Woman needs high-risk operation to remove cyst in her pancreas
Maria Garcia from Uvalde, Texas, started feeling sick and went to her doctor to find out what was wrong. They discovered a cyst in her pancreas that was growing, and the pain in her stomach was getting worse.
"It hurt when I ate, so I wasn’t really eating much," said Maria. "I started losing a lot of weight, and my family was very worried."
As a kidney transplant recipient, Maria stayed in touch with her transplant team at Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant. After suffering from COVID-19 and pneumonia over the summer, she consulted with her transplant doctors. She also told them about the painful cyst and asked for help. That connection led her to Dr. Lokesh Bathla with Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant, one of the few surgeons in South Texas who specializes in hepatobiliary care, which focuses on the liver, biliary ducts and the pancreas.
"Dr. Bathla is good about taking on patients that other physicians may not be able to help because of the complexity of these types of issues. He tries his hardest to do everything he can for the patients," said Natalia Esparza, RN, at Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant.
Maria needed surgery to remove the cyst that was continuing to grow, but it was more complicated because of her transplant history. Patients on immunosuppression can have lot of problems due to infection or wound healing problems after surgery.
"I knew it was dangerous because of my age, and because the cyst was in my pancreas," said Maria. "But they checked everything and scheduled the surgery. I had to do something to help ease the pain."
She was taken care of in a multidisciplinary fashion in consultation with transplant nephrologists closely monitoring her immunosuppression therapy. The surgery needed to go immaculate.
"This was a high risk-operation due to her advanced age, and her need to be on high-dose immunosuppression drugs to prevent rejection," said Lokesh Bathla, MD. "We did the Whipple procedure, where we removed part of her pancreas, small intestine and bile duct. It all went very well."
Maria received excellent post-procedure nursing care, and physical and occupational therapy by experienced nursing staff to get her home in a timely manner.
"It's been a dramatic change in her improvements and recovery," said Natalia. "I love that we all work together to help make a difference in the lives of our patients."
Maria is back home with her family in Uvalde and grateful to the team at Methodist Hospital | Specialty and Transplant. Her family said she is eating better and feeling well.