My Surgeon, Dr. Boettner

Approximately 100 days ago I had the opportunity to meet with a great Doctor by the name of Dr. Sama who is affiliated with the Hospital for Special Surgery. He put me through a series of tests and recommended that I meet with fellow colleague, Dr.Boettner. He explained that Dr. Boettner was a world class hip surgeon and that he could help me.

A month later, Dr. Boettner put me through another rigorous amount of tests. At the end of the week, we met and he asked me a couple questions. He asked me if I wanted to sit on a couch and watch television or lay in a hammock for the rest of my life; I said no to both. He said, "OK, then would you like to climb a mountain?" and I said no. He was surprised and I told him that I wanted to climb ten mountains. He said, "I really like you, you've convinced me we're going to do a bilateral hip surgery at the same time. You're tough enough, so we're going to do it".

That was a month ago, and this past Thursday, was when I had the surgery done. For the first time in a long long time, I had no pain in my knees, pelvis, or ankles. I have pain but only from the incision and from lying flat on my back. We're now starting intense therapy and every day it's getting better.

Dr. Boettner came in this morning, with a smile on his face and said that I was making a miraculous recovery. I told him that I should have come to see him three years ago but didn't, because I was told that the pain I was having, was probably from the latter stages of Lyme's disease and I had also attributed it to ongoing problems I had with my back for many years.

By the way, I found the Hospital for Special Surgery to be a truly a world class facility and I'm thankful that I was able to come here. I'd like to thank every member of the staff that bent over backwards to make my stay comfortable and thank you Dr. Boettner. I've included a bit of information below about Dr. Boettner.

"Dr. Friedrich Boettner was born in Germany, he studied at the top international centers for his specialty, completing fellowships in four sub-areas, as well as additional training in pelvic osteotomies and open hip dislocation with surgeons in Germany, Switzerland and the United States. He has authored an orthopedic textbook, as well as numerous scientific publications. He is awarded for Travelling Fellowship, American Orthopaedic Association OrthoBiotech OREF Award for Excellence in Blood Management."