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Since I began the Flagstaff Real Estate and Community News Blog over
14 months ago, I’ve posted a list of fun things to do for the coming weekend
each Friday – except last Friday. I’m planning to take up that list again this
week, but I wanted to explain where I was last week. It’s another great feature
of living in Flagstaff.
I spent the better part of last week at the Flagstaff Medical Center’s Spine and Joint Surgery
Center. We were there for a knee replacement and I was the “coach.”
The foundation of the program is that the patient is not “sick” but is in for
repair to restore an active and healthy lifestyle. Frankly, it’s great. (By the
way, we also had a great surgeon – Amber Randall, M.D. has qualifications you’d only expect to
find at one of the country’s great university hospitals.)
Joint-replacement patients at Flagstaff Medical Center stay in a
dedicated unit within the hospital, where they are encouraged
to participate in daily activities that are outlined in a daily newsletter.
There is lots of hard work, with twice daily group physical therapy sessions and
“hiking to the summit of Humphrey’s Peak.” Friends and family members
are asked to serve as “coaches” and participate in the recovery
process. I have a coach button. My partner earned hiking boots to represent
ability to walk without supervision among the “mountain flowers.”
The flower you see pictured here represents the end 25 feet in one of the
Bone and Joint Surgery Center’s hallways. There are flowers like this on
the wall every 25 feet. We became intimately familiar with each one. Now, we’re
home and well on the road to recovery. PT continues twice per day at home and
twice per week under professional supervision. We’re looking forward to hiking
the real beautiful trails around Flagstaff next spring.
Flagstaff is a wonderful place to live and one of those
wonders is the orthopedic services available in our community.
P.S. If you go on this adventure, I strongly suggest attending the
two-hour pre-surgery class several weeks in advance of your trip. It was
very helpful. | 
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