By Shannon Carroll “Honey, you’ve been through hell. It’s OK to cry.” Judy Holden sat at Kootenai Health Rehabilitation Services last November frozen with fear. “I didn’t want anybody to touch me—I was terrified because I had been through so much pain and felt like I just couldn’t take any more,” she shared. Between four back surgeries and a long battle with fibromyalgia, Judy was now faced with one of her biggest struggles yet—a traumatic injury to her elbow that resulted in four surgeries and the threat of amputation of her arm. “I was trying so hard not to cry when I first got to physical therapy,” said Judy. “But Jessie, my occupational therapist, told me it was OK. She let me have my cry, and here we are four months later. I couldn’t imagine having come this far without her.” Judy’s journey to recovery began with an unusual accident during checkout at the grocery store in late September. “I just caught my foot on the wheel of the cart, and down I went,” she said. Life-changing intervention Judy had sustained multiple fractures in her arm and had dislocated her elbow. Kootenai Clinic orthopedic surgeon Robert Blease, M.D., performed several surgeries on Judy’s complicated injury. “Judy’s break was very traumatic, and there was a real risk of her losing her arm,” said Dr. Blease. Experienced as a surgeon in the military, Dr. Blease is well-versed in the complexities of traumatic injuries. “Part of what I love about being a trauma specialist is quickly identifying solutions to treat complex injuries. I also look at many facets of their care to give them their best chance at resuming their quality of life,” he said. Dr. Blease had to navigate major issues that could have potentially impacted the chances of saving Judy’s arm. Severe swelling had to be resolved through several HEALING Body Mind An orthopedic surgeon saved her arm; an occupational therapist saved her spirit Robert Blease, M.D. Jessie Finn (left), an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist, has treated Judy Holden twice a week since November. 12
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