Below are Mr Timothy Prager’s responses about his recent experiences of having his custom-made knee replacement surgery at The Weymouth Street Hospital.

How did you feel before the operation (levels of pain, lifestyle restrictions)?

Before my knee replacement operation, I had trouble walking, and would wake up in the middle of the night in pain. I was limping whenever I would walk, always hobbling around. It was very frustrating, because I used to play football and tennis every week. I remember going on a hike with some friends in Switzerland and I was in pain the whole time. It was terrible. I lived with it about a year and a half before I did anything about it.

How do you feel now (e.g. what can you do now that you couldn’t before the op)?

It’s been 4 or 5 months now, and there are days where I don’t think about it. I ride an exercise bike to try to get my knee moving. On the whole, my recovery has been really quick.

I now have no pain at all. At one point in November, I went for a 3-mile walk with my son and experienced no pain for the entire thing. I think I’ll be able to do some sports again eventually, but at the moment it’s just so nice to be able to sleep through the night with no pain.

How would you describe the care you received from Mr McDermott?

I thought Ian as a surgeon was tremendous. He was attentive, thoughtful, and his explanations were clear. He seemed to really care, and spent an awful lot of time listening to what I was saying, really giving me comfort that everything was ok. I felt completely comfortable that this was someone who was going to get me to the other side of this and that it would be a success. I think he’s a tremendous surgeon.

The fact I was able to recover as quickly as I have was pretty much down to him. Everything that he said would be the outcome came to pass. He recommended a physio, and I went to that physio and that guy was great. He stapled my leg back together and the scar is almost invisible. He just did a great job.

He just gave me the confidence to go through the surgery and that when I was on the other side of it that it would go well. He gives clear, no-nonsense advice.

I would 100% recommend Ian to other people. I’m always cautious about recommending doctors because it depends on how comfortable they feel with that individual person, but I have absolutely no hesitation in recommending him to anyone.

How would you describe the patient care you received and overall experience of staying at Weymouth Street Hospital?

I thought the care I received at the Weymouth Street Hospital was brilliant. The main nurse I had was absolutely brilliant, completely proactive, always on top of everything.

The care I got couldn’t have been better, even down to the food. The staff were so attentive but not on top of you. They got the balance down so well.

I thought the Weymouth Street Hospital was a great little gem that I didn’t even know existed. Because of COVID-19, there was much less interaction than there would be otherwise, but on the ward everyone seemed to be pretty comfortable. Everyone was so friendly and it was very efficient.