“The symptoms of my hernia were straightforward, bulging in the umbilical area. The procedure for the robot surgery and the surgery in general was great. We’re happy to drive the hour and 15 minutes to get great care. Always a great experience at CRMC.”
After Dave Sadlowsky began experiencing symptoms for an inguinal hernia, he started to have a difficult time standing at work and at football games for any length of time.
“Given that I am not a very experienced or comfortable patient, I was somewhat apprehensive about having a surgical procedure. However, as the person who does the voice recording of Riverwood Healthcare Center radio ads, I knew of the skilled surgeon team and successes with the minimally invasive, robotic-assisted procedure for hernia repair.
The first step in my treatment was meeting with Dr. Andrew Loveitt, general surgeon at Riverwood Healthcare Center, to discuss the various surgical and mesh material options to best meet the needs of my condition and how it would affect my personal and professional needs. As he explained the surgery and its potential risks, I felt very comfortable with his confidence that the procedure we agreed upon would be a success.
I not only needed to schedule the hernia repair, but also a colonoscopy, which required coordination between two different schedulers, and scheduling one pre-op appointment with Dr. Erik Bostrom to cover both procedures. I appreciated the patience and assurance of the staff that it was fine for me to change appointment dates as needed to fit my work schedule.
Now for game day. I felt slightly more comfortable in the surgery department having gone through my colonoscopy just one week earlier. There were a few familiar faces and some of the same processes. When my nurse, Mikayla Brooks, learned that I had some recent difficulty with IV placement, she confidently proclaimed and demonstrated that it would not happen this time. Mikayla was great about keeping me engaged in conversation, which kept me distracted and comfortable throughout the entire prep process.
Nurse Anesthetist John Ziebarth gave me a feeling of comfort and reassurance that he would put me into a state in which I would not be aware of any details of the procedure.
The recovery and discharge processes were extremely efficient and very much appreciated!
Dr. Loveitt came to see me afterward to inform me that the procedure went well and showed me a few photos of the repair–before and after.
The robotic-assisted, minimally invasive method not only allowed Dr. Loveitt to perform the repair with more efficiency and precision, but also gave me a much faster and more comfortable recovery. I did not have a need for any of the prescribed pain relief medication other than periodic Tylenol and ibuprofen for a few days.
One thing that was absolutely beyond my expectations was the handwritten personalized card of well wishes I received in the mail a few days after surgery.
I experienced kindness, compassion and caring perfectly blended with state-of-the-art technology and highly skilled providers…every step of the way. We are so fortunate to have Riverwood Healthcare close to home where our providers are also our neighbors. Riverwood combines all the advantages of a big-city facility with all the benefits of small-town friendliness and charm.”
“There was no recovery, I didn’t even feel like I had surgery,” said Jerry Thom, age 66, who recently underwent a minimally invasive approach at CRMC to repair a hernia.
Sheryl Wold, age 52 of Aitkin, relates her excellent experience with hernia repair at Riverwood Healthcare Center with the da Vinci Surgery System’s robotic technology.
“About two years ago, I was helping my husband load up some firewood onto our trailer, and that was when I first noticed that I had a hernia. I had an inguinal/groin hernia on my left side. I could feel the hernia protrude at times and felt soreness especially when I sat down.
At my annual physical with my Riverwood provider we talked about my hernia. He suggested that I see one of the general surgeons. In a discussion about the options for surgery, the surgeon advised me that robotic surgery was coming to Riverwood soon. He stated that that with robotic, minimally invasive procedure the recovery time was shorter, incisions smaller, and less pain in recovery, compared to traditional hernia repair surgery.
Shortly after Riverwood began offering robotic surgical repair for hernias, I got my surgery scheduled for April 23, 2019. The care that I received from the Riverwood staff was outstanding! The surgical services staff was very professional, getting everything for my surgery set up so I didn’t have to worry about a thing. From the surgeon to the surgery nurses to the nurse anesthetist, everyone put me at ease and let me know what to expect.
One of the benefits that impressed me was that I did not have a weight-lifting limit after the surgery, which was very nice since I have two grand babies that I wanted to hold and lift.
I appreciated that the surgeon came to see me both before and after my surgery to see how I was doing, He was very caring and compassionate, putting me at ease with his knowledge of the robotic, minimally invasive surgery.
My hernia surgery went very smoothly; it only took about an hour. I have three tiny incisions that are not even a half inch and barely visible.
My recovery was very quick. I had minimal pain or discomfort and only needed to take Tylenol. My surgery was on a Tuesday and by Thursday I was up doing some activities and well enough to go back to work within a week.
I would definitely recommend hernia repair performed by the highly skilled and experienced team of general surgeons at Riverwood to my family and friends. I even received a really nice thank-you card from the surgery staff, which made me feel that they really do care.”
The customer service at Riverwood was great. Everyone was very nice, helpful and courteous. I appreciated how they got back to me quickly with information. I would highly recommend this hospital to others in need of surgery.
