10 years ago, Darylyn had her biceps tendon and rotator cuff repaired
When Darylyn Anderson walked into The Shoulder Clinic of Idaho for an appointment with Dr. Lynch, this was not her family’s first encounter with shoulder issues at Treasure Valley Hospital (TVH). To say her family has plenty of first-hand experience is an understatement.
“I first heard of Dr. Lynch when my son-in-law had surgery on his shoulder,” said Darylyn. “My daughter also had surgery with Dr. Lynch along with my husband. My family is so impressed with this hospital that even my son Matthew has worked at TVH for years (even before Dr. Lynch first came on board)!”
As a retired P.E /Coach/Athletic Director/school teacher at Hillside Junior High, this was going to be her second shoulder repair. The first was after many years of coaching softball and volleyball, which required a major repair. 10 year ago, she had to have her biceps tendon tear and rotator cuff repaired. The muscles on her scapula had atrophied so much that the surgeon was worried it was too far gone, but thanks to an extensive surgery and rehab, she was very lucky.
“I had a difficult time functioning in my personal and professional life. I changed my coaching procedures to accommodate my injured shoulder. Although the first surgery was successful, I began having trouble last year with range of motion, pain, and loss of strength.
Unable to swim and play volleyball, the decision to be pain free was a no brainer
I am very active and had been swimming a mile several times a week. Also, I joined a volleyball league, but unfortunately hurt my arm at that time. I did not have any strength in that shoulder, so I stopped swimming and playing volleyball to see if that would help. Sadly, it didn’t.”
She had several concerns before surgery after experiencing an invasive procedure before and did not want to go through that painful process again. Darylyn’s other concern: What if Dr. Lynch couldn’t repair her shoulder because it was too far gone and pass point of return to be fixed? Her MRI scan was not very helpful because there was metal and surgical changes in her shoulder joint that obscured the picture. After doing physical therapy and seeing no improvement, Darylyn felt that surgery was inevitable.
“Dr. Lynch went in arthroscopically and found major scarring and arthritis. He did an extensive debridement involving release of intra-articular and sub acromial adhesions, chondroplasty of glenohumeral joint, intra-articular synovectomy, debridement of a degenerative labrum, sub acromial bursectomy and debridement of frayed areas of the rotator cuff and retained suture material.”
In laymen’s terms, he went in and cleaned out the entire shoulder joint, eliminating arthritis and scarring from active use over the last 10 + years.
“My experience with Dr. Lynch was exceptional from beginning to end,” she noted. “When he is with you, there is no one more important than you. He explains everything so well and takes a conservative approach to ensure everything is tried before having surgery. He assured me that he would do everything in his power to make my shoulder right again.
Dr. Lynch called me the night before surgery, asked how I was doing, and if I had any concerns or questions. He even picked up the phone the day after surgery to see how I felt and to discuss the procedure. I don’t know many doctors that would go this extra mile, and it completely put myself and my family at ease.”
After her shoulder repair, Darylyn is ahead of schedule with her range of motion
Life after surgery for Darylyn is great. She had no pain, was off medication after three days, started using her arm immediately, resumed physical therapy, and is way ahead of schedule. Darylyn has been working on range of motion and recently went back to swimming because she is pain-free.
“I recommend Dr. Lynch to everybody,” she says with pride. “I won’t go to anyone else. He is a phenomenal surgeon, but he is an extraordinary human being that truly cares about his patients. He treats you like family and is always genuinely concerned about you.”
Darylyn compares Dr. Lynch to the TV show “New Amsterdam” and the movie “Patch Adams.” He truly makes a difference in the world he lives in. To illustrate this example, she was talking to April, Dr. Lynch’s nurse, about her upcoming appointment that coincided with the first anniversary of her only sister’s tragic death. April took note of that detail, and even though she wasn’t there for Darylyn’s follow-up appointment, she passed on that piece of information to Dr. Lynch. When she went to her appointment, the nurse that day, Michael (PA-C), and Dr. Lynch all commented on her sister’s anniversary.
“I felt compassion from all of them. It truly made my day better. I’ll never forget that very simple act of kindness that was passed on. He is an exceptional surgeon and a truly genuine human being.”
