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Back on the Road Pain Free
Anthony Catania
Oct, 2017
Physicians: Anthony Palmer, MD; Roy Winslow, MD
Modern day gypsies. That is what Anthony Catania and his wife, Patricia, desired to be upon their retirement. After selling their home in St. Joseph, they hit the road in their motor coach.
“There is just so much out there to see,” said Anthony, of the country that he and his wife have made their goal to travel as much of as possible.
In the winters, Anthony and Patricia usually find themselves in Arizona, albeit by a wandering route with as many adventurous stops along the way as they desire. In the summer months, they always return to their home away from home, an RV resort in South Haven, Michigan.
This summer, they once again found themselves at their favorite spot along Lake Michigan. Anthony was keeping himself busy as usual, painting, weeding, and trimming whatever needed caring for. At the age of 67, he was a man in very good health.
However, one afternoon as he had just about finished his to-do list for the day he started experiencing discomfort in his abdomen. Instinctively, he guessed it was a hernia and scheduled an appointment with his primary care doctor, Anthony Palmer, MD. Dr. Palmer confirmed Anthony’s self-diagnosis and referred him to general surgeon, Roy Winslow, MD, who suggested minimally invasive, da Vinci surgery to repair the hernia.
Anthony’s most recent hospital experience had been 30 years earlier – the result of a broken leg from an automobile accident. As someone who rarely needed to visit the doctor, let alone have surgery, he was a bit anxious as he waited for his procedure date to arrive.
One thing that helped ease his discomfort was the great reports he received regarding Dr. Winslow, from friends and acquaintances. One friend even credited Dr. Winslow with saving his life.
Though Anthony was encouraged by these comments, he was not completely at ease until the day of his surgery, when he met Dr. Winslow after the nurses prepped him for the procedure.
“I hit it off with him within minutes,” said Anthony. “He was so laid back, confident, and clearly highly intelligent. He made me feel really comfortable.”
Not only was Anthony impressed with Dr. Winslow, he was impressed by the procedure itself.
“One and a half hours and I was back on my feet,” said Anthony. “They prescribed me painkillers, but I only ever took one and never needed any more.”
With orders to take it easy, and not to lift more than 20 pounds, Anthony went home the same day as his surgery, where he rested for a few days. Not one to be still for too long though, Anthony was up on the roof, cleaning out gutters, just two weeks after his procedure. Within 30 days, he was completely healed and amazed at how easy the entire experience had been.
“Everyone at the Center for Outpatient Surgery was great,” said Anthony. “It is amazing how far technology has come. The whole experience was incredible.”
Today, Anthony is back trimming, painting, and doing whatever else needs to be done as he and his wife enjoy the last few weeks of their Michigan summer before heading west once again.
“I hope I never have to see Dr. Winslow again,” said Anthony with a chuckle. “But if I have to have surgery again, he’d be the guy I want.”