Weight Management Helped Traycye Before Knee Replacement Surgery

For years, Traycye Nickles lived a model active lifestyle. The 53-year-old from Wixom, Michigan exercised six days a week, alternating walking, running and weight training sessions with a personal trainer.

A work-related knee injury in 2021 drastically changed all that. Initially, Traycye had surgery to repair the meniscus (cartilage) in her knee, but the pain got worse instead of better. She needed a cane to walk, and she gained weight.

“I felt very depressed. My knee was hurting, and I wasn’t working, so I turned to food. I love to eat when I’m upset. It was shocking to see myself that way and be that heavy,” Traycye says.

She sought help at Henry Ford Health. Nancy White, M.D., a Sports Medicine and Family Medicine specialist, focused first on reducing Traycye’s knee pain with injections and physical therapy. But nothing provided lasting relief. Dr. White suggested knee replacement surgery as a more lasting option.

Traycye’s weight was the only obstacle to joint replacement surgery. She needed to lose weight and bring her body mass index (BMI) below 42 to qualify for surgery. (According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people with a BMI of 18.5-24.9 are in the healthy weight range.)

“I was 319 pounds, and my BMI was 53, so I had a lot of work ahead of me. Once I knew I needed to lose weight to have my knee treated, that was the kick I needed to get going,” Traycye says.

Traycye’s weight loss program success

Traycye’s journey to weight loss began with Weight Management at Henry Ford West Bloomfield. She attended a free informational seminar about the program and liked what she heard.

Suki Singh, M.D., a Family Medicine and Obesity Medicine specialist, helped guide Traycye to a combination of nutrition and exercise that worked for her goals. Traycye started in April 2023 with a 12-week total meal replacement plan, hoping for quick results that would keep her motivated. Each day she ate three nutrition shakes, two nutrition bars, one healthy entrée, three servings of non-starchy vegetables and 64 ounces of water supplemented with a multivitamin.

“Doing total meal replacement takes the decision-making from you so you don’t get overwhelmed,” Traycye says. “It was very simple to follow, and the results were immediate.”

Traycye met monthly with dietitian Yvonne Moses and exercise physiologist David Smith to customize food and exercise to her tastes and abilities. Weekly virtual group classes led by Smith and dietitian Larissa Shain supported Traycye’s new healthy habits.

“I think the program is great and everyone should know about it. It’s well-explained and well-executed. Henry Ford gives you the tools to be successful,” Traycye says.

After the initial three months, the team taught Traycye how to incorporate more foods and exercises into her lifestyle. Within six months, her BMI was under 42.

A year after starting on a weight management program, Traycye lost 144.5 pounds and her BMI was 28. She is still part of the Keep Connected weight management maintenance program, which includes a virtual group class and check-ins with a health coach.

“If you are willing to listen and follow the program, you will be successful. It’s a matter of shifting your mindset and wanting to do something for yourself — make yourself healthier and feel better,” Traycye says.

Ready for knee replacement surgery

With Traycye’s successful weight loss, she was able to have a total knee replacement in March 2024 at Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital. Her orthopedic surgeon performed a robotic-assisted surgery to customize the knee replacement to Traycye’s anatomy.

Following surgery, Traycye received in-home physical therapy and now has appointments with therapist Kyle Dorcey at Henry Ford Rehabilitation - Columbus. She’s working on restoring the range of motion to her knee so she can resume more activity.

Traycye’s weight loss has slowed while she recovers from knee surgery. But she’s still focused on one of her weight loss goals: to lose an additional 24 pounds.

Benefits of specialized weight management and orthopedic care

Qualifying for knee replacement surgery wasn’t the only benefit of Traycye’s weight loss.

Losing weight helped ease the pain in her knee enough that she could walk without her cane, even before the knee replacement. “I was able to start going up and down stairs like normal. I was able to walk longer distances because my knees didn’t hurt,” she recalls.

She is breathing and sleeping better. She no longer takes heartburn medication, and her blood sugar levels dropped from pre-diabetic to normal. She also enjoys fitting back into her favorite clothes.

“I was in a very low and dark place. Now I see a bright future,” Traycye says. “I never thought I would be healthy again or that my knee would be repaired or addressed properly. Now I feel like I’ll be able to return to work, go back into society and participate fully in life. I have not been able to participate fully in life for a long time.”

For more information about weight loss solutions, visit weight management or take our healthy weight quiz below to see if bariatric surgery might be right for you.