Knee Replacement: Regaining His Life Without the Pain

The following letter has been provided by Raymond Reganato of Northfield, NJ:

On December 21st, I had a full knee replacement done by Dr. Schoifet, who was highly recommended by two doctors I see for other health concerns. One of them had his own knee replacement done by Dr. Schoifet.

After I made my initial appointment, and through the surgery and follow-up, I was totally impressed by the extremely professional staff and the wonderful facilities at Virtua. My great experience began with the nurse navigator, Sandy DiLullo, who took care of everything for me including making all of my appointments and answering all of my questions. She made the process extremely pleasant and easy.

Thinking about a total knee replacement is unsettling, and after my appointment with Dr. Schoifet, I felt completely at ease and confident that I was in good hands. After this initial visit, Virtua took over and created a personal health plan for me, and basically all I had to do was show up for my office visits and the surgery. When I received an information packet explaining what to do and what to expect, I said to my wife, “I’ve never seen anything like this before!” The reading material provided details about the entire process, and it addressed all of my concerns. I went into surgery without any apprehension, and I knew that I was in the right place.

My surgery was a success, and I had an excellent hospital stay. The staff was top-notch. I can’t stress enough how nice everyone was, from the nurses to the support staff to the woman who cleaned my room. They made me feel at home. As an added bonus, the food was terrific, which is unusual to find at a hospital. I’ll never forget the delicious grilled cheese sandwich I ate after surgery. I wish I could remember everyone's names to thank them personally. What a fantastic team who helped me through a scary but necessary life experience.

I’ve been in physical therapy for five weeks. The process has been relatively painless. I am very happy with my progress. I went back to work full time after four weeks; I'm walking without a cane, and I babysit my grandchildren regularly again.

Thank you, Virtua, for an outstanding experience and for putting me back on my feet again.