SMMC - I am Proof Testimonial - Margery Orem

Margery Orem, Kennebunk
Issue: Dual knee replacement
Today: On the move again

At 81 years young, Margery Orem of Kennebunk loves walking on the beach and snowshoeing but when her knees became too arthritic and painful to even negotiate the stairs at her house, she knew it was time to do something about it.

“We have steep stairs at our home and it was getting harder and more painful to climb the stairs,” she recalls. “I had been receiving cortisone injections at SMMC PrimeCare Orthopedics for more comfort, and they had gently encouraged me to consider joint replacement, but I had to make the decision to move forward. Finally, I decided to do something about it while I was still young enough to do it.” According to Margery, she chose to have the surgery with John Solari, MD, an orthopedic surgeon with SMMC PrimeCare Orthopedics, after receiving a reference from a friend who had a hip replaced by Dr. Solari and was pleased with the results.

Margery had her left knee replaced at SMMC in February of 2008. She was impressed with the results. “Within a day I was up and walking,” she recalls. “I slept on a recliner at home the first night and was told by a visiting nurse on the second day to sleep upstairs in my usual bed. I was amazed that I was walking so easily with a cane the second day. The pain in my knee was completely gone.” Based on the highly encouraging results from her first knee replacement, Margery chose to proceed with the second knee in the summer of 2009. The results were just as positive.

“I had had previous surgeries and am somewhat familiar with hospitals so I had no fear -- I knew that they could help me,” recalls Margery. “If someone is contemplating joint replacement surgery at SMMC, I would say don’t hesitate. My experience at SMMC was excellent! “We have lived in many places and I’ve been in many hospitals in different cities and countries,” she adds, nodding toward her husband of 55 years, John, who served as an engineer in the Navy for 27 of those years. “SMMC is very comfortable and pleasant and the food is good! You come away with a nice feeling. The staff is courteous and thoughtful. SMMC has both the quality of care and that comforting sense of a community hospital.”

Today, Margery is on the move again, pain free, and ready to enjoy the winter snow with the new snowshoes provided by her daughter.

A friend, whose husband was a runner and suffered with bad knees, was so impressed with Margery’s mobility, she told Margery, “I wish my husband could go to the store and buy some knees like yours.”

To learn more about joint replacement surgery at SMMC, visit smmc.org/ortho.