked a consultation with Dr. Thomas Boerger at College Clinic in Gibraltar. Here she tells us her experience.
Background
‘I was living with pain for over a year, and I was needing to have periodical steroid injections too, given by Dr. Thomas Boerger. The pain would wake me up multiple times a night and I would have to take pain killers. It was horrendous.
Dr Boerger recommended I have a partial knee replacement, but I was putting it off as I needed to be available for my family and elderly mother. My mobility during the day was alright, but the pain at night was becoming a real issue. I was feeling like I was not getting any real sleep. When Dr. Boerger was able to schedule me in quickly I went just decided to go ahead with the operation.
Procedure
I had the procedure at HC Marbella. My husband took me to the private hospital on the morning of the procedure and stayed with me in my private room for the two nights I stayed after the operation.
The surgery was very straight forward. Dr. Boerger met me during the preparations and once I was in theatre, I was given an epidural and after that I don’t remember a thing! The next memory I had was waking up in the recovery room where I stayed for a few hours. I asked to spend the night in my private room and the Dr. Boerger agreed, so I was transferred there for 48 hours of recovery.
The nurses came by very regularly to check on me and give pain killers.
Aftercare & recovery
It was painful after the surgery – probably more intense than the pain beforehand but it was alright as I knew I was just temporary and that I was on my way to being pain free.
I had a positive attitude about it, as the pain was only for a few weeks. I just got on with life, knowing tomorrow would be better than today and the next day would be better than tomorrow.
My first follow-up consultation with Dr. Boerger was a month after the procedure and he was really happy with how I was walking and said I should no longer use a crutch.
I focused on recovery and now I am good as new!
I am also sleeping well too. I have always been a very good sleeper. So, when I was in pain, waking up throughout the night, it just made me feel exhausted.
Now I am sleeping like I used to and feel like I have a new lease of life!’