gail steuart copyBy Gail E. Steuart

My husband Barry and I moved to Silver City from Tucson about 5 years ago when I retired as executive secretary to the owner of O’Rielly Motor Company. I love Silver City and have not been back to Tucson since I moved here.

I recently found that I needed a total hip replacement. I am 81 years old and had only experienced minor surgeries before. I was strongly advised by a friend to see a doctor in Las Cruces who had done her hip replacement. She went to Mountain View Hospital for her surgery.

I had an experience in April of last year with the Mountain View Hospital when my husband was flown over in the helicopter and spent 8 days in the ICU. His treatment was successful; however, I was exhausted from traveling back and forth every day even though my daughter who was here to support me did the driving.

My primary care physician, Dr. Alphonse Aversa at Silver Health Care, referred me to Dr. Brian Robinson, M.D., who advised me to first do physical therapy to be sure I wanted to go ahead with surgery. I signed up for twelve powerful rehab sessions with Suzanne Graves, P.T., at Desert Springs Physical Therapy. After about 7 sessions I realized I needed to have surgery. I completed the rehab and I know that it greatly strengthened my body and prepared me for surgery.

While I was waiting for my surgery, I told a number of my friends that Dr. Robinson was to be my surgeon. I couldn’t even keep track of all the wonderful comments I received about him from people all around the area. How reassuring was that!

I attended a class to prepare me for surgery at Dr. Robinson’s office. I was highly impressed by the instructor Dave Carter, R. N. and by the material he presented. This class was extremely important in helping me understand and feel secure about the process. I did the exercises I was given twice a day for a month, and I felt my back and hips become stronger as the pain decreased.

I had the hip replacement on March 12 at the Gila Regional Medical Center. I was surprised and comforted that my husband and daughter were allowed to be with me during pre-op.

The care I received at the medical center was beyond my wildest dreams. The entire staff was friendly, conscientious, and highly skilled. Rosalinda Muniz, R. N. and Dave Carter, R. N. were my primary nurses, and I felt especially cared for and loved by them. I even ended up with a great roommate.

I returned home after three amazing days at the medical center. Barbara Hill, P.T., from Ambercare came to our house to get me started on rehab. After testing me thoroughly, she said that she was lucky to have one patient a year who was in such excellent health.

I am so very grateful to all the people involved in my healing, including my husband and daughter Sarah. To receive such excellent care in Silver City is truly an answer to my prayers.

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.