Dairy Farmer Appreciates Coordinated Care [Keith Welgraven]

I'm Keith Welgraven. I'm a dairy farmer from Ruthton, Minnesota, and I milk cows for a living.

Why did you choose Dr. Oey for hernia surgery?

I had gone on the Avera site and started searching for surgeons, and Dr. Oey's name popped up and said she specialized in hernia surgery. And meeting with her for the first time, it just...she was...it was an instant hit. I mean, she seemed very confident in what she was doing and very personable. I mean, that's a very high quality, in my opinion, on a doctor, and I was just all around happy with what I've met anyway.

Why was scheduling important to you?

With dairy, you're busy 24/7, so to speak, you know, 12 months out of the year. And, you know, the cattle always have to be cared for on the dairy and the calves fed. And so, to be able to, you know, get everything organized, I had hip...not replacement, but actual repair done with my orthopedic surgeon. So, and Dr. Oey was really good about working with my orthopedic doctor also to be able to shave some of the downtime off, and it worked really well. I mean, couldn't ask for it to go any better.

Why did you choose da Vinci robotic surgery?

Well, she said it would take less time to heal. It sounded like it was a lot less invasive, and I just had trust in her. She knew what she was talking about, so I opted to go with that procedure, and it went really well. I mean, there was no problems, no issues, and she did a great job.

How was your experience with the staff?

Excellent. I had awesome care here. I've always been happy with the Brookings Hospital. The nurses from as soon as we entered in, to the very last one, and I can't remember her name, but she was just a wonderful doctor...or not doctor, nurse, I should say, on the release. You know, the care here was awesome. I mean, I'll gladly come back here again.

How was your recovery?

After I recovered, I was back to normal, you know, and back to doing chores. And yeah, it took my patience, I guess, to not do everything, but I could pretty much tell. And she told me right out, she knows the situation I'm in. And she says, "Well, your body's gonna tell you what you can do and what you can't. And just listen to it and don't push it." And I think that was pretty good advice actually. She's really good with giving that, so.

What did you appreciate most about your care?

Everything. I mean, everything was experienced well. You know, the nurses were so excellent to help you out and, you know, "What can we get you? What can we do for ya?" You know, "How is the pain?" You know, Dr. Oey came in, oh gosh, I don't remember, I bet you two or three times afterwards just to check on me to make sure I was good. Everything was just, like I say, you just couldn't ask for it to go any better.

Why do you recommend surgery at Brookings Health System?

Just because of the excellent patient care, in my opinion. And like I say, I don't know that many doctors here, but Dr. Oey I've already recommended to a couple of my friends that are looking for surgeons and she's just, like I say, she's tops in my opinion.

Are you one of Brookings Health System's grateful patients who would like to give back to us? Learn more about how you can give back at brookingshealth.org/mythanks.