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| Surgery gives Shady Spring woman reasons to celebrate |
By Bev Davis/Register-Herald Senior Editor
 | | Geneva Trump of Shady Spring displays the scars of a recent wrist replacement that made history as the first of its kind
in West Virginia. Before the surgery, the Shady Spring woman lived with daily pain, and her fingers were drawn completely into the palm of her hand by a crippling form of arthritis. "Just to be able to open my hand and have straight fingers is a wonderful thing at this point," Though she will require physical therapy for a while, she
considers the surgery "a kind of miracle." (Steve Brightwell/The Register-Herald)
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Geneva Trump still has pain every day, but the discomfort is more tolerable because it means she will soon have the use of her right arm and hand again.
For the past 11 years, the Shady Spring woman has battled pain and deformity caused by rheumatoid arthritis.
"I've taken every type of medication available, and nothing helped. The pain just got worse and worse, and finally, I couldn't take it any more," Trump said.
Earlier this year, she was referred to Princeton orthopedic surgeon Dr. Walid Azzo, who suggested Trump undergo an innovative new type of surgery - total wrist replacement.
"I couldn't decide what to do at first, but I knew medicine wouldn't help. I talked to my husband about it, and I decided to go for it. In reality, it was the pain that drove me to it. I was at the point I was willing to try just about anything," she said.
Trump underwent the surgery Feb. 28 - said by Azzo to be the first of its kind in West Virginia - at Bluefield Regional Medical Center.
Like hip or knee replacements, a wrist replacement is done by inserting metal pieces anchored with screws to replace degenerative bone. Wrist implants are made of the same kind of materials used for other replacements, and there are several different designs, according to an Internet Web site used by orthopedic surgeons to inform their patients about the procedure.
Most implants have two components and are made of metal. A high-quality plastic called polyethylene is used as a spacer between the two components. Newer implant designs attempt to replicate the anatomy of the wrist to allow more flexibility and ease of movement.
Although Trump is still unable to use her hand and will require physical therapy for a while, she considers the surgery "a kind of miracle."
"When I saw the X-rays of my hand before the surgery, it made me sick to my stomach. I had no idea how crooked and gnarled the bones had become. My fingers were almost stuck to the palm of my hand," Trump said.
The disabling effects of the arthritis caused Trump to leave her job in housekeeping at Raleigh General Hospital in Beckley in 1998.
As the stiffness, pain and deformity in her hand became progressively worse, Trump experienced difficulty doing even the most common tasks.
"It got so bad it was hard for me to even dress myself. I've had to get someone to help with the housework, and it was even hard for me to eat. Over the years it just got harder and harder to do everything," Trump said.
Her recovery is going well, and every day Trump finds new reasons to celebrate.
"Just to be able to open my hand and have straight fingers is a wonderful thing at this point. The doctor tells me I will have full use of this hand again soon, and I won't have that awful pain. The pain I have now is from the healing process. It's nothing compared to what I had before," she said.
- E-mail: bdavis@register-herald.com
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