“With your help, I felt like I came back to life.”

Barbara, originally from Jalisco, Mexico, and a long-time Marin County resident, always has a smile on her face. She values her independence and enjoys doing many things on her own, including working out at the gym, walking her dog, riding her bike, and shopping at grocery stores.

A few years ago, Barbara was diagnosed with arthritis, and, between 2019-2021, her condition took a progressively more significant toll on her health and well-being. Her primary care provider, Dr. Lisa Ward at Marin Community Clinics, prescribed arthritis medication. Later, Barbara was prescribed cortisone injections every three months because the medication did not provide sufficient relief.

Unfortunately, the injections provided only temporary relief. Over time, Barbara's condition worsened, and her mental and emotional health deteriorated. Everyday chores like carrying a laundry basket upstairs became extremely difficult. In constant pain, she stopped going to the gym and the grocery store. She could tolerate standing for only a couple minutes at a time before her knees would lock, the pain would increase, and she would feel stressed and anxious. Barbara also experienced pain while sitting or lying down. Her chronic pain prevented her from getting adequate sleep. Barbara began to suffer from depression. Her children and husband wanted to help her but felt powerless because they did not know how to treat her pain and depression.

Since treatment options so far had been unsuccessful. Dr. Ward referred Barbara to Dr. Pinak Shukla, an orthopedist from California Orthopedics & Spine, who provides services at Marin Community Clinics. Dr. Shukla, one of our self-referring volunteers recommended arthroscopic knee surgery and referred Barbara to our program.

Dr. Shukla and his team at MarinHealth Medical Center performed the knee arthroscopy to get a better look at the cartilage, bones, and soft tissues inside Barbara's knee. Once he determined the extent of the damage, he performed a partial medial meniscectomy and a medial femoral chondroplasty to repair her knee. Soon after surgery, Dr. Shukla referred Barbara to Alexander Oberman, PT, at Novato Community Hospital Physical Therapy and Sports Fitness department, for physical therapy sessions to regain mobility. Barbara is thankful for the care she received from Dr. Shukla, his team, and Alexander Oberman, and said, “With your help, I felt like I came back to life."

Barbara's life is slowly getting back to normal. She can take walks with her dog, go shopping alone, ride her bike, and do sit-ups. Her family is delighted she is happy and healthy again. Over the holidays, Barbara cooked for her entire family. Her son took one look at her prepping the meal in in her kitchen and happily said, “Mom, you are back to being you again!” 

Story and photo shared with patient’s permission.