Newfound Comfort with Surgery [Sean Doremus]

My name is Sean Doremus. I'm from Cheyenne, Wyoming, but I reside in Brookings, South Dakota, and I'm a police officer for the city of Brookings.

Why did you need surgery?

I went in for an annual physical and I had a slight bulge below my belt line and showed it to my primary physician and he informed me that I had a hernia.

Why did you choose Dr. Marroquin for Surgery?

So being a police officer here in the City of Brookings, I worked closely with a lot of the ER staff, and nurses, and doctors, and I trust a lot of them, and she came highly recommended through them.

Why did you choose da Vinci robotic surgery?

So the robotic surgery was new to me. Dr. Marroquin recommended it, said that she had trained on it, was confident with it. It was new technology to our hospital here, so it kind of came recommended through her, which she specializes in surgery and I don't. So we went with it.

How does da Vinci robotic surgery work?

What I was informed of is instead of making a large incision, it makes multiple smaller incisions, and then they end up putting some air in you, making some room to work, and they insert a couple little arms, and then she controls the arms and fixes whatever she needs to fix or whatever she comes across.

What are the benefits for da Vinci robotic surgery?

I believe the benefits of the robotic surgery is that there are smaller incisions and more of them. However, it's less invasive making it so you heal faster and quicker and have less scarring.

What was your impression of Dr. Marroquin?

I think she has a really good personality. She's very professional. I'm a little bit more outgoing and probably a little tougher to communicate with just because I like to play around and joke with people. But she took it really well and rolled right back, but kept it all in line and everything.

How was your childhood experience with surgery?

That was in elementary school first, second grade. They weren't able to complete the surgery in time, so it took multiple surgeries to complete the same thing, and one of the doctors botched it. So we had to have a new surgeon come in and undo what he did to fix it the correct way.

How was your comfort level going into surgery?

I think for me, a lot of the comfort came from already knowing a lot of the staff that works within this hospital and trusting them, and seeing what their capabilities are and what they've done before for other people. So knowing that, I just had faith and trust in Brookings Health System that their surgeons would be at the same level as their ER doctors and nurses as well.

How did surgery go?

Going into it, we only knew that I had one for sure, and possibly two being an umbilical. And then once we started the surgery, she found out that my other side needed to be repaired so she actually went through and did all three in that one time frame.

How has this experience changed your perception on surgery?

It was a night-and-day difference. I was super anxious and not a good customer. All my staff had thick skin and I appreciate that because I was not the best patient they've ever had, but they took very good care of me and eased everything in. With how everything went, I would definitely recommend them and would come back if I had to have something done.

How was your recovery?

Recovery was pretty smooth. I was a little sore as expected with the triple hernia surgery for moving around a little bit. But within a couple days I was up and moving with no issues and then just had to basically follow the doctor's orders before I returned to work.

What did you appreciate most about your care?

The care was very personalized. I feel like they were able to meet my needs, my personality, and kind of go with the flow and be very flexible through the process with me. But it was very genuine as well. So it just kind of was a more home feeling.

Why do you recommend surgery at Brookings Health System?

I think it was very smooth from the minute I walked through the doors of the hospital, to meeting my inpatient nurse, all the way through the surgery, and then through recovery, and on my way home. I mean, it was a pretty extensive surgery, I think, for same day to be in and out, but came out of it really smooth and everybody was a really nice person, easy to work with.

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