Scott Brittain, 40, began having occasional abdomen pain that he said would
“come and go” in the months leading up to late April when
his pain became excruciating and started radiating across his back. This
made it impossible for him to sleep or go to work delivering packages
as a courier for DHL Express.
“I tried to walk it off, but my abdomen was swollen and hurt to touch,”
Scott says. “After a second night of no sleep, I called in sick
to work and decided it was time to go to Catawba Valley Medical Center’s
Emergency Department.”
That’s where Scott learned he needed surgery to remove his gallbladder.
A 4-inch-long, pear-shaped organ found under the liver, the gallbladder
stores bile, a compound produced by the liver to digest fat, and help
absorb fat-soluble vitamins and nutrients. Ultrasound confirmed Scott’s
gallbladder was infected and that he had several gallstones - solid masses
of cholesterol or pigment that form when high levels of fat and bile create
crystals which expand over time.
“My surgeon, Dr. Bryan McCluer, calmly explained that gallbladder
removal surgery is one of the most common surgeries he performs at CVMC.
He told me I was a great candidate for laparoscopic surgery and walked
me through the procedure in a clear way that I could understand,”
Scott remembers.
In laparoscopic gallbladder removal surgery, a thin tube with a tiny video
camera attached is inserted into a small incision in the abdomen. The
camera transmits images from inside the body to a video monitor. While
watching the enlarged images on the monitor, the surgeon carefully removes
the gallbladder through one of several small incisions. Because laparoscopic
surgery is minimally-invasive, it’s considered safer and requires
less recovery time than traditional “open” surgery where a
large incision is made in the belly.
Scott was given general anesthesia and slept through the short surgery.
He then remained in the hospital several hours before going home that
same day. Scott returned to work a week later and decided to spread the
word about his positive experience with Catawba Valley Health System in
this public 5-star review on Google:
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“Surgeon Dr. McCluer did an excellent job and the nurses were all incredible
too. Warm, kind, and compassionate. My nurse was Amanda Lail and the assistant
was Karol. Such great staff, a super clean facility, and the food was
even fantastic. Top of the line hospital"
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