Knee surgery scheduled after woman speaks out

By: Katie May Posted: 6:00 AM CDT Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023

A Ste. Anne resident who has waited more than a year for a second knee replacement finally has her surgery scheduled — just days after speaking out about her frustration with the health-care system.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/08/2023 (792 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Karen Bennett, 76, spoke to the Free Press last week about the province’s surgery backlog, detailing the mental and physical anguish that comes with not knowing when she would get surgery.

On Monday, her knee replacement was scheduled for Sept. 21 after she called her surgeon’s office to check in.

SUPPLIED

Ste. Anne resident Karen Bennett finally has a date for a second knee replacement after waiting over a year. — SUPPLIED
Ste. Anne resident Karen Bennett finally has a date for a second knee replacement after waiting over a year.

Bennett said the good news was unexpected. She has an appointment with her orthopedic surgeon in November for more X-rays, but had been told at her last visit in July she wouldn’t be placed on a wait list for surgery.

Bennett had her right knee replaced last summer, and has been living in constant pain while she waits for her second surgery.

Bennett said she wasn’t given an explanation by her surgeon’s office about why her surgery was suddenly scheduled.

“It’s awesome that I’m getting my knee done. I’m hoping it’s a coincidence,” she said. “I would hate to take somebody’s place that’s also in dire straits.”

Manitoba’s Diagnostic and Surgical Recovery Task Force considers the pandemic backlog eliminated for hip and knee replacements. It considers the backlog separate from ongoing wait lists. In a statement last week, a spokesperson said wait times for hip and knee replacements “are close to or better than target.”

In June, the median wait time for a knee replacement in Manitoba was 26 weeks. For hip replacements, the median wait was 21 weeks. The median time means half of patients are waiting longer and half have a shorter wait.

The task force wait list data, which counts only those patients who have their non-emergency surgery scheduled, shows there were 2,422 patients waiting for a knee replacement in June, along with 945 patients waiting for a hip replacement.

katie.may@winnipegfreepress.com