March is National Colon Cancer Awareness Month
The Medical Center of Trinity has introduced an enhanced recovery protocol to help patients tolerate colorectal surgery more easily and recuperate more quickly.
Dr. Jared Frattini, a colorectal surgeon, now offers a regimen of medicines and nutrients to help reduce the amount of narcotics a patient needs.
The surgical procedure itself has not changed for treatment of small intestine and colon conditions; however, the recovery process incorporates non-narcotic medicines such as acetaminophen and ibuprofen to reduce pain, allowing bowel function to resume more quickly.
A normal colon procedure performed via laparoscopy has a typical hospital stay of four to six days. The enhanced recovery protocol has shortened that time to two to four days. For open surgeries, the length of stay has been reduced to three to five days, from a previous five- to seven-day stay.
The Medical Center of Trinity is located at 9330 State Road 54, near Little Road.
Center for veterans
The Pasco County Vet Center, 5139 Deer Park Drive in New Port Richey, provides counseling for post-traumatic stress disorder, military sexual trauma, bereavement counseling, marriage and family counseling, and resources for benefits information and suicide prevention referrals.
The center is open Monday to Wednesday from 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., and Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Some Saturday appointments are available.
All services are confidential and provided at no cost to the veteran and family members.
To learn more, or to schedule a tour of the facility, call (727) 372-1854.
Information is also available at www.vetcenter.va.gov.