How Emergency Surgery Saved My Life: A Patient Story

4/25/2023

Alison was diagnosed with a perforated diverticulitis in her colon at her local Lake County ER.

Knowing she immediately needed a higher level of care, she was transferred to Northwest Health – Porter via ambulance and met the general surgeon who was on-call to handle emergencies.

“I felt such anxiety as I had never been admitted to a hospital before,” remarked Alison. She said the ER staff showed her so much compassion and her surgeon from Northwest Medical Group - General Surgery had a wonderful bedside manner, giving her his undivided attention, making her feel heard and cared about.

He explained to Alison that he would be monitoring her daily, with the hope of avoiding surgery if possible.

"My surgeon checked on me every morning, until one morning he told me that my condition was not improving and that he needed to perform a surgical procedure to remove the infected part of my colon,” she said.

He performed the Hartmann’s procedure that involved a resection of the diseased sigmoid colon with the creation of a colostomy, which helps the affected portion of the colon to heal faster. Six months later, he successfully reversed the Hartmann's procedure laparoscopically so Alison would no longer need a stoma bag.

“He saved my life. And I really appreciate that he was cautious and didn’t want to pull the trigger too quickly and go straight into surgery,” said Alison. “He guided me through my healing journey and I’m so grateful to him and his wonderful staff. Everyone was so caring and compassionate throughout this whole process.”

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