Chip Hennequin
After undergoing both hip and knee replacements, Chip is happily getting back to his regular routine.
Chip Hennequin is a fan of Gerald Dugan, M.D. — after all he’s undergone three surgeries with the board-certified orthopedic surgeon at Lee’s Summit Medical Center, including a left knee replacement in 2012 and left and right total hip replacements in May and Nov. 2016.
“Dr. Dugan has been my orthopedic doctor for almost nine years,” says Hennequin, “and hasn’t steered me wrong yet. Come to think about it, I doubt he will. He’s good at what he does.”
As a result of his COPD, Hennequin has been on steroids numerous times throughout the years. The drugs are known to be hard on joints and when Dr. Dugan performed the first hip surgery in May 2016 on the 70-year-old retired Navy officer, he discovered severe deterioration.
“But Dr. Dugan solved the problem,” Hennequin says. “I stayed at the hospital for three nights, which is standard for hip replacement surgery, and then I was discharged with orders for a physical therapy regimen.”
Hennequin did so well in the recovery period for the first hip, Dr. Dugan recommended doing the right hip in Nov. 2016.
“It was smooth sailing,” Hennequin says. “My quality of life has definitely improved and I am doing the best I can do, given my COPD. I’ve resumed meeting five men at 5:15 a.m. one morning each week at iHOP for coffee and breakfast.”
No stranger to Lee’s Summit Medical Center, Hennequin has volunteered for 12 years each Thursday in the waiting room for GI surgery, keeping anxious families apprised of their loved ones status.
“I like to joke with the patients and engage their families to distract them for a little while,” Hennequin, known for his quick wit, says. “I’ve even had some patients say they’ve waited to schedule their surgery on a Thursday so I could help them and their families.”
Hennequin feels the same affinity for Dr. Dugan.
“Regardless of what doctor you choose for your surgery, make sure you trust him and have a good rapport so you can ask anything,” he says. “All too often people are afraid to ask a doctor a question. One of the reasons I like Dr. Dugan, aside from his skills, is that he’ll be straightforward and thorough and doesn’t shoot from the hip, so to speak. Having that kind of relationship with your healthcare practitioner is priceless.”