We were all surprised when my mother underwent a right hip replacement instead of a knee replacement this past July. We were thinking that since both of her knees were in pain, she would have them replaced. We were really amazed how Dr. Vo and Dr. Malik diagnosed during the physical examination in the final screening that my mom had a problem in her hips and they explained to us why it was important to correct this condition first.
We left General Santos City and traveled back to Manila last August 7 (three weeks post-op). She is now doing well and is continuing her physical therapy. After the surgery, she did not feel any pain in the surgical site even up to now.
We understand that her case is different. Dr. Malik advised us that her recovery will not be as fast as the other patients, since she also has knee arthritis. For the first six weeks, she was instructed to do touch-down weight exercises with gait aids. Just last Wednesday, 28 of August (six weeks post-op), she started 25% partial weight bearing as part of the instructions given to her and this will progress every week depending on the pain. I asked her if she felt any pain in her right hip and knee after the weight bearing, and she said that there was none. We hope that this will continue until she can finally put the normal weight into her right limb when she’s walking.
So far, the only pain that she is feeling now is in her left knee. My mom has traveled far compared to her situation last year where was just lying in bed and really depressed due to the pain brought by osteoarthritis. Thank you for giving her hope again. We thank God for making the foundation an instrument in helping people who have problems with their mobility.
We are forever grateful to the whole team for everything that they’ve done in General Santos. Thank you to all the volunteers, donors and everyone who is part of Operation Walk. You give hope to the patients. Your vision is truly life-changing. May God bless you all even more.
Best regards.
Marilyn Villaflor
Daughter of Leonida Villaflor