Dave Lahr did online research to find the best robotic-assisted hernia surgery option. Residing in St. Augusta near St. Cloud, he searched close to home first, but ended up choosing the Hernia Specialists of Minnesota at Riverwood Healthcare Center in Aitkin, Minn., a 2-hour drive away.“I wanted to find a surgeon who would do my hernia repair with robotic-assisted technology, which supports a faster recovery, plus perform a vasectomy at the same time,” Dave explained. “I met with Dr. Andrew Loveitt, general surgeon at Hernia Specialists of Minnesota, and he was agreeable to doing both surgical procedures, which was very convenient and time saving for me. He was very thorough in preparing me for what to expect for my surgical procedures.”
Dr. Loveitt performed a robotic bilateral hernia repair using a new Ovitex mesh, which produced a great outcome for Dave.
Dave added: “After the surgery, my recovery was quick and nearly pain-free. I only had to take one narcotic pain pill. My incisions were very tiny, and the scarring was minimal.
Best of all, I was able to return to work in four days. I’m a painter at St. Cloud State University, so I did light duty work for the first week and then was able to resume my full duties the second week after surgery.
The customer service at Riverwood was great. Everyone was very nice, helpful and courteous. I appreciated how they got back to me quickly with information. I would highly recommend this hospital to others in need of surgery.”
I feel great and am anxious to get back to yard work which I couldn’t do before the surgery. - Northern Minnesota
“I woke up one morning with an inguinal hernia and made an appointment with my doctor. In the meantime, I did some internet research and found only CRMC and two places in the Twin Cities that performed robotic laparoscopy surgery which I considered to be the gold standard. By then, I saw my doctor who confirmed my diagnosis and that I needed surgery. I went to CRMC’s web page, viewed a hernia seminar video, and made and appointment. My doctor did the pre-op visit and the surgery was scheduled. I walked into CRMC at 9:30 a.m. on a Friday for an 11 a.m. surgery and was wheeled out at 3:30 p.m. I’ve had major surgery before, so I was prepared for the worst. Dr. Loveitt was very good and the OR staff were absolutely spectacular; it was a pleasant, relaxed, no-hurry, no-stress atmosphere with very supportive nurses. I was given prescriptions for pain but did not need them or any over-the-counter pain relievers. Because we live 240 miles away, we stayed at a Baxter hotel for the weekend and enjoyed good food from area restaurants. Hours after the surgery, I was doing laps back and forth in the hotel’s hallways and as the weekend progressed, I increased my laps and walked up and down stairs. I talked to the charge nurse on Saturday, the surgeon on Sunday, and saw Dr. Loveitt again on Monday. He examined me and said the hernia would never come back and cleared me to drive back home. I feel great and am anxious to get back to yard work which I couldn’t do before the surgery.”
When Kevin White was examined by a general surgeon at Riverwood Healthcare Center for hernia treatment, he was given two choices. He could have surgery the traditional way with an open procedure or performed with a robotic-assisted minimally invasive approach.
“The surgeon told me the robotic-assisted surgery would be less painful with a faster recovery, so that’s what I opted to do,” Kevin says. “I got to view the robotic equipment before my surgery and it was pretty cool with all those different arms and computer-guided controls.”
Kevin had very little pain in recovery with minimal bruising or swelling. At his 10-day post-op check-up, the surgeon told him he didn’t need to be seen again unless any issues arose.
“I’m very happy with my minimally invasive hernia surgery,” Kevin adds. “I only had to have four tiny incisions that healed up so fast. I’ve known guys who have had hernia surgery without robotics and they had much bigger scars and longer healing time. My incisions are barely visible.”
In addition to hernia repair, the highly skilled and experienced team of general surgeons at Riverwood uses the da Vinci Surgery System to perform other complex minimally invasive upper and lower gastrointestinal operations. This leading-edge robotic surgical system allows a higher degree of precision for surgeons with the benefit of less pain and faster recovery for patients.
“At the screening exam, the surgeon told me that I should have surgery right away to repair my hernia,” Gary says. “He said I had the potential to develop a strangulated hernia, a dangerous medical condition where the blood supply gets cut off and requires emergency surgery.”
Several weeks later, Gary had a hernia repair with the new robot-assisted procedure using the da Vinci Surgery System at Riverwood Healthcare Center. Robotic-assisted surgery allows a higher degree of precision for surgeons with the benefit of less pain and faster recovery for patients.
“My procedure went very smoothly, and recovery was quick with very little pain,” Gary explains. “I didn’t need to take any pain medication after the surgery. After about a week of rest, I gradually resumed my regular activities and outdoor chores.”
Gary and his wife, Gloria, were impressed that the surgery staff took the time to send him a thank-you note for choosing Riverwood for his hernia repair.
Gary adds: “I feel much better now. I haven’t felt this good in a long time.”
