'It's a Huge Change': Orthopedic Surgery Offers New Lease on Life

Biking, golfing, and playing with his grandchildren are three things David Cummings of Choteau anticipates as he heals from knee surgery. 

David was underway on a Navy ship when he injured himself on a ladder, hyperextending both knees and ultimately cutting short his Navy career.

Thirty-three years later, he rated his quality of life as a 2 on a 10-point scale.

“I had a lot of pain, a lot of frustration,” he said. “I couldn’t do the things I normally did.”

Orthopedic surgeonDr. Tysen Timmer did total knee surgery on both of David’s knees, with the first surgery in December and the second in June.

“Both knees are getting stronger, and I can walk without a waddle now,” David said. “It’s a huge change."

David's body is readjusting to having properly aligned and functioning knees, and Dr. Timmer noted David "doesn’t walk in circles anymore" as they walked to an exam room together. 

“It was a long haul, but I got 'er done," David said of having two surgeries within months of one another.

“Dr. Timmer did a great job,” David said. “He explained what I should expect from the surgeries.”

The process was smooth from intake to patient navigation to surgery to recovery, and David appreciates everyone who was part of caring for him at Benefis.

"We said, 'Let’s get this done,' and boom boom boom, it was done. I was very very happy," he said. “Every staff member has been excellent to work with. You’ve got a lot of good people here.”

David, 61, looks forward to getting a lot of use out of these new knees.

“I was very, very happy,” he said. “I’m still healing, but I’m walking and doing things around the house like upkeep. As my knees get stronger, I’m getting more activity in and losing weight. Hopefully, my body will continue to adjust and come back to normal.”