A teacher and facilities director at Maclay School, 51-year-old Scott Eagen is always on his feet. In addition to his career, Scott spends his personal time being active. However, over the years of running and playing basketball regularly, he eventually wore out his medial meniscus.
“I was fine when I would run a few miles a day or play ball, but the next morning getting out of bed was awful,” said Scott. “My knees were achy and swollen. I had finally had it when I was having a hard time going up and down the stairs to see my children.”
After meeting with his primary care doctor, they decided he needed surgery.
“One thing led to another and I actually ended up having eight surgeries over a period of four to five years. The problem was there, there just wasn’t any cartilage left.”
It was time to fix his knees for good so Scott was referred to Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic and met with William Thompson, MD, who performed the previous scopes. They decided to move forward with total knee replacement surgery.
“Dr. Thompson would always listen carefully to diagnose the issue and offer suggestions and advice on how to get the most from my body with minimal pain or damage,” said Scott. “I trust his judgment 100 percent.”
On July 24, 2012, Scott moved forward with bilateral knee replacement surgery in both legs. His surgery was performed by David Bellamy, MD at Tallahassee Orthopedic Clinic.
“Dr. Bellamy is the best knee replacement doctor in the region,” said Scott. “I appreciated his professionalism. He called from his personal phone the night of the surgery to check on me. The nurses at the hospital had me up and walking with a walker the same day.”
Following his recovery, Scott went to Tallahassee Memorial’s Rehabilitation Center for inpatient care for a couple of days to learn how to walk again.
After a week of laying low around the house and going to rehab, Scott was able to return to work. “The rehab was tough but we got through it with hard work and a good attitude,” said Scott. “Throughout this process, TMH really made me feel like a person, not a number. They took great care of me.”
“I went to outpatient rehab at the Tallahassee Memorial Rehabilitation Center for orthopedic and sports physical therapy twice a week for about six weeks,” recalled Scott. “I also did a lot of my own rehab at home and at the gym.”
In just 10 days, Scott was back in the full swing of things at home and at work. He began light jogging four months after surgery and was fully recovered after 10 months. Currently, Scott is enjoying his active lifestyle and spending time with his wife, Michelle, their daughter Amber and son Logan.
“I feel like I have added years onto my life,” said Scott. “It’s important for other people to know that anything is possible. I believe you have to have a positive attitude and you can overcome anything. Now instead of acting my age, I can go out and enjoy sports like I’m in my 30s. I run 8-15 miles a week and play and officiate basketball regularly. I even went snow skiing just five and a half months after surgery. Life is good!”
