Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center - (Page 51)

“Actually, I felt like I could breathe better right after surgery, and recovery moved along as planned,” she says. Every day I woke up knowing I would feel a little better, and after about four weeks, I noticed I was not as tired after work. “I think for anyone considering balloon sinuplasty,” Zebrasky continues, “I would tell them it’s a process of improvement afterward. You have to do maintenance—rinsing out your nasal passages, for instance. This is especially true for me, since I have allergies. The surgery has been well worth it. I have a lot more energy now. Balloon sinuplasty is a terrific new technology, and it really helped me.” The RIghT TeChnIqUe foR a DelICaTe SURgeRy Sharon and Shelton Smart with son Spencer Shelton’S treatment: Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Using a rigid endoscope (telescope) with a camera at one end, image-guided endoscopic sinus surgery provides the surgeon with a magnified image for technical precision. In certain circumstances, computed tomography (CT) images of the sinuses are digitally linked to a computerized, image-guidance system displayed on the monitor and also coupled to the surgical instruments using telemetry. This gives the surgeon the ability to navigate the surgical instruments in the diseased sinuses in real time. Call As a child, Shelton Smart beat lymphoma, but the radiation treatments left him with scarred sinuses that don’t drain well. “I’ve had sinus surgery twice,” Smart says. “Before the first one, about seven years ago, I was miserable. I had sinus infections to the point that my right eardrum perforated. When Dr. Browning looked inside my sinuses, he said it looked like a lunar landscape in there. “After the surgery,” he continues, “I felt great, but then a couple of years ago, sinus infections took hold again, so I had surgery again.” Adds Donald Browning, MD, the otolaryngologist who performed Smart’s sinus surgeries: “With Shelton’s sinuses, it was important that I use imageguided technology, known as endoscopic sinus surgery, so that I could carefully clean out old scar tissue and polyps in delicate areas.” Says Smart’s wife, Sharon, “Dr. Browning and the entire surgical team were incredible. They kept me up to date throughout the surgery on how it was progressing. Afterward, Shelton only had pressure like a dull headache, not really pain.” The surgeries were performed at Gwinnett Medical Center–Lawrenceville’s DaySurgery center, where Dr. Browning had the proper equipment and the clinical team to perform this image-guided, minimally invasive procedure. “I was back at work in two weeks,” Smart says. “As a police officer in one of DeKalb County’s rougher areas, I have to have a clear head all the time. Because of damage from those childhood radiation treatments, I may have to have another surgery in the future, but Dr. Browning is terrific. I’m 100 percent better now.” Facial Pain or Pressure? Difficulty Breathing? Find help at Gwinnett Medical Center. To get started, call 678-312-5000 for a physician referral, or visit gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/sinus to learn more. Fall 201 3 51 http://www.gwinnettmedicalcenter.org/sinus

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center
Contents
Phil’s Feature
Kind and Generous
How Can We Help?
Step It Up
Your Mightiest Muscle
Well, Well, Well
Are You Doing More Harm Than Good?
Is Your Shut-Eye Serving You Well?
Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge
Anatomy of an ER Visit
Next-Gen Surgery
Attack from Within
Virtual Health
PrimeTime Health
Clear Passage
New Life with New Knees
Out of the White Coat
Transforming Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Fall 2013 - Gwinnett Medical Center