by Debbie Fee Newsom There is a song that goes, "I left my heart in San Francisco," that may be true for some people, but a woman from Oak Ridge's sister city of Obninsk, Russia, left her gallbladder in Oak Ridge. Margarita Falchikova came to Oak Ridge in January to learn how to be a travel agent. A new travel agency had just opened in Obninsk, and Falchikova, and her boss and translator, Vadim Yamkin, came to Oak Ridge to train under Wanda Craven at Polaris Travel. Within a week, she not only learned how to be an excellent travel agent, but she also learned how to be a good patient, with unexpected gallbladder surgery performed by surgeon Joseph Metcalf IV at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge. Craven said, "Margarita arrived late on Sunday, Jan. 23. My husband, Pete, and I took her to Cherokee, N.C., and then stopped in Gatlinburg. "Margarita became very ill," Craven said. "She had pain in her abdomen and said she had had these attacks for years and took antacid. So we bought her the strongest antacid we could find." When they returned to Oak Ridge, Wanda called Kenneth Luckmann, a local gastroenterologist who has been to Obninsk as part of the sister-cities program. Luckmann asked Craven to bring Falchikova to his office the next day so he could examine her. "Margarita did not want to go to the doctor. She was very scared," Craven said. "Dr. Luckmann did a simple blood test and an ultrasound on Tuesday and found that her gallbladder was sick and full of gallstones. He immediately called Dr. Metcalf of Oak Ridge Surgeons, who then examined her. "On Wednesday she had surgery at 12:30 p.m. with Dr. Metcalf. She was back at her hotel by 8 p.m. the same day. "The next morning she amazed us all and showed up at Polaris for more training, took a nap in the afternoon, and went out to dinner that night! On Friday, she went shopping and on Saturday she went back to Obninsk." "Margarita's illness was an unplanned detour during her training at Polaris Travel, but it was a 'lucky' event for her in other ways, thanks to the services provided through MMC and MMC physicians," said Luckmann. "It is always enjoyable to help people from different countries," Metcalf said. "If she had not had the surgery, she would have been very sick. I am glad it turned out so well for her." Falchikova's translator Yamkin said, "Both Rita and I cannot find the right words to express what our feelings are. She still can't believe it really happened to her. She knows what friendship can mean. "She is a star in Obninsk today. Everyone, I mean everyone, is impressed. She feels great, and her family is very much thankful. Our thanks to Drs. Luckmann, Metcalf and to all of the nurses at MMC who treated Rita. You probably saved Rita's life. "We would like to thank you again for the wonderful and perfect operation you performed during our brief visit to Oak Ridge," he said. "We had a chance to see what American health care is and what American doctors can do. "You really take very good care of a patient in your medical center. The technological level of your medical center is, or course, very high. But even the state-of-the-art technology is meaningless compared to the skillful hands and open heart of the surgeon. Please thank everyone who participated in this operation on our behalf." According to Craven, Falchikova could not believe how friendly and clean MMC was. "She said she could not have asked for better service," Craven said. "She also was very impressed that her scars were so small. In Russia you don't have surgery unless you are dying, and when they operate they open you all the way up with a large incision." In Russia today, and not more than a decade ago in the United States, gallbladder surgery was considerably different than the more advanced technique presently used. The traditional method entails a large incision as long as 6 to 9 inches, a hospital stay that lasts up to a week, four to six weeks away from work and significant postoperative pain. According to Metcalf, the new laparoscopic technique is a simple, less invasive procedure that is performed by making four tiny entry points around the upper abdominal area. He said the new technique shortens postoperative recovery time; allows less chance for complications; and is less painful and discomforting to the patient. Metcalf stressed the many advantages to the laparoscopic procedure. "The patient is significantly more comfortable with four tiny entry points instead of a large abdominal incision," he said. "No long hospital stay means that the patient can usually go home the same day as the surgery or the next day. The time lost from work and everyday activities is usually less than a week. Finally, as a less invasive procedure, there is minimal blood loss and less chance for infection." Although they may use different medical techniques, are separated by many miles and languages, physicians in Oak Ridge, Tenn., and Obninsk, Russia, share a common goal. They care deeply for their patients and want to do everything possible for them. Copyright 1998 The Oak Ridger All Contents ©Copyright The Oak Ridger |
