Joey Wahler (Host): It's a crucial service, so we're discussing general surgery in a rural area. Our guest is Dr. Suhail Sami Daye. He's a general surgeon for Ward Memorial Hospital.

This is Neighbors Helping Neighbors, the official podcast of Ward Memorial Hospital. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Joey Wahler. Hi there, Doctor. Welcome.

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: Hi, Joey. How are you doing today?

Host: Good. Yourself?

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: Great. Thank you.

Host: Great to have you board. We appreciate the time. So first, what initially inspired you to become a general surgeon in the first place?

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: Well, I grew up in a medical family. My mother was a nurse and my father was a general surgeon. They instilled in us kind of from an early age learning about science. And I saw firsthand patients talking to my family, say, in the grocery store, et cetera, and seeing the benefit that patients are getting from the medical profession specifically nursing and surgery. And so, I think that kind was the background that prompted me in that direction.

Host: That's great. And then, what you said there kind of gives me a hint as to what your answer is going to be to this next question. What drew you to practice in a rural community? I guess the key word there is community, because you had a big taste of that when you were younger, right?

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: Yes, sir. All my life I've lived in small towns. As a child, I was in a small community, coal mining community, in West Virginia. Then, we moved to a rural community on the Canadian border in New York State, 150 miles from any major city. And so, I became familiar with small town living and healthcare access, the pros and cons in a small area.

Host: Speaking of which, why would you say it is so important for a rural community to have access to a skilled general surgeon like yourself?

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: Well, it's very important. I mean, there are emergencies that, obviously, time is of the essence and it's very helpful to have a surgeon immediately available. There's also constraints with healthcare in terms of getting into a physician in the city in a timely fashion. It may take weeks or months to get in to see somebody, and then even longer to get your surgery scheduled. So, there's definitely a benefit for that access to a lot of the procedures and, certainly, the daily access to quality healthcare for the citizens of a small town and then the neighboring small towns. It makes things a lot easier. It's also helpful for them in terms of appointments, family visits. Everything, I think, is in this healthcare environment where basically there's not enough physicians and providers, and there's a whole lot of patients. So, it's best to have things taken care of quickly and that benefits everybody.

Host: Let me ask you a little bit more about that, because it seems like that access that you just alluded to when we talk about some of those logistics, the time that people have to wait to see a doctor in the first place, nevermind to be actually waiting thereafter, perhaps for a scheduled procedure, and then travel time, especially for people that don't necessarily have easy access to that, all often gets overlooked when we're talking about these things, doesn't it?

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: Yes, sir. I think half of the equation is when one has a problem, some things need immediate or very soon attention, and that affects the outcome. And then, also, other things, obviously, once you have a problem, you'd like to get seen and get it taken care of quickly. So, definitely, local access is very helpful for the patients. And then, of course, things that we don't do here. I can then triage it and try to effectively get them to the right person in neighboring cities and try to help them with that whole process. But all your health issues, the sooner you get seen by a physician, the better your outcome.

Host: Absolutely. So, what are the most common surgeries you perform, Doctor? And which ones would you say make the biggest impact in the community?

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: Yes, sir. We do abdominal surgery. I do gallbladder surgery for patients with gallstones, infections, et cetera. We take care of patients with appendicitis; of course, laparoscopic gallbladder, as well as laparoscopic appendix surgery, which is through the small incisions, which is a lot better for the patients. And we also do hernia surgery. Other common procedures are colonoscopy and upper endoscopy. Other procedures, patients with any type of infections, abscesses on their body, skin lesions, skin cancer, some breast surgery, carpal tunnel surgery. There's kind of a lesser volume of that, but we're able to do all of that here. And anything that I deem needs to be done in a medical center, then we arrange for a referral.

Host: One of the things you mentioned there was hernia surgery, and I know from personal experience years ago, having had it done myself, that's a great example of one where sometimes it can wait and sometimes it can't, right?

