How long have you been a patient at Coastal?
“The first time I’ve ever been to Coastal Orthopedics was September 2024 for hip surgery. I went in on a Thursday and Dr. Cashen did x-rays, then said he wanted to do the surgery on Tuesday.”
What led up to your recent surgery?
“I fell! I thought I was only bruised, and the pain and bruising started getting better at first, but then it stopped improving. My primary physician thought I had pulled my groin because I was able to walk, but with a limp. She sent me to a physical therapist, and I went there for about a week, but it wasn’t working. We went out of town and when we got back, I knew something was really wrong because it was getting extremely painful. I went to a chiropractor and they did x-rays, then told me my hip was broken!”
What type of surgery did you have?
“Total hip replacement surgery.”
Was it outpatient?
“Yes, I came home the same day as the surgery. Coastal Orthopedics is truly just a step above, with their own surgical unit on State Road 64, and it was convenient and wonderful.”
Why did you choose Dr. Cashen/Coastal?
“I was familiar with Coastal Orthopedics because my sister goes to Dr. Lamar. After my primary physician confirmed that my hip was broken, she agreed that I needed an orthopedic surgeon. She said it actually looked like the blood supply was being cut off to my leg, which made sense because I had noticed that my leg and foot had started tingling. That’s why Dr. Cashen got me in so quickly. He actually told me he’d never known anyone to walk around on a broken hip as long as I had. He was so great and scheduled the surgery for the following Tuesday, after the initial appointment on Thursday, at 6:15am.”
How did the surgery go?
“I was there at 6:15am and was the first person to go in at 7 a.m. The surgery took a little over an hour. It’s amazing how quickly they did it. I had a total hip replacement; they replaced the ball joint and inserted a rod down into the leg in bone. It sounds horrible, but it really wasn’t. My incision is not even that big; it’s about two inches long. When I came to, the doctor and nurses came in and immediately got me up and I was walking with a walker around the surgical ward within two hours with a brand-new hip. It’s now been about seven weeks since the surgery and I recently finished physical therapy and I expect to be fully released this week. I actually really enjoyed physical therapy. It was twice a week for six weeks and it was very helpful. I’ve never had pain from the surgery or physical therapy and the only after effect was that my leg felt a little tight. You have to walk the first three or four days every hour and ice it every two hours to keep it loose.”
Why would you recommend Dr. Cashen and Coastal?
“Oh gosh, absolutely! I already have to several people and will continue to do so. They have a great team between the surgeon, the nurses and the therapists, and they have it down pat more than any other place I heard of.”
How are you doing now?
“Well, it’s funny. I’ve always loved water skiing, but haven’t done it in quite some time. Before you get released from physical therapy, you have to test and qualify to leave. I got tickled at one of the questions my therapist asked. He wanted to know how far I could run. I kind of looked at my therapist and started laughing. I said, ‘Um I haven’t tried that. Do you know how old I am? I don’t run.’ But the really funny thing is that it got me thinking about water skiing, so I recently asked Dr. Cashen if I’ll ever be able to water ski again. He looked at me a little strangely at first, but then said, ‘Maybe you should just wait until next summer!'”
