General Surgery

The gallbladder stores bile, which helps you digest fat. When stones form, or when the gallbladder stops emptying the way it should, it causes pain. The pain is often in the upper right side or the center of the abdomen, sometimes after a meal, sometimes reaching into the back or shoulder. Nausea is common.

Once a gallbladder is causing symptoms, it usually keeps causing them. The treatment is to remove it. Your body handles digestion without it.

Removal is done laparoscopically through several small incisions with a camera. I will explain what the imaging shows and what I expect to find before we schedule anything.

Read the full gallbladder removal page

A hernia is a gap in the wall of muscle and tissue that holds your organs in place. Something pushes through that gap. You may see a bulge, feel pressure or a pulling sensation, or notice it gets worse when you lift, cough, or stand for a while.

I repair hernias of all kinds, including groin hernias, hernias at the belly button, hernias in a previous surgical scar, and hiatal hernias, where part of the stomach moves up through the diaphragm. Hiatal hernias often show up alongside acid reflux, and I evaluate the two together.

Repair means closing the gap and reinforcing it so it holds. The approach depends on the type of hernia, its size, and your anatomy. I go through the options for your specific hernia in person, including whether repair needs to happen now or can be watched.

Read the full hernia repair page

The appendix is a small pouch attached to the large intestine. When it becomes inflamed or infected, it needs to come out, usually without much delay. The pain often starts near the belly button and settles in the lower right side. Fever, nausea, and loss of appetite are common.

Removal is done laparoscopically through small incisions. This is an urgent operation, not a scheduled one, so it usually starts in an emergency department rather than in my office.

Read the full appendectomy page

General surgery here is deliberately scoped. Gallbladder, hernia, and appendix are the procedures I offer, and I am direct about that boundary. This is not a full breadth general surgery practice, and it is not meant to be.

If your problem sits outside that scope, I will tell you at the visit and point you toward the right person. You are better served by someone who treats your problem regularly than by a surgeon who sees it rarely.

Adults with gallbladder symptoms, a hernia, or a suspected appendix problem. Many patients come from a primary care physician who has already done imaging or lab work. Bring that with you if you have it.

Some patients are already being seen here for metabolic care or acid reflux and need a gallbladder or hernia addressed as well. That is common, and it is often possible to plan both together.

Before. A visit, an exam, and a review of your imaging. If more testing would change the plan, I order it. If it would not, I do not. You leave knowing whether an operation is recommended and why.

The day of. These are laparoscopic operations done under general anesthesia through small incisions. You will get specific instructions about eating, drinking, and medications ahead of time.

After. You get written instructions, a plan for pain control, a follow-up visit, and a direct way to reach the office with questions. Recovery differs by procedure and by person, so I give you that timeline in person rather than as a number on a website. [RECOVERY DETAIL: CLINICAL REVIEW]