Peggy's da Vinci Story
CONDITION/PROCEDURE: hysterectomy, prolapsed bladder, endometriosis
DATE OF PROCEDURE: Nov. 12, 2009
SURGEON/HOSPITAL: Dr. Jason Bennett, Metro Health Hospital
THE BIGGEST CONCERNS I HAD ABOUT TREATMENT: I had never had surgery before and was very concerned about the pain involved.
WHY I CHOSE DA VINCI SURGERY: It was recommended by my doctor and I wad heard good things about recovery time.
SURGICAL EXPERIENCE
MY PAIN AND/OR DISCOMFORT LEVEL: The first 48 hours were the worst but was pretty controlled with meds. After that, ice worked very well.
ABOUT MY RECOVERY TIME: It wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be. I kept ice on for the first week but was able to move around the house.
ABOUT MY SURGEON AND/OR FACILITY STAFF: Everyone was wonderful!
HOW DA VINCI SURGERY COMPARED TO MY PREVIOUS EXPERIENCES OR PRECONCEPTIONS OF SURGERY: I was very happy not to have a big incision on my stomach, I can’t imagine the pain involved. With da Vinci I only had 4 very small incisions.
Surgical Advances Restore Lives
(To view the following article in its orginal form from Metro Health's foundation newsletter, Consider, here)
She’s known for her beautifully manicured flower gardens. Each spring and summer, avid gardener Peggy Doren carefully planned and faithfully tended her flower beds. She would spend countless hours after work and on the weekends cultivating a magnificent display of color, texture and aroma. But at the beginning of the planting season last year, she found herself struggling just to prepare her soil. An aching abdomen turned her hobby into a grueling task. Some days she was fine, but as the season progressed, so did her discomfort. There were times when the pain kept her from even stepping foot into her gardens.
Earlier that year at her annual physical, 55-year-old Peggy had been diagnosed with prolapsed uterus and bladder. Shortly after her diagnosis, what had begun as intermittent tenderness developed into unrelenting pain. What she didn’t know at the time was that a severe case of endometriosis was also plaguing her health and acting as the primary source of her pain.
Peggy spent more and more time indoors. Some days even walking was difficult, and she found herself barely able to get out of bed. Her flowers wilted and her gardens withered as the summer slipped by. As her health deteriorated, the joy of life was becoming lost in the agony.
By August, she simply couldn’t take it anymore. “We went on a special family vacation that month, and after that I knew something had to be done,” explained Peggy. “I was suffering so much, it almost ruined our trip.” Desperate for relief, Peggy was referred to Dr.
Jason Bennett, an urogynecologic surgeon. Using Metro Health Hospital’s da Vinci Surgical System, advanced laparoscopic technology that allows surgeons to use robotics to perform complex procedures without open surgery, Dr. Bennett would perform a complete hysterectomy and repair Peggy’s fallen bladder.
It was during her surgery that Dr. Bennett discovered that Peggy was also suffering from extensive endometriosis. The hidden disease had permeated her abdomen and entangled other organs, turning her already major surgery much more complex. The cutting-edge robotic system, funded by the generosity of donors to the Metro Health Hospital Foundation,
allowed Dr. Bennett to perform every move with precision and control, resulting in less scarring and a faster recovery.
Only 24 hours after a delicate and complicated surgery, Peggy was on her way home. Her recovery would continue in the familiar surroundings of her own house and the comfort of her own bed. In mere weeks, she was back to work and dreaming up new plantings for the following spring. “I feel 10 years younger, and I’m able to enjoy life the way I did before. It feels so good to be back in my gardens this season, doing what I love…completely free of pain.”
