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Winter 2015-2016
SHINE
43
A bout of fatigue
may seem an
unlikely first step in a journey that
would ultimately end in a robotic
surgical procedure.
But that’s exactly what happened to
Cassandra Hughes.
“It all started when I was having
anemia and couldn’t figure out why,”
says Cassandra, a 47-year-old Dallas
mortgage professional. “My family
medicine doctor referred me to
Dr. Tibrewal for a colonoscopy.”
When she awoke from the
procedure, Cassandra learned that she
had a 5-centimeter polyp in her colon.
“My first thought was ‘I’m not
ready to die,’” Cassandra recalls. “I
asked right away if surgery was going
to be an option.”
A clear choice
A biopsy revealed that the polyp was
actually a type of precancerous tumor
of the colon — with the da Vinci®
Surgical System.
Cassandra quickly felt confident
about the procedure.
“I have a lot of faith in Dr. Tibrewal,”
Cassandra says. “When he told me this
was a better option, I said that was
good enough for me.”
A healthy future
“I began doing minimally invasive
da Vinci surgery a few years ago after
seeing the superior outcomes it gets for
patients,” Dr. Tibrewal says.
Those outcomes are evident for
Cassandra, who had almost entirely
resumed normal activity within a
month of the procedure.
“I’ve seen friends and family after
major surgery
with huge
scars, tons of
staples, and lots of
pain,” she says. “My
procedure was so much easier.”
Cassandra says her road to recovery
was also made easier by the care she
received from her Methodist Charlton
team: “Everyone was friendly and
professional. Dr. Tibrewal always took
plenty of time to explain things to me.
He even made sure that someone kept
my fiancé, Richard, informed at least
once an hour during my surgery.”
Post-procedure, Cassandra’s
been inspired to recommit to her
own good health.
“I am drinking lots of water,
walking, and being mindful of what I’m
eating,” she says. “Each month, I feel a
little better than the one before it.
“I’m convinced: Robotic surgery is
the way to go.”
known as tubulovillous adenoma.
Bleeding from the growth was a likely
cause of Cassandra’s anemia.
“Current colon cancer screening
guidelines recommend that people
get their first colonoscopy at age 45
or 50, depending on their ethnicity,
or anytime they’re having symptoms,”
says Anil Tibrewal, MD, general
surgeon at Methodist Charlton
Medical Center. “Thank goodness that
Cassandra took her doctor’s suggestion
to have a colonoscopy seriously. If
she had waited, she would have likely
developed full-blown cancer.”
After the biopsy, Dr. Tibrewal
recommended a robot-assisted
colectomy — partial or full removal
IS DA VINCI RIGHT FOR YOU?
To find a physician who performs da Vinci
procedures, visit
Answers2.orgor call
214-947-6296
.
Da Vinci stops cancer in its tracks
Laying it out: “I’m convinced robotic surgery is
the way to go,” Cassandra Hughes says.