Carol's Knee Replacement

Joint replacement helped Carol Vaness get back to her life.

Carol is a professional opera singer, and now a professor at Indiana University’s Jacob’s School of Music. As an opera singer, her career is physically demanding and does not allow for “sick days.”

“You treat what pain or illness you may have and continue on with the thought that ‘as long as I get on stage tonight, I’ll be fine,’” Carol says.

Carol knew she had to do something, however, when the pain in her right knee got to the point where it was changing her personality.

“When every step and everything you do hurts, it’s hard to be in a good mood,” Carol remembers. “Chronic pain was changing who I was, and was putting a great deal of stress on my husband.”

Carol turned to Bloomington Hospital’s Regional Orthopedics Center and Orthopedic Surgeon Jonathan Surdam, M.D. to learn more about joint replacement surgery and how it could help her get back to her life.

After deciding joint replacement was the right option for her, Carol attended the pre-op education session at Bloomington Hospital. She met one-on-one with a nurse to review her medical history and learn how to prepare for surgery. In addition, an hour-long education session, taught by a nurse, physical therapist, case manager and pharmacist, helped Carol learn what was to come.

“I learned what to expect before, during and after surgery, and what my hospital stay would be like,” says Carol. “From the moment I began the joint replacement process I knew I had made the right decision. What impressed me most about Bloomington Hospital was the genuine human kindness I felt from all of my caregivers.”

Carol had surgery on May 12, 2008, and spent three days recovering at Bloomington Hospital.

“Just a day after surgery, I was walking up and down the hallway at the hospital. The amount of information Bloomington Hospital and Dr. Surdam provided before surgery was spectacular. I felt very prepared going into surgery,” she says. “At Bloomington Hospital, the nurses listen to you so you can tell them how you feel. Then, they act on what you tell them. And, Dr. Surdam was always so professional and compassionate and took the time to really listen to me.”

Carol was back to teaching voice lessons just four weeks after surgery. Today, she’s enjoying the simple pleasure of holding her husband’s hand while walking her two dogs, and getting ready to start a new semester teaching up and coming opera students on IU’s Bloomington campus.