Jim Baenziger — Dr. Gryfinski Removes Rare Spine Tumor at Kish Hospital

Having a neurosurgeon on staff means rare and more complicated surgical cases can be performed at Kishwaukee Community Hospital. Such was the case when a patient was diagnosed with a spinal cord tumor located at the end of the spine.

 

Jim Baenziger had surgery to remove
a benign tumor on his spine.

Neurosurgeon Martin Gryfinski, DeKalb Clinic, said the tumor, which was benign, was the size of a golf ball and was negatively impacting the nerves that serve the lower extremities, bladder, and bowel. The patient, Jim Baenziger, 57, of Kingston, had hernia surgery in 2012, and when he returned to work at the Hampshire body shop where he paints cars, he began experiencing foot pain, under his toes and on the right side of his foot. The pain was annoying enough to make him seek out care from a podiatrist, but the pain didn’t go away, so eventually he saw a physiatrist who performed a nerve test, which determined that there was an abnormality in his lower spine, between L5 and S1. A subsequent MRI revealed a mass on his spine, which was confirmed by a second MRI using a dye.

“I was referred to Dr. Gryfinski at DeKalb Clinic. “What a guy,” Jim said. “He made me feel real comfortable and confident in him.” The mass would have to be surgically removed, and a risk associated with surgery was permanent nerve damage. But Jim felt confident after talking with Dr. Gryfinski about the upcoming surgery and when Jim’s friends found out that he was seeing Dr. Gryfinski for the condition, they remarked how lucky the community is to have him practicing here.

“I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen such a tumor,” said Dr. Gryfinski who has been practicing neurosurgery for more than 20 years. Dr. Krishna Reddy, Medical Director of Pathology and Clinical Lab at Kish Hospital, studied the tumor in the lab and remarked that he had never seen such a tumor in his career. He said, “In my 36 years of pathology practice, this is the first time a neurosurgical lesion has been removed at our hospital. I am very pleased that Dr. Gryfinski was able to remove it with such an excellent outcome.”

“He told me it would need to come out right away because the longer it was there the more damage it could do to the nerves,” said Jim. Though he never felt much pain from the mass in his back, just a little twinge now and then, nothing excruciating, he now understands why, in addition to his foot pain, he kept having a sensation on his left thigh that felt like his cell phone was vibrating in his pocket.

Dr. Gryfinski performed the nearly three-hour surgery January 28 at Kishwaukee Community Hospital. “Fortunately, it was not cancerous and he was able to get it out without causing nerve damage,” Jim said. “Dr. Gryfinski was awesome, and the nurses were awesome. They helped me keep a positive attitude and I feel that was important for me to get through this.” Jim was very impressed by the care he received from the nurses, CNAs, and physicians who cared for him at the hospital and throughout the diagnostic and treatment process. He was especially impressed when Dr. Gryfinski called him at home one evening to check on him. “We’re both hockey fans, so he knew I would be home watching the game too,” Jim said.

Jim is on the road to recovery and has begun physical therapy to strengthen his spine and anticipates returning to work soon.

Dave Sinason – A New Era in Joint Replacement “No Machine, No Home Visits, No Crutches”

Dave Sinason, on the day after his
knee replacement surgery

Dave Sinason, 60, of DeKalb, an Accounting professor at Northern Illinois University, has a history of knee trouble. Dave’s knee replacement surgery in December was the most recent step on a long road of procedures and pain. But Dave’s experience this time around was quite an improvement compared to what he had known from years past.

In 1978, Dave tore the cartilage in his right knee, which back then meant a surgery to remove the damaged cartilage, which would eventually lead to additional problems. In 1991, Dave had an osteotomy, a procedure to straighten out his leg by breaking it and putting in a plate and screws to reconfigure it. In order to heal from the procedure, Dave had to endure weeks of a hip to ankle cast. The doctor called this a “twenty-year fix.”

By 2011, Dave was in need of a right knee replacement, but since a replacement could not be done on a knee with hardware in it, Dave prepared for the surgery an entire year ahead of time. In March 2011, he had an outpatient procedure to remove the hardware. A postop infection set him back about six months, so he had to wait until December 2012 to have the replacement done.

