CAPE GAZETTE, Friday, Aug. 1 - Aug. 7, 1997- 41
]3e00
v
surgeons mend "broke:rL wings"
Eight months after surgery to replace her
shoulder, which had deteriorated from
years of overuse, Roberta Keonig of Mil-
ford says she is free of "that terrible, shoot-
ing pain," which had intensified for years
before becoming unbearable.
Rheumatoid arthritis had damaged the
cartilage and muscle in her shoulder, and
the resulting wear on her shoulder caused
constant paifi for almost a year.
Like so many people who suffer from
shoulder pain, Keonig, 62, traces her prob-
lem to overuse of the joint - she was an avid
bowler for many years. She believes her
condition was aggravated by work on a
house she and her husband bought eight
years ago. Tearing sheetrock, she said, was
not exactly helpful to her weakening shoul-
der.
Her orthopaedic surgeon was Wilson
Choy, M.D., who relocated to Lewes after a
Thomas
fellowship at Harvard Medical School.
Choy, a specialist in joint replacement,
came to Beebe in August, 1996, after an in-
vitation from Beebe orthopaedic surgeon
John Spieker, M.D.
Choy said the pain comes from the wear-
ing away of cartilage that normally cush-
ions the shoulder bones, keeping them from
rubbing against each other.
"When wear and tear becomes too exces-
sive, the cartilage is gone, causing intense
pain," Choy said. "You can't comb your
hair. You have difficulty feeding yourself.
You can't sleep on that side. You can't hold
more than four or five pounds."
Medication and physical therapy may
have failed these patients, but now total
shoulder replacement gives them a second
chance.
"Now I can do almost anything," Koenig
said.
the steps we will take together to
complete their diagnosis and treat
their illness. I think people re-
spond better to their care if they
understand what the plan is, so I
like to spend time working on
that," he said. His usual routine,
he said, is to make contact with a
patient as soon as he receives test
results. "It gives people a sense of
control and involvement."
Other diseases, disorders and
conditions that Thomas often
treats include Parkinson's disease;
myasthenia gravis, a condition of
defective movement of nerve sig-
Continued from page 38
ing TIAs or seizures and should
see a doctor right away."
Once a diagnosis is made
Thomas believes it is important to
spend time with a patient. "I like
to sit down with them and explain
their disease in terms they can un-
derstand," he said. "I like to com-
municate with my patients and ed-
ucate them about their disease -
first and foremost.
"At that point I like to outline
Until a few years ago, people with shoul-
der pain so severe they couldn't dress them-
selves just had to put up with it.
The only courses of action open to physi-
cians were medication, physical therapy or
fusion of the joint - an option which left the
patient unable to use the shoulder at all.
But today, there is an alternative - total
shoulder replacement.
Like replacement of hip and knee joints,
this surgery is done as a last resort, when all
other types of treatment have failed.
But for those who suffer from unbearable
pain due to arthritis, injury, infection or tu-
rrmrs, the relief brought by replacement
surgery is almost immediate.
"It's a very satisfying surgery. You get
rid of the pain, and the patient can resume a
normfil life," said Hugo Davalos, M.D., an
orthopaedic surgeon affiliated with Beebe
Continued on page 42
nals between nerve fibers to mus-
cles; carpal tunnel syndrome,
where pressure on a nerve for the
palm and thumb side of the hand
causes weakness and pain; and
neck and back pain of various ori-
gins.
Thomas said that because of his
neurology and pain management
skills, he'll be assisting the others
in the practice - orthopaedic sur-
geons John Spieker, M.D. and
Wilson Choy, M.D. - with "kind
of rounding out the perspective of
anyone with discomfort. They'll
have a multi-specialty approach
J
: ii
Statistics prove that the bathroom
in any home, even for a normally
healthy family, is the most danger-
ous room in the house. If you or a
loved one are convalescing at home,
you may be unsteady or weak.
Why take the chance of a slip or fall?
A complete line of bath, shower and
toilet safety aids is available
according to the patient's needs
at Edge Care TM.
EDGEHILL PHARMACY
Peddlers Village
Love Creek ° 945-7500
COME IN FOR MORE
INFORMATION OR A
FREE CATALOG.
Current technology allows or-
thopaedic surgeons to replace the
ball and socket of the shoulder joint
with new plastic and titanium parts.
I
for treatments," he said.
Thomas, 39, earned his bachelor
of arts degree in biology from the
University of Pittsburgh and his
degree in medicine from Ameri-
can University and spent four
years in residency at Hahnemann
Hospital in Philadelphia. He is a
member of the American Acade-
my of Neurology.
Thomas is currently doing some
research on injuries to the brachial
plexus and cervical plexus. His
research involves evaluation and
treatment options for strain caused
by neck and shoulder injuries.
To make an appointment with
Thomas, call Orthopaedic Associ-
ates at 645-8126 in Lewes and
422-5242 in Milford.
An early
mammogram
can detect
breast cancer
while it's
still this
smal00
Period!
With the rising incidence of breast cancer,
the American Cancer Society recommends
that all women receive a baseline mammo-
gram between the ages of 35 and 40,
a screening mammogram every two years
between the ages of 40 and 50, and annu-
ally after the age 50. Please call one of
these Beebe Medical Center facilities to
schedule your mammogram.
Beebe Medical Center, Lewes 645-3564
Millsboro Sussex Imaging Center 934-9039
Georgetown Sussex Imaging Center 856-9111
B
Beebe
Medical
Center
.424 Savanrah Rd
Lewes, DE 19958
