Prompt surgery solves patient’s chronic gallstones woes.

Carla Hawke was nauseated and in pain when she came to Kelsey-Seybold Clinic’s Main Campus for medical attention. Forty-eight hours later, she was on the operating table having her gallbladder surgically removed by Dr. Reggie Vaden. While she never imagined surgery would be performed so quickly, she’s immensely relieved that the discomfort she’d been experiencing intermittently for two years had finally been resolved.

“I wasn’t scared about the surgery. It was just a big, big relief,” Carla remembered.

Carla is a longtime Kelsey-Seybold patient. When she came to see Dr. Amy Chen at the Main Campus complaining of abdominal pain, discomfort after eating and other symptoms, Dr. Chen suspected gallstones could be the source of her trouble. She ordered an abdominal ultrasound and the results showed gallstone obstruction.

On Dr. Chen’s recommendation, Carla made an appointment right away for a consultation the following morning with Kelsey-Seybold surgeon Dr. Reggie Vaden. She was feeling bad when she arrived for that appointment so it was decided during her clinic visit to do surgery that same afternoon. Carla went directly to St. Luke’s Episcopal Hospital and a short time later Dr. Vaden removed her gallbladder.

“What was so nice was that we got her immediately into surgery. She was being very proactive about her health. She was on top of it. She scheduled her appointment and got in to see the surgeon in a very timely fashion,” Dr. Chen said. ‘“She’s a great patient and I’m glad we got this taken care of. She’s good to go.”

Carla is grateful that Dr. Chen was able to put the pieces of the puzzle together and diagnose her problem.

“I love her. She was very efficient and did a great job. She’s very intelligent, she asks a lot of questions and she has a very pleasant manner,” Carla said in describing Dr. Chen. “Somehow she got it right – the first time. Life is good right now.”

Carla’s daughter and brother also come to Kelsey-Seybold for their healthcare needs, and she highly recommends that others do so as well.

“I was having problems constantly with eating and just being uncomfortable. I’m really happy that this whole thing is over,” said Carla. “I don’t have to worry about what I’m going to eat or how it’s going to affect me.”