Roger’s Surgery Experience at Walker Baptist
May 17, 2021
Even though the world has been in the throes of a global pandemic, and our lives have been changed, they certainly haven’t stopped. Babies are still being born. Emergencies are still happening and surgeries still need to take place -- as evidenced by Roger McGough.
Roger shared more about his pandemic-era experience at Walker Baptist after having a kidney removed, along with additional surgical procedures, by Dr. Alan McCool, an urologist affiliated with Walker Baptist.
“Everyone was very attentive,” Roger said about his six-day hospital stay. “Every time I pressed the call button, they came quickly, but I rarely had to press it because someone was always checking on me.”
When Roger began to feel a bit of pain, he made an appointment with Dr. McCool, because Roger knew the physician would give him an honest recommendation for treatment.
“I started with Dr. McCool about a year ago for general checkups and I loved how he was very direct, very high energy and I could trust him,” he said.
Roger and his wife will celebrate 42 years of marriage this June, and he was very thankful for how Dr. McCool kept her informed throughout the entire process.
“He has great bedside manner and I just appreciated how he was always kind to my wife. I recall one time when I did convince her to go home and rest for a bit, that Dr. McCool stopped by for rounding,” he said. “He immediately noticed she wasn’t there, (so) called her and then began to share the updates.”
With the many safety policies in place, communication has become more important between hospital staff and patient families throughout the pandemic. Roger and his wife both said Dr. McCool went above and beyond throughout his stay.
“I knew he was busy. I knew I was one of many he was taking care of, but he made us feel like we were the only ones. To me, that is over the top and we were grateful,” Roger said.
After leaving the hospital, Roger said he was a bit tender and sore, but Dr. McCool did discuss pain levels with him about the discomfort that would be expected after returning home.
“Otherwise, I am feeling great and I am grateful for Dr. McCool and his whole team,” Roger said.