Local Police Chief Has Quick Recovery After Minimally Invasive Surgery
Michael B. Goldberg, M.D. (left)and Joseph Daly (right) discuss Daly's recent surgery.
Joseph Daly was at a family holiday party in December 2017 when he was suddenly struck with pain in his abdomen.
“I thought I must have gotten a stomach bug that was going around but I didn’t have the symptoms I’d normally expect and the pain just kept getting progressively worse,” says Daly, the chief of police in Springfield, Pa.
He went home but in the middle of the night, Daly woke up in agony. He called his doctor, who suggested he go to the nearest emergency room at Springfield Hospital.
Doctors there found that he had a small bowel obstruction, a blockage in the intestine, and admitted him to the hospital. Daly was given a tube in his nose and a drain in his stomach, and the next day he was moved to Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland, Pa.
“A lot of my friends and family were saying I should go to a hospital in Philadelphia, but I knew from my work and seeing people at the Crozer Regional Trauma Center that it was a place with high standards and that I would get great care there,” Daly says.
Indeed, he was more than pleased when he got settled into the fourth floor step-down unit.
“It was incredible. The staff—everyone from doctors to housekeeping—were wonderful, Daly says. "Donna, Alex, Taylor and Jennifer were my nurses and they made me feel like I was their main concern at every moment. I know from being on the police force that a lot of people are just doing their job. Sometimes, though, you’re lucky to meet someone who goes beyond what’s expected and really makes you feel good about that encounter with them. This is how it was at Crozer. Not just one or two people, but everyone.”
When a nonsurgical approach didn’t resolve the problem, he was seen by Crozer Health general surgeon Michael B. Goldberg, M.D. “I knew he was fairly new to the health system but he inspired confidence in me and he had a great bedside manner, spending a lot of time with my family to answer questions.”
Goldberg decided that he should operate, and Daly, who was eager for relief, agreed.
“In his case, it was not likely that the obstruction would resolve without surgery,” Goldberg says. “He was very happy that we could take him in for surgery quickly, and that it was a streamlined process.”
An expert in minimally invasive surgery, Goldberg was able to treat the blockage with a laparoscopic procedure. He made four tiny incisions in Daly's abdomen, and was able to treat the blockage with less risk of complication and infection, and a quicker recovery time, than a traditional large incision.
“We’re very lucky here in our department to have the technology and expertise to treat cases this way,” Goldberg says. “It’s definitely the wave of the future and is the best for our patients.”
After the surgery, Daly was able to return home on Thursday, just two days later. The following day he was back to work and he hasn’t looked back since.
“I’m one of those people who doesn’t let anything get me down,” Daly says. “I’m feeling great and back to myself. And I’ve told everyone about my experience at Crozer. I could have gone somewhere else but I wouldn’t have gotten that same level of care. I made the right choice and I couldn’t be happier.”
To schedule an appointment with Michael B. Goldberg, M.D. please call 610-619-8480. Learn more about Dr. Goldberg here.