Bill Jones, 58, of Matawan, New Jersey, used to dedicate all his time and attention to keeping his landscaping business thriving, but a series of health problems have forced him to adjust the pace of his work.
Despite years of suffering from recurring diverticulitis, a condition in which tiny bulging pouches in the lining of the digestive tract become inflamed and infected, Bill thought the abdominal pain he experienced in March 2023 might have been caused by fatigue from work. But doctors at Bayshore Medical Center again identified diverticulitis and admitted the father of two to be treated with powerful intravenous antibiotics to suppress symptoms and infection.
This time, imaging revealed a colon perforation, which means there is a hole in the lining of the colon. However, Bill felt well overall and was in very little pain, so we decided to treat him with antibiotics to get through this illness without surgery. This will increase his chances of recovery and give us the opportunity to prepare him for a less complicated surgery in the future to completely cure his diverticular disease.
Unfortunately, his disease progressed and he eventually required surgery during his hospital stay. General surgeon Amit Karod, MD, removed a foot of Bill's large intestine and created a colostomy, redirecting stool through an opening in the abdominal wall to allow the intestine to heal.
“That section of the colon had ruptured, stool was spraying everywhere, and there was a pus-like membrane on the intestine,” Dr. Carrod explains. “Diverticulitis is common, but perforation is not.”
Life-threatening manifestations: Blood clots in the lungs
Thanks to Dr. Carrod's consistent encouragement, Bill, who was concerned about the survival of his business, recovered and was able to adjust to life with a colostomy bag. But at an appointment a month later, Bayshore surgeon Dr. Jessica Treto noticed something was wrong. Bill reported that he had been feeling dizzy and short of breath for several days after going for a walk with his wife, Emily. Thanks to Dr. Treto's quick thinking, an examination revealed that he had a dangerous submassive pulmonary embolism, a collection of large blood clots in his lungs.
“His situation was dire,” said Habib Khan, M.D., chief of surgery and vascular surgeon at Bayshore Hospital. Khan quickly mobilized his team and, using a minimally invasive catheterization procedure, removed most of the clot from Bill's lung.
“When you have that many clots in your lungs, it puts a lot of back pressure on your heart,” Dr. Khan explains. “If we hadn't treated him, his heart would have suddenly gone into cardiac arrest and stopped beating. He would have been at very serious risk of losing his life.”
After three days in the hospital, Bill was thankful that survival wasn't his biggest concern. “Just keeping the business going was my biggest concern,” he says.
A team approach to healthcare
Five months later, in August 2023, Bill was physically and mentally ready to have his colostomy reverted. Despite Bill’s significant scar tissue from his first surgery, Dr. Treto expertly performed the surgery using a robotic device that allowed for reversible replacement with only small incisions.
“Bill's first surgery was an open surgery, but the second procedure was a minimally invasive procedure, which resulted in less pain, a quicker recovery and a faster return to normal activity,” explains Dr. Treto.
After Bill overcame the pain of his illness, he decided to reevaluate his priorities and take more time away from work. “I had thought I would wait until retirement to travel more, but I realized now was not the time to wait,” he says. “The business is going to continue.”
Bill’s three surgeries are a great example of the collaborative, multidisciplinary team approach that Bayshore physicians have honed. “Our collaborative approach was the result of good communication, which allowed Bill to receive care in a timely manner,” Dr. Carrod says.
Next steps and resources
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