Mary Landrus of Pontiac, Illinois lived with pain for 25 years, but the last four were increasingly difficult to bear. Two back surgeries, 17 spinal injections, a neuro-stimulator, and numerous physical therapy visits gave her no relief.
The diagnosis given by her doctors at that time was “chronic back pain syndrome.”
By the fall of 2014, the pain was so severe, she was confined to her home, unable to endure even a trip to the local library or grocery store. Mary went to see Dr. Lacey Moy at OSF Medical Group on Reynolds Street.
“That day in her office, Dr. Moy asked me to show her exactly where my pain was and describe it,” said Mary. “When I did, she said she didn’t think the problem was with my back, but rather with my hip. She sent me straight over to OSF Saint James for an X-ray and they worked me into the schedule for that day.”
A visit to Dr. Jeff Lowe at OSF Medical Group – Orthopedics on October 14 confirmed what Dr. Moy had suspected. Dr. Lowe said the condition of her hip joint was the worst he’d ever seen.
Preferring to try non-surgical treatments first, Dr. Lowe scheduled Mary for a hip joint injection on October 20. It was successful, giving her almost complete pain relief, even though they both suspected it would be temporary. A second shot on February 25, 2015 didn’t last as long and it was time to talk about hip joint replacement.
“I admired him for trying the injections first, and not jumping straight to surgery,” commented Mary. “He’s wonderful, so easy to talk to and down to Earth. Everyone in the office was efficient and nice, too. You can tell they care.”
“My hip and leg pain were completely gone.”
Because of a previous heart condition Mary completed a stress test, an echocardiogram, and the routine pre-op tests in mid-May and her joint replacement was scheduled for June 1. The surgery was successful, and after staying a few extra days for some additional therapy to regain her strength, Mary went home on June 10.
“I only had one pain pill in the hospital after surgery and then an occasional Tylenol for my incision. My hip and leg pain were completely gone. I had no pain! On a scale of 0-10, it went from being a 15 to ZERO after my surgery. I couldn’t believe it,” reports Mary.
Mary received physical and occupational therapy at home from OSF Home Care Services through July 6, and has been walking around her home, stores and the library to continue to regain strength.
The worst part of the surgery for Mary was not being able to drive her car for six weeks. But friends and family took her to church and to hair and doctor appointments until she was given the green light on July 14.
“… great hospital care right here in Pontiac…”
The best part? Mary says it’s “just being out of pain, so I can go shopping, enjoy my grandchildren and get back to the normal daily activities like cooking, that I hadn’t been able to do for so long.”
“Honestly, my care at OSF Saint James could not have been any better. Why waste your money on gas to drive to Bloomington or anywhere else to have surgery, when you can get great doctors, like Dr. Moy and Dr. Lowe, and great hospital care right here in Pontiac?”
Last Updated: December 21, 2021