Sarah Rowe, New Vineyard

I’m a married mother of three young children who works as a medical assistant at a busy three-surgeon medical practice in Farmington. At Franklin Health Surgery I work alongside these surgeons, but I never anticipated that I would need their specialty services in the near future.

Just before Thanksgiving I started experiencing abdominal heaviness, pain, and discomfort—off and on—for a couple of days. One afternoon when the pain was quite severe, I called my primary care provider Dr. Heidi Decker who scheduled me for an ultrasound at Franklin Memorial Hospital the following morning. After the ultrasound procedure, I had an appointment with her later in the day and she told me that the ultrasound imaging showed polyps on my gall bladder and she wanted me to see a surgeon. She made a referral to Dr. Shane Lydon and I was seen that very same day.

Dr. Lydon evaluated me and said that because there were no signs of gallstones he would like me to have a CCK (Cholecystokinin) Hida Scan the next day to assess my gallbladder’s function. In the hospital’s radiology department, the radiologic technician injected me with CCK, a medication to contract the gallbladder. After the injection, I experienced painful abdominal cramping and pain, but it only lasted about five minutes. Yet it was long enough to show that my gall bladder wasn’t working properly.

Dr. Lydon advised me that I should have my gall bladder removed and he was very thorough in counseling the pros and cons despite the fact that I have knowledge about the condition from my work as a medical assistant. Dr. Lydon said that my gallbladder could be removed with a laparoscopic procedure by way of three small incisions, rather than a more invasive surgery. He said it should be a straightforward procedure.

On Friday I had my laparoscopic procedure. Dr. Lydon inserted a lighted scope attached to a video camera (laparoscope) into one incision near the belly button. He then used a video monitor as a guide while inserting surgical instruments into the other incisions to remove my gallbladder. Dr. Lydon and the surgical team at Franklin Memorial Hospital performed a textbook laparoscopic procedure. Everything went as it should and I went home that night.

The next morning I awoke with very little pain. I took some ibuprofen for the tenderness near the incision sites, but I’d say I had a pretty speedy recovery. I was up and about doing laundry and other household chores (that didn’t involve any lifting) like any typical Saturday. I felt pretty normal.

On Monday, the practice manager got to work and my colleagues told him that I’d had my gall bladder out on Friday and wouldn’t be in. You can just imagine his surprised expression when I reported to work just like any typical Monday!