Patient Stories
Bypass Patient Grateful for His Winning Team
Dan Ryan is a competitive person with an abiding appreciation for sports. So, when he refers to Anthony Caffarelli, M.D., as the “Tom Brady” of heart surgeons, the analogy commands attention. “It is pretty cool that you’re excited that the guy is going to give you a quintuple bypass,” said Dan, 59, who recently underwent … Read More
Nurse Becomes First Patient of Hoag’s Bariatric Surgery Weight Loss Program
The weight gain happened slowly, following a back injury that benched the soccer-loving Lori Zaccari at the age of 31. Then health issues started to creep in – rising cholesterol levels and blood pressure, borderline diabetes. By the time Lori Zaccari was 44, her appearance and health had undergone a troubling transformation. She stopped posing … Read More
Nurse ‘Navigates’ Her Father to Pain-Free Living
When Charlotte Davis’s dad complained about his back, the Hoag Spine Center nurse navigator knew two things: 1. The pain must be really bad for her active father to mention it and 2. Burak Ozgur, M.D., would be able to help. “We were at dinner, and I told her I was scared to death of … Read More
Rapid Recovery From Joint Replacement Surgery
Hip pain can often discourage people from pursuing their daily activities, as well as stop them from enjoying favorite pastimes. Fear of surgery and the unknown can also be significant deterrents to getting a needed joint replacement procedure. Surgery to treat hip pain has often been assumed to be a long, painful route for relief. … Read More