Patient Testimonial: Samaritan General Surgery

For years, Peggy B. kept antacids with her at all times, just in case her severe acid reflux flared up. Now, she doesn’t need them.

Peggy, of Watertown, had anti-reflux surgery and a hiatal hernia repair with Dr. Lynsey Daniels of Samaritan General Surgery. Almost instantly, she felt years of discomfort and the burden of routine medication fade away.

“That problem is gone,” she said. “Immediately after surgery, I felt better. It actually made me feel younger.”

A small hiatal hernia — which occurs when part of the stomach bulges through the diaphragm — had bothered Peggy for years, and her symptoms grew more severe over time. Pain would travel up and down her abdomen, causing severe heartburn, nausea and shortness of breath.

“I had terrible pain, and it was progressively getting worse,” she said. “I ended up in the emergency room, and that’s when they referred me to Dr. Daniels.”

Peggy got a good feeling from Dr. Daniels and the staff at Samaritan General Surgery right off the bat.

“Overall, it was a positive experience for me all the way round,” she said. “Dr. Daniels has a lot of confidence in herself and what she does. She was very responsive to my questions. That’s a good thing.”

Peggy’s surgery was performed with the help of the DaVinci surgical robot, which allowed the entire procedure to be achieved through a small incision.

“It was so small and so slight, I don’t have scars or anything from it,” she said. “You don’t even know you had surgery.”

Peggy is pleased to recommend Dr. Daniels and Samaritan General Surgery to others, and she encourages people she knows to take care of a hernia while symptoms are mild. Antacids may help the symptoms, she said, but they ultimately do not solve the problem.

“I tell people not to wait before they have something done,” she said. “You go, you get it fixed, and you’re normal again.”

Samaritan General Surgery treats numerous conditions affecting the abdomen, chest and pelvis, including the breasts, stomach, esophagus, intestines, liver, gallbladder, pancreas and spleen. Learn more at www.samaritanhealth.com/generalsurgery/.