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A Small Crisis Before the Big Day
On one Friday last May, this Middletown bride was in the midst of the nightmare of acute
appendicitis. By Saturday, she was strolling down the aisle of her dream wedding.
Less than 24 hours before her
wedding, a young woman from
Middletown found herself on the brink
of surgery for appendicitis. For this
bride-to-be, who had spent the past
14 months planning a Memorial Day
weekend celebration, canceling
the event was not an option.
More Than Wedding Jitters
In the days preceding her
wedding, 29-year-old Maureen
Hansen was not feeling well and
had progressively worse stomach
cramps. By the Friday before her
Saturday ceremony, the pain was
so intense that she went to the
Emergency Care Center at
Riverview Medical Center.
A CT scan confirmed that her
appendix was severely infected.
That same evening, general
surgeon Phillipa Woodriffe,
M.D., had just come home
and was planning to get a good
night’s rest before her five-mile
run in Spring Lake the next
morning. But when she received
the call about Maureen, she
headed right to the hospital.
A Plan to Get Down the Aisle
Maureen’s family suggested that
she postpone the wedding. But
with 250 guests confirmed for
the following day, Maureen firmly
proclaimed, "I’m walking down
that aisle!"
Dr. Woodriffe reviewed the
laparoscopic surgical procedure
to remove Maureen’s appendix,
which would require three small
incisions to accommodate
instruments no wider than a penlight. "Dr.Woodriffe was great," says Maureen.
"She was warm and genuine and made
me feel very calm."
Just after midnight, Maureen’s appendix
was removed. She and Dr. Woodriffe
made a deal: If she could tolerate
liquids in the morning, then she could
be discharged. Sure enough, a mere
eight hours after her surgery, Maureen
was sipping liquids and ready to roll.
She chuckles about her experience.
"The staff was great. They were really
rooting for me to make the wedding."
Maureen headed home, and a few
hours later, she called Dr. Woodriffe
to let her know how she was feeling.
Dr. Woodriffe recalls Maureen saying,
"I’m fine. I just got my hair and
nails done!"
From Common to Complex
Appendicitis can occur at any age,
but it is most common in the teens,
20s, and 30s. Surgery once involved
an incision that could be two inches
or larger, but over the past 10 years,
laparoscopy has become
a frequent alternative.
Laparoscopic procedures
involve making several
small incisions through
which doctors can insert
a camera and operating
tools with straw-like guides.
Patients generally experience
less pain and quicker
recovery. This technology
has become so prevalent
that Riverview recently
created two new operating
suites that are dedicated
to laparoscopic procedures.
"While Riverview Medical
Center offers some of the
most state-of-the-art treatment
options in the nation, we
never lose sight of those
patients who have common
illnesses, such as a hernia
and appendicitis, or those
who may require colon, kidney, and lung procedures, just to name a few," notes Dr. Woodriffe. "With
advanced technology, we can treat
average illnesses just as efficiently."
Maureen is proof of the remarkable
advantages of laparoscopic technology.
Her wedding went off without a hitch,
and she received a standing ovation
when she walked down the aisle.
One of her bridesmaids was a
nurse, so she kept a close eye on
the blushing bride. And at the end
of the day, a relaxing honeymoon
was just what the doctor ordered
for a complete recovery!
 – Donna Sellmann
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