Ask Juli McDonald how she’s feeling today and she’ll tell you she feels 20 years younger than her actual 47 years. She’ll tell you she considers herself a new woman. She’ll tell you she has literally been given a new lease on life. (She could go on and on.) She’ll also tell you it’s all thanks to the minimally invasive surgery she underwent at Otsego Memorial Hospital (OMH).
A Surprising Diagnosis
An avid horseback rider who also raises horses — she currently has six — Juli went from riding nearly every day to just a few times a year. Living with almost constant pain and bloating was taking its toll, and severely diminishing her quality of life.
Then one evening last April, Juli suffered an attack so severe she could barely stand up. “I had just eaten dinner and felt bloated as usual, but then my stomach started seizing in pain, and I began shaking and vomiting. The pain was worse than labor.” Juli was alone at the time, and asked her 76-year-old father, who lived across the street, to drive her to the hospital. The hospital that Juli visited ran a battery of tests, including an abdominal ultrasound and MRI, and determined that Juli’s gallbladder was the cause of her pain. “The ER doctor told me I had gallstones and severe inflammation in my gallbladder,” she says. “I couldn’t believe it.”
When the ER doctor recommended she have her gallbladder removed, Juli knew exactly where she would go to have the surgery. “The first thought that came into my mind was Otsego Memorial Hospital,” she says. “Dr. Shurlow performed my thyroid surgery two years ago. He was wonderful then and I knew he’d be wonderful again.”
Last year I rode maybe three or four times. Now, I feel like I can ride every day. In fact, I rode just a few days after my surgery. I feel like a new woman.”
A Newer Approach to Minimally Invasive Surgery
One of Juli’s main concerns, in addition to getting her pain and bloating under control, was being able to get back on her feet quickly after the surgery. “I had been out of work for a while, and at the time this was happening I had just begun applying for jobs again. There was this one job that I was really hoping I’d get, but I knew they’d want me to start soon, so a short hospital stay was really important.” James Shurlow, DO, General Surgeon at OMH, had the perfect solution: minimally invasive robotic surgery, a less invasive surgical technique that offered a faster recovery time, shorter hospital stay, less scarring and less pain than traditional “open” surgery. “Dr. Shurlow explained all the benefits of this new robotic surgery, and it sounded great,” she says.
The da Vinci® Surgical System is the latest minimally invasive surgical technology offered at OMH. While the hospital has been performing minimally invasive laparoscopic surgery for many years, the da Vinci system features a 3-D, high-definition vision system with tiny instruments that bend and rotate in sync with a surgeon’s movements, offering surgeons greater precision, enhanced vision and more control. OMH is only the second hospital in northern lower-Michigan to offer the da Vinci system.
Dr. Shurlow explained all the benefits of this new robotic surgery, and it sounded great,”
Back in the Saddle Again
On May 17, Dr. Shurlow removed Juli’s gallbladder using the da Vinci system. The procedure took less than an hour, and the results, Juli says, were almost immediate. “This was by far the fastest recovery I’ve ever had from a surgery. The first thing I noticed almost right after I woke up was that my pain and bloating were gone.”
By two days after the surgery, Juli had made a full recovery. And just over a week after the surgery, Juli began her new job. She’s also back to doing what she loves most — horseback riding. “Last year I rode maybe three or four times,” she says. “Now, I feel like I can ride every day. In fact, I rode just a few days after my surgery. I feel like a new woman.”
Juli says she can even tolerate spicy foods again, something she hadn’t been able to enjoy in years because of her stomach issues. “My stomach pain, back pain and bloating are completely gone,” she says. “I’m back to working and I’ve never been happier. This surgery was truly the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
Is Minimally Invasive Surgery Right for You?
If you are interested in learning more or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Shurlow or his partners in the General Surgery practice, Dr. Wendy Frye and Dr. John Moffat, please call (989) 731-7989. You can also call the Physician Referral Line at 989-731-2300 to learn more about other minimally invasive surgery options at OMH.