SandraStephenson

from Healthy Living July 2013

by Akers Media Group

Treating PAD

A wedding coordinator and avid tennis player, Sandra Stephenson noticed a dull, aching pain in her legs whenever she was on her feet for a considerable amount of time. A friend of Sandra’s had experienced similar pain that resulted from varicose veins.

As a result, she visited Dr. Seble Gabre-Madrin (known as Dr. Sebby by her patients), a Harvardtrained, board-certiﬁed general surgeon at Center for Advanced Surgery in Tavares. Sandra knew immediately that she was in the hands of a caring, compassionate, and competent physician.

“Talking to her was like talking to your girlfriend whom you’ve known for years,” said Sandra, a worship leader at Liberty Baptist Church in Tavares. “She made me feel extremely comfortable. I felt a sense of peace when I left the ofﬁce after that ﬁrst visit.”

After several tests, Dr. Sebby determined that Sandra indeed suffered from varicose vein problems. Last November, she performed an in-ofﬁce endovenous laser treatment on Sandra’s right leg. During this minimally invasive procedure, a laser light helps close and seal shut the varicose vein, and blood is routed to healthier veins. Several weeks later, she performed the same procedure on her left leg.

“Two days after surgery, I was able to stand for two hours at a church concert. Dr. Sebby is very precise and patient, and she takes the necessary time to ensure there are no mistakes. She is a dynamite doctor, and because of her skills, I returned to my normal activities very quickly. I also loved the fact that I did not have to have my procedure done inside a hospital or surgery center.”

Center for Advanced Surgery

Seble Gabre-Madhin, MD, FACS 3350 Waterman Way, Tavares, Florida 32778 8575 NE 138th Lane, Suite 101, Lady Lake, Florida 32159 352.742.2223 www.CenterForAdvSurgery.com

Though Cynthia deVos wanted nothing more than to spend Thanksgiving in Virginia with her children, her difﬁculty breathing instead led her to her primary care physician.

“I then had a series of stress tests, which I failed, so it was decided I would have a heart catheterization,” she says. “But when they did the procedure, they found I had three serious blockages. I was admitted to the hospital right away and had to have open heart surgery.”

Dr. Gary Allen performed the surgery. “I had three bypasses and because my aorta was in such bad shape, Dr. Allen had to rebuild it,” Cynthia says. “Before my surgery, Dr. Allen talked to both me and my husband, and he was so reassuring. He answered all our questions and even prayed with us before I went into the operating room.”

After the surgery, Cynthia recovered just in time to return to work as a minister at First Presbyterian Church of Mount Dora and lead the Christmas Eve service. “I think I would have to say Dr. Allen was phenomenal. I was very impressed with him. He is a gifted surgeon,” she says. “If I hadn’t gone to the doctor when I did, Dr. Allen said I probably would have died during the car ride to Virginia. I just think the Lord put me in the right place at the right time. I am eternally grateful to Florida Hospital Waterman and the cardiac team. They took really good care of me.”

Mission Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons

Gary S. Allen, MD, FACS and Michael D. Arizola, III, PA-C 3120 Waterman Way, Tavares, Florida 32778 352.343.1216 www.MissionCardiac.com

JoeExposito

Joe Exposito suffered from bleeding related to an enlarged prostate. He also had problems urinating. He tried a minimally invasive option but the problem persisted.

When he wasn’t able to urinate, Joe went to the emergency room at Florida Hospital Waterman. It was there where he met Dr. Michael Fountain, a urologist with Urology Specialists of Lake County in Tavares. Dr. Fountain recommended surgery to stop the bleeding.

“He told me that he was going to ﬁx me, and I told him I’d believe it when I see it,” Joe says.

Three months later, it is safe to say Joe believes it. He is now pain-free and back to working on his eight-acre farm. He has also resumed a longtime passion — training race horses.

“I suffered from prostate problems for several years, yet Dr. Fountain was able to ﬁ x me in one day. I feel great and no longer have problems urinating. He really saved my life. I was bleeding so much internally that I had to have a blood transfusion.”

With his quality of life fully restored, Joe would be the ﬁrst to recommend Dr. Fountain to any men experiencing urological problems.

“The nurses at Florida Hospital Waterman all told me how lucky I was to have him as my surgeon,” Joe says. “He is highly respected among his colleagues. He is also a very nice guy who tells it like it is. If all doctors were more like him, there would be a lot less people in this world with problems.”