Moving Can Be Joyful Again

Finding the right orthopedic team is key to saying goodbye to joint pain once and for all. After years of wear and tear on her knees, Cathleen Ayala, 59, decided enough was enough.

“I waited tables for 20 years...and you know, walking on those cement floors and being overweight didn’t help any at all,” Cathleen says. “That was the main reason the knee pain got so severe and I started seeking treatment.”

At first, Cathleen says she found it difficult to find a physician who understood her needs. “I didn’t really want to go back with him,” Cathleen says of one doctor. “He was like ‘this is this and this is this’ and then he was out of the room. He didn’t wait for me to get clarification on anything.”

After years of unsuccessful treatment, Cathleen’s brother-in-law recommended John A. Iceton, M.D., an orthopedic surgeon at CHRISTUS Southeast Texas Orthopedic Specialty Center — Mid County and Beaumont Bone & Joint Institute. She was pleasantly surprised by the marked improvement in the care she received.

“His bedside manner is very good,” Cathleen says. “He’s really caring and gives you all the information you need about anything you ask — he’s going to sit there and explain it until you understand it.”
For the first couple of years, Cathleen’s knee treatment involved steroid injections to manage the pain. She knew, however, knee replacement surgery was in her future.

“Dr. Iceton was up-front from the beginning, that the knees will need be to be replaced,” she says. Cathleen had laparoscopic surgery during her first knee replacement surgery in early August, then a second surgery on the other knee in late September. Today, she’s doing physical therapy and on the road to recovery.

“I have good range of motion,” she says. “I’m a little stiff in the mornings, but the pain is nothing like it was before. The knee itself doesn’t hurt because the bones aren’t rubbing on each other anymore. Dr. Iceton is one of the best doctors. He knows what he’s doing, he knows how to treat people, and the nurses are always really caring about the whole thing.”

Cathleen looks forward to getting back to life and spending quality time with her family. “I have four grandkids, and they’re always wanting to do something,” she says. “Before, I couldn’t get on the floor and play with them or go take a walk. Now, I’ll be able to do those things.”