CentraState - Healthy Directions

K immee Masi had a simple celebration in mind for the night of her 45th birthday last May. "I wasn't in the mood for a real meal," says Kimmee, a Freehold resident. "All I wanted was an ice cream cake; that was it." She ate her birthday meal around 8 p.m. During the next few hours, she began feeling nauseated and experiencing severe abdominal pain that extended into her back and right shoulder. A week earlier, Kimmee had experienced a similar attack, which improved overnight. She didn't want to take any chances this time and went to the Emergency Department at CentraState Medical Center. Back to Baking Robotic Gallbladder Surgery Helps Bakery Owner Quickly Get Back to Business She was quickly diagnosed with an inflamed gallbladder, a condition known as cholecystitis. Her gallbladder needed to be surgically removed. Kimmee, who describes herself as "owner, baker, and janitor" of Confections of a Rock$tar in Asbury Park, worried what would happen to her bakery if she had to miss a lot of time for surgery. She wanted to reschedule the procedure for a later date, but it couldn't wait because of the risk that her inflamed gallbladder might rupture. Fewer than 18 hours after arriving at the hospital, Kimmee underwent gallbladder surgery on a Wednesday afternoon. She would be back to work the following Monday. A COMMON CONDITION The gallbladder releases bile, a digestive fluid, into the small intestine. Cholecystitis is most often caused by hard particles (gallstones) blocking the tube leading out of the gallbladder. Kimmee Masi credits robotic gallbladder surgery at CentraState with getting her back to her bakery quickly. Spring 2016 Healthy Directions 4

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