Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center - (Page 52)

NEW LIFE After living with pain for decades, Stefanie Turner turned to GMC for relief S tefanie Turner was fed up with the pain in her knees and two years ago decided it was time to do something about it. She and her husband, Brandon, researched doctors in the area and even went to a few before they decided on Thomas R. Cadier, MD, at Gwinnett Medical Center–Duluth. “You’re always looking for the perfect doctor,” Turner says. “We did research and visited a few other doctors before we chose Dr. Cadier. He’s a wonderful man, and he’s so experienced. And you want to pick the hospital you like that’s convenient. You don’t have to go downtown or far away. Gwinnett Medical Center–Duluth is right here with everything you need.” PAIN SINCE CHILDHOOD Turn ante d, Stef an ie acem ents for gr all . r two kn ee re pl er N ot ta kin g he is m ore ac tive ov rk re gu lar ly an d w alk s at th e pa 52 FA L L 2 013 er Turner has rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune condition that caused signiﬁcant enough damage to the joints in her knees that created a need for surgery. “Rheumatoid arthritis is an inﬂammatory arthritis,” Dr. Cadier says. “Over the course of time, the joint surface in Stefanie’s knees was destroyed by the disease.” Turner remembers feeling pain as a child and continued to live with that pain for decades. “I lived on Advil for more than 10 years,” she says. “I always knew I had a problem, and I remember having my knee lock up as a kid. It’s just really painful. My right leg was the worst. I was totally bone on bone with no cartilage, and it was caved in for about 10 years.” The pain she experienced on a daily basis hindered her life signiﬁcantly. She constantly thought about how to avoid activities that would cause her more pain. “I’m not that active, but I was at the point where I couldn’t cook. I couldn’t clean,” she says. “I would look at one step and

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center
Contents
Phil’s Feature
Kind and Generous
How Can We Help?
Step It Up
Your Mightiest Muscle
Well, Well, Well
Are You Doing More Harm Than Good?
Is Your Shut-Eye Serving You Well?
Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge
Anatomy of an ER Visit
Next-Gen Surgery
Attack from Within
Virtual Health
PrimeTime Health
Clear Passage
New Life with New Knees
Out of the White Coat
Transforming Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center