Patient of the Month: Karen Poulsen

Meet our August Patient of the Month, Karen Poulsen– a passionate and young-at-heart Professional Organizer. 

Karen has always had a natural talent for organizing, and she started her business in 2016. It took off; she even has over 100 5-star reviews on Thumbtack! In 2018, Karen moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida to help her niece care for her newborn daughter. While living there, she decided to volunteer with a local animal shelter on their “take a dog to work day.” Karen had fostered over 30 dogs in her lifetime, and knows dogs very well. She was set to volunteer for a 90-pound Rottweiler, who she described as having a personality like “Garfield the cat” while she interacted with him and the handler for 45 minutes. Unfortunately, as they were finishing up their initial meeting, the dog suddenly and viciously attacked her, biting her neck and face and narrowly missing her vein. She was sent backwards and was unconscious for most of the attack, but was told by doctors that it was “a miracle that she lived.”

Karen slowly recovered from the attack, but started having mysterious pains in her left leg that grew worse over time. She would have episodes of getting “stuck” after sitting down, unable to stand back up due to the pain. She moved back to Chicago, and finally was referred to Genesis Orthopedics by her doctor. At her first appointment, she was standing in the waiting room, not wanting to sit down in case she couldn’t stand up again. Dr. Shadid saw right away where Karen’s pain was coming from– bone on bone osteoarthritis in her left hip; she would need hip replacement surgery as soon as possible. Upon getting the diagnosis and treatment plan, Karen “cried tears of joy”; she had never gotten any answers for her pain up until then.

Karen got her hip surgery with Dr. Strotman on June 16, and has been in physical therapy since then. Since her surgery, Karen’s physical and mental health have improved greatly; her friends and family have told her they “can’t believe she is recovering like this [so well].” Karen was even able to enjoy an Alaskan cruise this summer, and her business has continued to thrive, with her taking on new clients. Karen is looking forward to starting aquatic exercises to help her continue to strengthen her left leg, and her hope is to be back to 100% by her birthday in December, six months after her surgery. With her zest for life– she finds physical therapy “fun,” always making the PT’s laugh, and says she “thinks she’s 35”– Karen is sure to accomplish her goal.