My family and I had just finished dinner when I started having sharp abdominal pains. I thought the pain was from something I ate, but it seemed more severe and lasted through the night. By morning, it was unbearable. I had a hard time even walking around my house.

After a long night of abdominal pain, Alex decided he needed to see his doctor. His wife took him to their internal medicine doctor, who told him it was his appendix and he needed to meet with a surgeon immediately to find out whether it needed to be removed.

As a result of his work in the medical field as a pharmaceutical sales representative, Alex was familiar with surgeons in the area. He knew a surgeon at Mercy Hospital in Miami, who performed abdominal and colorectal surgical procedures, specifically minimally invasive procedures. Alex met with the surgeon that morning and, following a series of tests, he was diagnosed with appendicitis. The surgeon explained Alex’s appendix needed to be removed that day and recommended removing it via a minimally invasive laparoscopic procedure.

The day after his minimally invasive procedure, Alex was able to walk around the hospital. Two days after the procedure, he was feeling well enough to go home. Alex was able to return to work five days after he had his appendix removed.  

Since very soon after the appendectomy, Alex has been able to maintain an active routine, which, in addition to his work, includes golf and spear fishing.