to try medication again.
For seven more months,
she struggled to regain her
quality of life. Finally, she
couldn’t take it anymore.
Freedom
from the pain
“Trina’s condition was much more
severe than most patients I see,” Dr. Alexander says.
With the robotic da Vinci® Surgical System, he was able to
draw the stomach below the diaphragm. He then repaired the
opening in the diaphragm and performed Nissen fundoplication
— essentially wrapping the top part of the stomach around the
bottom of the esophagus. This tightened the opening to the
esophagus, preventing acid reflux.
“Da Vinci makes surgery so much easier and faster, and it has
multiple benefits for patients, including less pain,” Dr. Alexander
says. “They’re up walking around the same day.”
Henry-Patrick was convinced of the robot’s effectiveness when
she saw her minimal scars.
“They were so small, just like a scrape when a child falls and
skins his knee,” she says.
Being mommy again
After her one-night stay at Methodist Mansfield, Henry-Patrick
has since healed smoothly, gradually introducing her favorite
foods back into her diet — including her beloved coffee.
“I feel that I had a great experience,” she says. “I would
encourage others in my situation to make this change for their
lives — to not worry and to trust the process. It really works.”
Trina
Henry-Patrick expected life changes when her son
Kenneth Junior (KJ, for short) arrived Jan. 24, 2011. What
she didn’t anticipate was severe chest pain after meals.
“It was so bad, I wanted to lie on the floor and curl up in a
ball,” she says. In fact, there were days she did just that. “My
husband, Kenneth, is a private chef and makes great food. I
couldn’t eat any of it.”
Diet dead ends
For the rest of 2011, Henry-Patrick took medication to manage
gas levels in her stomach, but when it failed, she turned to food
journals and a new diet.
“I cut out all red meat, sausage, coffee, and soda,” she says. “I
pretty much just ate nuts and berries and leaves. Nothing worked.”
Last February, she met with general surgeon Gary Alexander, MD,
FACS, at Methodist Mansfield Medical Center. He diagnosed
Henry-Patrick with a severe hiatal hernia: About 25 percent of her
stomach was pushing up into her chest cavity through an opening
in the diaphragm. The result was almost a vacuum effect that
pulled stomach acid up into the esophagus.
While surgery would fix the problem, Henry-Patrick wanted
LET IT WORK FOR YOU
Find out all that the da Vinci robot can do. Go
to
Beating
the burn
After robotic surgery at Methodist Mansfield repaired her hiatal
hernia, Trina Henry-Patrick can enjoy her husband’s cooking
and her favorite beverage — coffee!
After successful surgery at Methodist Mansfield, Trina Henry-Patrick encourages
others with hiatal hernias to seek help. Click the box above to watch her story.
Methodist Mansfield Medical Center
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Spring 2014
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