{"id":9651,"date":"2023-08-14T17:26:58","date_gmt":"2023-08-15T00:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/?page_id=9651"},"modified":"2025-01-30T13:53:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T21:53:41","slug":"vitality","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/about-samaritan\/together\/vitality\/","title":{"rendered":"Building Vitality Together"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\tBuilding Vitality Together<\/em>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cRecovery was easy. I was out of pain.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

~Kathy Cleary<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Back Surgery Leads to Vitality in Retirement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kathy Cleary has led a full and active life, working as a dental assistant, a receptionist and a housekeeper for the musician John Denver before opening Toujours Boutique in Newport, a store she ran for 21 years. 

She also keeps and rides horses. That\u2019s how she first injured her back when she was thrown off a horse. 

\u201cI hit a fence,\u201d Cleary recalled. \u201cI think that started the process.\u201d

Arthritis and aging did the rest.

But thanks to successful surgery to repair spinal stenosis, a painful condition caused by wear and tear, Cleary is now enjoying retirement and back to riding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cleary first had spinal fusion, a type of back surgery to fix problems with the bones in her spine, in 2012. But after several years of relief, her lower back pain returned in 2018. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two factors complicated matters. 

First, Cleary\u2019s previous surgeon had retired. Second, she wanted to avoid an adverse reaction to anesthesia following her first surgery.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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So Cleary did what a lot of people do. She went online and read patient reviews. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She liked what she saw about J. Noonan, MD, of Samaritan Neurosurgery in Corvallis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know, I\u2019ll give him a try,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At her first appointment, Dr. Noonan listened attentively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen you go in, it\u2019s very scary,\u201d Cleary recalled. \u201cHe was very reassuring.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cleary talked about her post-operative cognitive dysfunction symptoms and her problems with balance and speech after the last surgery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll figure this out,\u201d Dr. Noonan assured Cleary. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He reviewed her medical records and referred her for neuropsychology testing. He also arranged for Cleary to meet with an anesthesiologist.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cLife is good.\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

~Kathy Cleary<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cHe was very proactive in figuring this out,\u201d Cleary said. \u201cI was over-the-top impressed.\u201d

The surgery was a success. 

\u201cEverything went swimmingly,\u201d Cleary said. 

She was prepared to take up to two weeks off work. But she was back in just six days. 

At age 72, Cleary was looking to slow down. And with her recovery complete, the timing for retirement felt right. 

\u201cIt really was time to retire,\u201d she said.

So she recently closed shop and moved to Phoenix. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLife is good,\u201d Cleary reports from her new home in the desert sunshine.

While she hopes she never has to have back surgery again, without hesitation she recommends Dr. Noonan and Samaritan Neurosurgery. 

\u201cBesides his extreme talent as a surgeon, he listens to you,\u201d Cleary said. \u201cI really appreciate that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n

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Spinal Stenosis Most Often From Degenerative Aging Process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The spine is the main support of our upper bodies and protects the spinal cord. The nerves branch out from our spine to the rest of our bodies. With spinal stenosis, the spinal cord passageway narrows. If you are having problems with movement, numbness or pain in your back, talk with your doctor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learn More About Spine Conditions<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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Surgery for the Spine & Brain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Neurosurgery services for the treatment of brain, spine and peripheral nerve injuries and disease are one of Samaritan\u2019s key specialties. If you are someone close to you has suffered from a stroke or other neurological disorder, rest assured that advanced care is available close to home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Learn More<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n\n\n\n
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Connect With Us<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Like Us on Facebook<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Building<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\t<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Back surgery leads to vitality in retirement for Kathy Cleary of Newport. Read her story about her experience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":10984,"parent":9577,"menu_order":27,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":true,"_searchwp_excluded":"","_shs_workflow_notes":"","_shs_exclude_from_navigation":true,"_shs_promote_article_on_blogs":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-9651","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9651\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9577"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10984"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/samhealth.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}