Enjoying pain-free living, thanks to Geisinger
Marianne Godwin considers herself pretty lucky. After several surgeries for severe arthritis, she feels like herself again.
She calls Geisinger orthopaedic surgeon Jeffrey Gillette, DO, “a miracle worker.”
“He performed four surgeries on me within a period of 31 months. I’ve been on quite a ride — but thank God, with an incredible doctor,” she says.
“Dr. Gillette is very easygoing. He answers all of your questions. He's not remotely intimidating to deal with. I found his bedside manner was great.”
Incredible orthopaedic care, close to home
Starting in 2019, Ms. Godwin, 66, had a total hip replacement, two reverse shoulder replacements and hand surgery.
She chose Geisinger on the recommendation of a friend and neighbor employed by the health system. This New York native (who’s now a resident of Lake Ariel in northeastern Pennsylvania) is impressed with the high level of care, the sensitivity of the staff, appointment scheduling, surgery preparation, communication and follow-up.
“They were beyond kind and caring, and then followed up with phone calls to see what my pain level was like, how was I managing,” Ms. Godwin says.
“It’s a stellar group of people. It was a dream, like I was transported to a new galaxy. The quality of the care that I received is just incredible.”
Relief from arthritis pain — and back in the garden
Ms. Godwin had been living with arthritic pain for some 15 years, which interfered with her active life and a love of gardening.
“I was diagnosed with extreme arthritis and I was full of spurs in both of my shoulders, and the hip was also an issue,” she says. “Quite frankly, I wasn't smiling as much as I normally would. And it was pretty crummy walking around in pain all day long or trying to do something then wincing because, ‘Oh my God, a tendon got caught on a spur!’ It was horrible.”
She’d been concerned about how well she’d recover after the surgeries, but is thrilled with how much mobility she regained.
Now she’s able to lift, bend and garden to her heart’s content with no problems.
“It's changed my life dramatically. I don't have any pain and I can function,” Ms. Godwin says. “Geisinger gave me a future. They gave me a life.”
Next steps:
Read and watch more stories
Learn about orthopaedic care at Geisinger
Meet Jeffrey Gillette, DO
