more surgeries. Furthermore, Judy was a lifelong smoker and her oxygen levels were very low, making her a less-than-ideal candidate for surgery. “Judy required multiple surgeries, so we needed to work with her to stop smoking to ensure she had the best outcome for subsequent surgical repair and recovery,” said Dr. Blease. “Smoking decreases blood flow and oxygen levels, making surgical wounds less likely to heal and more likely to become infected. Judy had experienced some serious complications, and we made it very clear to her that smoking was something that was going to be one more barrier to saving her arm.” “I tell people I have smoked since I was 2 years old,” Judy joked. “But I trusted Dr. Blease and knew this was something serious. I had to stop smoking for the best chance to save my arm. I was shocked at how low my oxygen levels were. My daughter is at the stage in her life where she will be starting a family soon, and I want to be around for my future grandkids!” With resources and encouragement from her Kootenai Health care team, Judy has not smoked for over four months. “I went from smoking my whole life to stopping completely. I tell everyone that it is possible to quit!” Continuing care Judy’s care team works closely together to continue looking at all aspects of her road to recovery. Dr. Blease sees Judy every six weeks and receives regular reports from Kootenai Health Rehabilitation Services about her progress. Jessie Finn, an occupational therapist and certified hand therapist with the Hand to Shoulder team at Kootenai Clinic Rehabilitation Services, has treated Judy twice a week since November. “Judy was pretty terrified at our first therapy appointment—there is a big mental component to therapy,” Jessie said. “It’s really important to meet patients where they are emotionally. I try to give them as much control as I can within their movement and weight-bearing precautions, and I don’t force them to do anything they don’t feel comfortable doing. When they can see that challenging themselves leads to healing, we gradually begin to build real trust. Patients begin to take accountability for their therapy. Recovering from a traumatic orthopedic injury, like Judy’s, is definitely a team effort between patient, therapist and surgeon.” At 53 years old, Judy has had more than her fair share of time spent in the hospital—she had two of her four back surgeries at Kootenai Health, and when she shattered her elbow, she chose to be taken there. “I just can’t say enough about Kootenai Health,” Judy said. “I live across the border in Washington and choose to come here for my care because everybody— the nurses, food services, housekeepers, doctors, therapists—I can give kudos to all of them all day long. They’re over-the-top amazing!” Dr. Blease and Jessie anticipate that Judy will make a complete recovery. “She is one tough lady and is putting in all the work she needs to have full function of her arm back,” said Dr. Blease. Judy sees it differently. “There’s no way I would be doing as well as I am right now without Dr. Blease and Jessie,” she said. “He’s such a talented surgeon, and Jessie, well, God works in crazy ways—I have two sons-in-law; their names are Jessie and Finn. When Jessie told me her last name was Finn, I nearly fell over! She is my biggest cheerleader and pushes me to improve. Dr. Blease saved my arm, and Jessie saved my spirit. I can’t thank them enough.” Care you can count on Kootenai Health’s multispecialty team provides comprehensive, high-quality care for patients who need urgent medical and surgical treatment. Count on us for everything from minor injuries—such as lacerations and fractures—to major, complicated trauma involving multiple body systems. Kootenai Health is an American College of Surgeons-verified Level III Trauma Center and an Idaho Time Sensitive Emergencies-designated Level II Trauma Center. Dedicated to your healing Kootenai Clinic Orthopedics is committed to helping patients get back to what they love through specialized surgical and nonsurgical care. Sameday orthopedic appointments are available Monday through Friday by calling (208) 625-6636. Kootenai Health Rehabilitation has four locations and offers a comprehensive rehabilitation program with a multidisciplinary team dedicated to your healing. Visit KH.org to learn more or to make an appointment. KH.ORG 13
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