Health and Fitness : Greg Walston\'s VGH Therapy Experience - from Thrive Magazine

Greg Walston knew the best choice for physical therapy was close to home at VGH.

Mutual good humor lightened the hard work of therapy sessions for Greg at Virginia Gay Hospital.

When people told Greg Walston his walk made him look like he was 90 years old, he shrugged it off. To him, he just walked like a Walston; his dad had hip problems and two uncles had hip replacement surgery, so hip problems run in his family.

But after struggling with pain for several years, reality came calling in the form of an x-ray and a conversation with Dr. Brian Meeker. It was Greg’s turn for hip replacement surgery.

“The three issues I was dealing with were the overall quality of life, my ability to sleep well and being able to walk without pain,” Greg says.

Working at Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, plus volunteering with St. Mary’s, Knights of Columbus, Echo Ministries and the Community Youth Garden keep Greg busy.

“Staying active is important to me and limping through life wasn’t what I wanted to do,” he explains. “Before my surgery I couldn’t walk from my office to the courthouse without feeling a lot of pain.”

Facing surgery, Greg knew it would be critical for him to get up and moving as soon as possible to regain movement and strength. He asked his surgeon to prescribe follow-up therapy through Virginia Gay’s Therapy Services.

“I knew my best chance for a full recovery was by involving them,” he explains.

And, in order to get the most out of his follow-up therapy, Greg insisted that his therapy be scheduled at Virginia Gay.

“I didn’t want to travel out of town for therapy,” he adds. “And I really respect the professionalism and the quality of the staff we have here.”

Greg credits Virginia Gay Home Health with excellent guidance after his surgery.

“My visiting nurse taught me not to let the pain get ahead of me, to make use of the pain meds I’d been given,” he notes. “In those first few days I really needed them. But it was also my nurse who suggested, when the time was right, that I’d feel better switching to an over-the-counter pain medication. I did, and I was still comfortable.”

The home visits from nurses overseeing his recovery offered welcome reassurance between doctor visits, he adds.

“You’re concerned about how things are healing and having someone there to keep an eye on things is very helpful,” Greg says.

Greg’s physical therapy also started at home immediately after his surgery.

“Even in that short time since surgery, my muscles had become very weak,” Greg recalls. “The first day or so I couldn’t lift my leg up.”

Once walking, he came to VGH for ongoing therapy.

“I looked forward to going to therapy,” Greg says.

Soon, therapy staff became friends and Greg enjoyed their mutual good humor that lightened the hard work of therapy sessions.

“No matter which therapist I was working with, they knew enough about me to know the next step,” Greg adds. “And it was continuous treatment; they had a plan and they moved forward with it.”

The hardest part – for both Greg and his therapists – was overcoming his tendency to limp.

“We couldn’t get past the limp but my body and mind had become so used to limping that it had become part of my gait,” he explains. “They had the patience to work with me but also the persistence to keep focused on the goal.”

Today, Greg feels better – and isn’t limping. He credits his excellent health care team at VGH.

“It isn’t just a career for them, it’s a passion,” he says. “You can’t teach that and I can’t thank them enough for all they’ve done for me.”

-- Photos taken by Stacey Hodges