Sheila Frost, local business owner, had a great experience at Day Kimball Hospital (DKH) in 2000 and 2002, bringing home two baby girls and an excellent opinion of the Hospital.

“The medical staff and employees at DKH are very personal and their attentiveness means you have a very individualized experience,” said Frost.

When she began to have problems with disabling pelvic pain, she again thought of Day Kimball Hospital. At work one day in 2018, she knew something wasn’t right and went straight to the emergency department at Day Kimball Hospital.

Upon weighing options for solving her condition, Frost was referred to DKH’s OB/GYN department. Dr. Erica Kesselman, OB/GYN and Dr. Elena Poloukhine, medical director of OB/GYN, determined Frost would need a hysterectomy. The procedure would be performed using a minimally invasive surgical approach. Initially Frost was worried, but the physicians’ expertise and confidence reassured her from the beginning. “Everyone took great care of me, and went out of their way to make me comfortable,” said Frost.

Frost was most impressed by her recovery after surgery. She was quickly reminded why she had chosen DKH for the procedure. In an effort to advance the delivery of high-quality care and service provided, DKH had recently implemented a new protocol called Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS). 

ERAS is a protocol designed by the medical community to improve surgical outcomes, decrease length of stay, surgical site infections, and the use of opioid and narcotic medications, and increase patient satisfaction by replacing traditional perioperative care with evidence-based best practices.

DKH had been actively pursuing ERAS’ implementation for over a year, began applying these protocols with its gynecologic hysterectomy surgical cases in April 2018, and continues to expand ERAS protocols to other surgical care services lines.

As part of the ERAS protocol, before surgery, Frost was encouraged to drink Gatorade to load up on fluids and carbohydrates. To prevent pain, she took non-narcotic medications including Tylenol, and doctors inserted an epidural. Her IV fluids were monitored carefully during surgery so she received the ideal amount.

Perhaps the most significant difference made by these protocols is that Frost said she was surprised not to feel pain after the procedure. Likewise, due to the encouragement and motivation of ERAS-trained support staff, Frost was walking the first day after surgery.

Today, Frost is still amazed at her overall recovery from the minimally invasive surgery. “I spent one night in the hospital and resumed my normal activities within the expected timeframe,” said Frost with cheer and gratitude in her voice.

Her biggest blessing is having her energy back. “I feel wonderful. I don’t have pain anymore. I am so glad I had my surgery at Day Kimball Hospital. I am so grateful for the care and expertise of the providers at DKH. We are fortunate to have a high-quality community hospital right here in our back yard.”

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