[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/07\/fern-zechman-knee-replacement\/#Article","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/07\/fern-zechman-knee-replacement\/","headline":"Fern\u2019s Path to UPMC for Knee Replacement","name":"Fern\u2019s Path to UPMC for Knee Replacement","description":"<p>After a bad experience at another hospital, Fern Zechman had knee replacement surgery at UPMC Lititz in January and is now back to doing what she loves.<\/p>","datePublished":"2025-07-29","dateModified":"2025-09-12","author":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/orthopaedics-regions","name":"UPMC Orthopaedic Care","url":"https:\/\/www.upmc.com\/services\/orthopaedics-regions","sameAs":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/orthopaedic-surgery\/","parentOrganization":"UPMC"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"UPMC HealthBeat","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/UPMC-HealthBeat-Logo.png","width":600,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-1347256975-e1753475993195.jpg","url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-1347256975-e1753475993195.jpg","height":866,"width":2000},"url":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/07\/fern-zechman-knee-replacement\/","about":["Health Topics A-Z","Orthopaedics"],"wordCount":883,"articleBody":"In 2017, Fern had a traditional total knee replacement on her right knee. She hoped she would never have to undergo surgery again, but when the pain in her left knee started to worsen, she knew she couldn\u2019t ignore it.Fern\u2019s daughter, Michelle, who works for UPMC as an office manager at one of its primary care practices, suggested her mother try\u00a0Orthopaedic Specialists of Central PA-UPMC in Lancaster, Pa.\u201cI traveled to the location on Manheim Pike and saw Dr. Seth Baublitz,\u201d Fern says. \u201cUPMC felt different right away \u2014 in all of the best ways.\u201dIn January 2025, orthopaedic surgeon\u00a0Seth D. Baublitz, DO, performed Fern\u2019s left knee replacement, and she couldn\u2019t be happier.Fern wants others to know what she learned \u2014 where you choose to go for health care matters. And being listened to by your doctor can make all the difference.Worsening Knee Pain\u201cAt first, we thought it was just mild to moderate arthritis,\u201d Fern says.That didn\u2019t explain why her pain was becoming unmanageable. By late 2023, she was having trouble walking.The turning point came during the summer of 2024, when her daughters took her to a country music concert at Penn State for her birthday. The walk from the parking lot was excruciating. \u201cBy the time we got to our seats, I couldn\u2019t walk anymore,\u201d she says.She had to have a wheelchair brought.\u201cI ended up at a nearby emergency clinic,\u201d Fern says. \u201cThey gave me a walker, which I needed just to be able to get home.\u201dAlthough the thought of having another knee replacement made her nervous, she was unable to do the things she loved, like gardening and traveling. Her two great-grandchildren would ask her to play ball in the yard, and she couldn\u2019t.At her first visit with Dr. Baublitz toward the end of that summer, he diagnosed the source of her pain. It wasn\u2019t just mild arthritis \u2014 she also had tears in her meniscus. \u201cHe said the arthritis is what made the meniscus tear,\u201d she says.He also told her she could wait until she felt ready to get a knee replacement, and that he would do everything he could to help \u2014 but the pain would only get worse.\u201cWhen I told him about my concerns, he assured me everything would go smoothly,\u201d she says.That proved to be true.Using a Robotic ApproachRight away, Dr. Baublitz explained the details of the procedure. \u201cHe said using the robot was a newer technique and meant less stitches,\u201d Fern says.She was also told she\u2019d have a nerve block. While she wouldn\u2019t feel anything and wouldn\u2019t be awake, it wasn\u2019t the same as the anesthesia she\u2019d had previously.Fern agreed to the surgery but wanted to get through the holidays first. They scheduled the surgery for mid-January.Although she was nervous, Dr. Baublitz had earned her trust with his honest, straightforward manner. \u201cHe was always very caring and concerned about my well-being,\u201d she says.On the day of surgery, she had to be at\u00a0UPMC Lititz\u00a0at 7 a.m. Her daughter took her, and before she knew it, she was waking up. \u201cI felt good immediately,\u201d she says.The nurses got her up to walk shortly after the surgery. They also showed her how to go up and down stairs. She spent one night in the hospital but had very little pain.Unlike her first surgery, she had no metal staples. \u201cI only had to get one stitch out, where the robotic hand was,\u201d she says.It was a different experience from her previous traditional knee replacement, according to Fern. She was able to start physical therapy that day after she went home.Her three daughters all took turns helping with things as their mother recovered. It helped that she lives with Michelle and her husband.Fern went to physical therapy for about three months, finishing in April.Getting Back to Life\u201cMy girls will tell you; I\u2019m not one to want to sit around a lot,\u201d Fern says. She takes care of the house for her daughter and family, and she was happy to get back to doing the housework and other things.One of the things she\u2019s most excited about is joining a gym.Her grandson is a manager at a gym. \u201cHe\u2019s already shown me some exercises to help keep my knees strong,\u201d she says. \u201cI\u2019m in good shape at my age, and I want to stay active.\u201dWith warmer weather around the corner, she looks forward to getting outside in the garden again. And of course, to finally play ball with her great-grandchildren.She\u2019s also planning to go on vacation with her family in September. \u201cIt\u2019s why I need my knees strong,\u201d she says.She often thinks about what happened at that concert, how she couldn\u2019t even walk. She never wants to have to go through that again. \u201cIt was just so scary,\u201d she says.Fern is so glad she came to UPMC. \u201cI felt completely at ease with everyone I met there,\u201d she says. \u201cI would recommend them, and Dr. Baublitz, in a heartbeat.\u201dEditor's Note: This article was originally published on July 29, 2025, and was last reviewed on September 12, 2025.Sources"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2025","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"07","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/\/07\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Fern\u2019s Path to UPMC for Knee Replacement","item":"https:\/\/share-dev.upmc.com\/2025\/07\/fern-zechman-knee-replacement\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]