Linda Honegger
Linda Honegger came to a gradual realization that she would need a hip transplant. “About 3 years ago, I started noticing that I couldn’t move my legs apart as far as I used to,” says the Bluffton native. Surprisingly, she never experienced pain in her hips or back… only in her thigh muscles. “As time went on, my thighs started hurting, and it got the point where I could hardly sleep at night because my legs hurt so badly. I’d sleep a couple hours, then get up and watch TV because my legs just ached. I rubbed my legs a lot.”
Linda is a charter pilot, and sitting in the confined quarters of a small cockpit became more and more challenging. There was very little opportunity there to reposition her legs and get comfortable. “You get to the point where you hurt so badly that you’ll do anything to make it stop,” she says.
Reading about her symptoms online, she came to realize that the pain in her thighs was typical of hip deterioration. Through her research and the recommendations of others, she sought out Dr. Fisher’s expertise, and he confirmed that she needed her hips replaced. To cut down on hospital expenses and time off from work, he performed a double hip replacement in July 2010.
"I haven’t felt like this since I was 18."
Four weeks after her procedure, Linda was back in the cockpit, enjoying a freedom and mobility she hadn’t experienced in decades. “I had a wonderful experience with Dr. Fisher and Fort Wayne Orthopedics, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” says Linda. “I can’t say enough good about Dr. Fisher.”
“At my six-week check-up, I told Dr. Fisher that I was disappointed because he had lied to me. He had told me I would be at about 90% mobility after the surgery, but I feel like I’m at 200% mobility! He was pretty pleased with that.”
“It’s been over two years now, and I haven’t felt like this since I was 18,” says Linda. “We have a cabin that we’re rehabbing up in Wisconsin, and I never have any pain related to my hips. What Dr. Fisher gave me… there just aren’t words. If it weren’t for him, I know I’d be in a wheelchair. I’m so thankful.”
