Where Gaylynn can confidently walk into the future

Her outspoken granddaughter declared that she walked like a penguin due to the way her bull-legged form wobbled from side to side. Not only did Gaylynn Child’s cumbersome gait attract attention, but it also slowed down and challenged her day-to-day activities. She couldn’t climb stairs, she avoided bending and sitting on the ground because she could not return to an upright position, and she shied from walking beside other people. Though she didn’t feel immense pain, Gaylynn also recognized that her walking problems were only worsening.

“It had been coming on for about 15 years. One day my nephew said to me, ‘You may not think you’re in pain, but we’re in pain watching you walk.’ I had many family members and friends getting after me to get my knees fixed,” Gaylynn said.

Taking the first steps toward healing: Connecting with compassionate doctors

Gaylynn met with multiple orthopedic surgeons in the area; all agreed that she needed two total knee replacements. And though she scheduled the big day for surgery, she cancelled every time due to different concerns or circumstances. Until she met Dr. Spencer Amundsen, a compassionate orthopedic surgeon based at Peak Orthopedics of Lone Peak Hospital.

“He’s probably the best doctor I’ve ever sat down with. I’ve been to orthopedic places before, and it felt like they just wanted to do my knees because that’s what they do. Dr. Amundsen listens and is really concerned and loving,” Gaylynn said. “Now I tell Dr. Amundsen that the reason I waited 15 years was because I had to find him and his team.”

New knees, new friends, new possibilities

Gaylynn underwent her first total knee replacement surgery at Lone Peak, then had 8 weeks of recovery before her second total knee replacement surgery. The first procedure she stayed in the hospital over night and then went home the next day. With her second procedure, she went home the same day.

“At Lone Peak, I felt like I was in a private facility. It is smaller, so you get more attention and I think their staff and facility is first-class. I had 13 different nurses and certified nursing assistants, as well as physical therapists and doctors, and I loved all of them,” Gaylynn said. “I’m so glad I know about Lone Peak Hospital! Now, if an ambulance ever came to get me, that’s the place I’d say I want to go — and I’m surrounded by a lot of hospitals.”

During her surgeries, Dr. Amundsen completed “extensive house cleaning” on her knees since, over time, her cartilage had worn away, leaving her bones to grind atop each other. He also corrected Gaylynn’s bull-leggedness by adjusting the angle her leg bones attach to the knee joint.

Walking miracles

“A friend of mine saw me a couple weeks ago and said, ‘I cannot believe you have straight legs and can walk like you are. It’s a miracle!’ I have videos of me walking before and after my surgery, and you can see an amazing difference,” Gaylynn said.

Gaylynn also feels the difference. “I can walk without sitting down and I can also get in and out of my car with ease — I can pretty much do anything,” Gaylynn said.

Gaylynn also notes that it took a lot of hard work to get to this point and she recognizes more work lies ahead. Since the surgeries, she has dedicated herself to physical therapy; and while her legs continue feeling sore or sensitive in areas, she feels like the effort has been well worth it. By her surgeries’ year-mark, she aims to be climbing stairs, and she believes she’s walking straight into the future with more strength and confidence than before.