Pet had knee replacement surgery carried out by Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Kumar Reddy before returning to Benenden Hospital six months later to have hip replacement surgery. Read on to discover Pet’s journey to living a life free from hip and knee pain.
Pet's knee replacement surgery
“I had a bad break of my right ankle which meant I had to put all my weight onto my left knee for six weeks. Once my ankle had healed and I was able to walk again, I started getting a lot of pain in my left knee. I couldn’t walk very far so I had to use a walking stick. We’ve got shops about a five-minute walk away and I couldn’t even get there without a walking stick. My husband would carry the shopping for me. Enough was enough and I contacted my doctor for advice.
“My GP gave me some steroid injections in my knee to treat the pain, one worked, one didn’t. I was then told I needed to go away and lose weight but my argument was: because I can’t get around, I can’t exercise so it’s difficult to lose weight! It was like a catch-22 situation.
“Since I worked at Kent County Council, I have been a member of Benenden Health. Benenden Hospital is on my doorstep, so I was lucky to be referred there by my GP. I live in the middle of Kent so Benenden Hospital is only a 15-minute drive away from my home.
“I saw a Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon for my initial consultation in the December and he recommended I had an arthroscopy and that was booked in only a month later in January. I can’t fault Benenden Hospital, however, my Consultant was scheduled to be on holiday on the date of my knee replacement surgery in May.
“So Benenden Hospital called me and asked if I’d like to delay or continue with another Consultant, so I had a consultation with Mr Kumar Reddy who is an absolutely wonderful guy! He assessed me and said I was ideal for a knee replacement and he’d be happy to do it. Mr Reddy did a marvellous job with my knee.”
Pet's hip replacement surgery
After recovering from her knee replacement, Pet noticed pain in her left hip too.
“As soon as I returned to my GP, they instantly referred me back to Benenden Hospital because they said that if I didn’t have the hip replacement on my left side again it would render my knee replacement useless.
“I had my hip replaced at the beginning of November by another expert Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Raj Shrivastava. The preparation and guidance I received was absolutely wonderful, I couldn’t fault Benenden Hospital for how they treated me. The preparation was brilliant, I was told everything that would happen, how long it would take and I would recommend it to everybody.
“Recovering from both a knee and hip replacement within the same year was very smooth and fast. The weather was nice so I managed to get out for a ten-minute walk everyday to aid my recovery.”
Pet discusses her hip and knee replacement surgeries
Pet had her knee replaced by Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon, Mr Kumar Reddy before returning to Benenden Hospital six months later to have her hip replaced.
What is the atmosphere and environment like at Benenden Hospital?
“The staff at the hospital are so friendly and helpful. I picked someone up from there after 9pm recently and even the security staff were extremely helpful. They directed me and showed me where I could get a coffee if I wanted one.
“The views from the very clean rooms look out onto the beautiful Kent countryside and everybody is so welcoming. While you’re recovering from joint replacement surgery you want to feel supported, safe, and at home. It’s just a fabulous place to go.”
Advice from Pet
“I couldn’t walk very far before I had my joint replacement surgeries. I had my hip replacement in the November and the following Easter I did a three-mile walk around Dungeness bird reserve! My husband and I have been on the holiday of a lifetime to India which I wouldn’t have been able to do prior to surgery because of all the travelling in and out of vehicles and walking around in the heat. Life for me is much, much better.
“I would recommend Benenden Hospital because it’s a wonderful place, it’s like a hotel, it’s not a like a hospital at all! The staff and Consultants are brilliant and I haven’t got a bad word to say about it.
“If you’re suffering from hip or knee pain, go ahead and book an orthopaedic consultation because it will give you your life back! From a person like me who could hardly walk to someone who now walks frequently and travels too, it needs to be done and it’s nothing to be worried about.”
Considering private hip and knee replacement surgery?
To contact us about private hip and knee replacement surgery, book a consultation today by completing our online booking form, contacting us via Livechat or by calling our Private Patient Team on 01580 363 158.
Published on 30 August 2022