When it comes to needing surgery, a number of procedures can be performed right here in the Keys.
Nikki Sommer, a nurse with Key West Surgical Group, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5 FM for Medical Matters this morning.
It’s important to remember breast cancer can affect both men and women.
Sommer said, “If you feel a lump, you need to have that looked at by a physician right away. It could be benign and sometimes benign masses, sometimes they grow and they do become painful, tender, you might need to have them removed.”
Removal can be a good idea because if they remain, sometimes it can be difficult to detect any cancer cells that might be growing behind it.
A lumpectomy would be performed to remove a benign masse.
Monthly breast exams should begin early in life – like in your 20s.
Sommer said, “The more you’re familiar with your anatomy, the easier for you it will be to detect when something’s wrong.”
If you notice a change, reach out to Key West Surgical Group for care.
Colorectal care is also important, particularly if something irregular is detected in a colonoscopy.
Sommer said, “It’s a big surgery that you would need. Obviously, you would have part of your colon removed. That would require you to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. Depending on how extensive it is, you may or may not need a colostomy. Keep up with your exams because they sooner they find it the better it is.”
It is possible to remove part of the colon and still have it function.
Sommer said, “And with how surgery is done, all different techniques now, scarring is very minimal.”
With the gall bladder, no stone will be left behind.
Sommer said, “A lot of patients that have gall bladder issues, they try to put it off. That’s something that you need to get taken care of right away, especially if you have something called a gall bladder attack because they get worse and they are extremely painful. It usually means that your gall bladder is full of stones. What it is when your gall bladder contracts, the walls of the gall bladder are hitting those stones and that’s what’s causing the irritation and pain and it is very, very painful from what I have witnessed in patients. They come in doubled-over in pain.”
Often times the gall bladder will have to be removed through laparoscopic surgery.
Sommer said, “The gall bladder is actually pulled out through your belly button. So they don’t normally have to cut you open to take your gall bladder out anymore. It’s not something that’s preferred.”
If you do have a gall bladder problem, it’s important to contact a doctor.
The pain typically occurs under the rib cage on the right side of the body. Sometimes it can radiate to the back as well.
Sommer said, “Sometimes it will mimic acid reflux. The pain is gradual from what patients have told me. They’ll start feeling a little pain after they eat, some nausea and then it gets worse.”
The treatment of hemorrhoids can also be handled at Key West Surgical Group.
Sommer said, “They’re very painful. It’s a crippling pain and it will bring you to tears. They’re kind of like little blood vessels that become swollen.”
Hemorrhoids can occur in people who sit or stand for long periods of time or don’t drink enough water or have bad diets or don’t go to the bathroom regularly.
Sommer said, “It can afflict almost anyone. We have them and it’s just something that either becomes aggravated and some people can go through life without them and then a lot of people are more susceptible to them being painful.”
A stapled hemorrhoidectomy can be performed.
Sommer said, “It’s actually less invasive than if they had to go in and cut them out. It kind of pulls them up and then they staple them, it’s almost like a suture. It cuts the blood supply off so that tissue dies. So it kind of brings them back to size. It’s not as painful as cutting them out.”
Sometimes they may need to be cut out, where the recovery time is longer and it can be quite painful.
Pilonidal cysts are found in the tailbone area and often need to be removed – that also can be handled at Key West Surgical Group.
Sommer said, “A lot of times in the beginning, patients call and it’s infected. So they’ll come into the office and they open it, drain it and pack it. Sometimes we can do it once and it never comes back again and patients are good and sometimes they reoccur and you will need surgery. Don’t let that go if you know you have it.”
For more information on Key West Surgical Group, click here: https://www.keywestsurgicalgroup.com/