Finally on Dec. 18, 2012, he had the right knee replacement surgery. Dave had a great deal of experience with other surgeries, hospital stays, and therapies, so he thought he knew just what to expect in a knee replacement. In May 2005, Orthopedic Surgeon Steve Glasgow had performed Dave’s left knee replacement at the old hospital. Back in 2005, there was no group therapy, just a one on one session with a physical therapist. After the surgery in 2005, Dave was sent home with a leg machine to begin his on-going therapy. The machine moved his leg twenty-four hours a day for two weeks from a straight position to bending, over and over again. The physical therapist visited the house and adjusted the machine to increase the angle in order to regain flexibility.

Fast forward seven years—no machine, no home visits, no crutches! Instead, he used a walker that first day after surgery for stability, putting full weight on the replaced knee. He felt like he didn’t even need the walker. As a member of the group therapy class, with his wife Karen as his coach and nine other patients at Kish Hospital’s Center for Joint Care, the day following his surgery, he was already up and walking with limited assistance—something he had not done for weeks after previous surgeries. “The purpose of physical therapy back seven years was to get you home, not really your first step to total recovery as it is now,” Dave said. “I was used to learning how to use the crutches and managing the stairs, but not starting rehabilitation in the hospital.”

The following week, nine days post-op, Dave returned to Dr. Glasgow to have the staples removed, he traded in his walker and received a cane. A couple of weeks later he was using the cane, mostly outside. This was Dave’s sixth surgery, the fourth one on his right knee. He now goes to outpatient physical therapy three times a week to strengthen he muscles and work on flexibility. After six weeks of therapy, his progress will be assessed to determine if he needs to continue a few more weeks.

Soon after beginning outpatient physical therapy, Dave set goals for himself: to drive the car and start the semester on time—less than a month after his surgery. Dave knows what it’s like to teach on crutches, this time around though, he’s looking forward to just having the cane. He knows he’ll have to sit more than usual, but he has no doubt that he’ll be able to return to his regular schedule teaching three classes. And he jokes that having the cane will keep his Accounting students “in line.”
To learn more about the Center for Joint Care and to watch patient testimonial videos, please visit http://www.kishhospital.org/jointcenter/testimonials.html.

Leroy Shoemaker - Back on the Golf Course After Knee Replacement Surgery

Leroy Shoemaker of Rochelle

Leroy Shoemaker of Rochelle is an inspiration. His energy level is enviable, even at the age of 81. A retired Agriculture and Horticulture teacher at Rochelle Township High School, Leroy now enjoys spending time on the golf course, playing bridge, and traveling to visit family with his wife Dorine. A couple of years ago, Leroy began experiencing pain in his right knee and when he got it checked out, the doctor said his knee was “bone on bone.”  After injections of cortisone and Synvisc, he was still experiencing pain, so the next step was to see an orthopedic surgeon. Leroy was referred to Dr. Steven Glasgow, who recommended knee replacement surgery.

Living in Rochelle, Leroy had a choice where to do the surgery. Dr. Glasgow described the services at Kish Hospital’s Center for Joint Care, including the education program, inpatient physical therapy, the Joint Care team, and the private rooms. Leroy had a couple of friends who had recent surgeries at Kish Hospital and highly recommended going there, so he felt his choice was easy, he would come to Kish Hospital for his knee replacement. His surgery was June 26, 2012.

Post-surgery, Leroy golfed in the fall and still exercises faithfully every day, doing the exercises outlined in the Joint Center patient guide. Leroy said that his staying active is the reason why his recovery has gone so well. His advice to others needing joint replacement is to begin exercising before surgery and continue during recovery. He said, “I have no problem going up and down stairs—my knee actually feels better after I do!”

Leroy said, “The care was very good here at Kish Hospital.” Both Leroy and his wife Dorine remarked that Occupational Therapist Kris Sargent made the inpatient therapy sessions fun. In addition to Leroy’s wife, his daughter and daughter-in-law were his coaches after surgery. They were so pleased with the care he received at the hospital that his daughter-in-law stated that she would bring her own dad here from out of state for surgery if he were in better health. And Leroy’s daughter, a nurse practitioner, said that she was also impressed with the hospital and the care he received.
To learn more about the Center for Joint Care and to watch patient testimonial videos, please visit http://www.kishhospital.org/jointcenter/testimonials.html.