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: Yes, you're absolutely right. Some hernias are emergencies where something is basically stuck out in the hernia, such as fat or bowel, which is a worse problem, which is a real surgical emergency, so that whatever is stuck out in the hernia does not lose its blood supply and create a bigger problem and another complication. So definitely, there is varying types of hernias. But again, it's best to be seen early and taken care of.

Host: So, how would you say, Doctor, that you've been able to adapt your practice to obtain the same or better results than larger facilities that, as we were discussing earlier, are of course typically much further away?

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: I think one important adaptation that I can do is, because I do surgery as well as colonoscopy and upper endoscopy, someone can come to see me for abdominal pain, heartburn, et cetera, any kind of abdominal pain. And if it's an issue where they need an endoscopy or colonoscopy, I can schedule them quickly and do that myself, as opposed to referring them to a gastroenterologist, and then eventually having them come back. And some problems are complex. Sometimes you need those procedures to move along in determining what is wrong with the patient. So if I'm able to do that in a timely fashion and then do some of the subsequent surgery as needed, such as gallbladder surgery, et cetera, or hernia surgery, whatever we find based on our workup, then we proceed with that. Some people have two things going on at once. So again, the endoscopy is very helpful to be able to do, and then you don't lose track of the patient. You continue trying to figure out their problem and take care of them until the end point, until they're better.

Host: Let me ask you a little bit more about a few of your hallmark procedures. You mentioned gallbladder. Why would you say laparoscopic surgery has become such a game-changer for that particular procedure.

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: The benefit of laparoscopic surgery, again, as you know, it's through small incisions through one of those, and you put special ports in through those, maybe one or two-centimeter incisions. One of those is you put a camera into the abdomen. You distend the abdomen with carbon dioxide, so you can see very well inside the abdomen, and then you do the surgery.

So actually, technically, the surgery is easier for a surgeon to do it laparoscopically than open. You can see better. Secondly, for the patient, given that you only have these small incisions, their healing time is a lot better. Their pain is a lot less. So, there's a significant benefit versus a big open incision that we used to make routinely. Now, it's significantly decreased in frequency.

Host: Let me ask you about colonoscopies, which you mentioned as well. They can literally save lives, and yet, as you well know, so many people avoid them sometimes to the point where it's too late. What would you say to people that are hesitant? Since it's a simple procedure and another one that I've had done, and it really is about as simple a procedure as you can possibly have, what would you say to people that aren't getting the message unfortunately?

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: I agree with you? I think, basically, it's not nearly as bad as you think it is. There's zero pain involved. I think there's kind of just a phobia attached to it because the patients generally don't understand before speaking with someone, you know, a medical person about the specifics of the procedure. So basically, the hardest part really is the day before. You're on a liquid diet. And then, that night you have to drink some liquid that cleans you out.

Other than that, the procedure, you're asleep for about 20 minutes. The medication is given through the IV, you feel nothing. You wake up and you have zero pain, and you can go and have breakfast. And the benefit is you're catching problems before they become a bigger problem. Some people have polyps in their bowel, which are little growths that can become cancerous. Some people, unfortunately, have cancer. But any problem that you catch and treat early on, such as those polyps, can be removed at the procedure, anything can be checked and sampled, then you're much further ahead in curing yourself of a potentially life-threatening problem.

And now, at, age 45, the insurances cover a screening colonoscopy for anyone, anyone with other symptoms. Earlier than that, such as a family history of colon cancer or bleeding in their stool, et cetera, then they're eligible also for the procedure. So, it's definitely a screening test that it can significantly help you in the future to ward off any cancer of the colon.

Host: No question about that. A few other things for you. Speaking of advice, what's one piece that you would give to those joining us about their health in general? What are you seeing in your practice that you find yourself reminding people of more so than anything else these days?

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: Listen to your body. So, you're familiar with your body and your symptoms, if you have a new pain, if you have a lump, if you have a skin lesion that's new, if you have abdominal pain in a specific area, some new symptoms. Not everything goes away, not everything can be treated at home with Tylenol. So, same concept, the earlier you get seen by a surgeon, the better. And you move along with figuring out what's going on and taking care of it. So, that would be my best advice.

And then also, healthy living. Be careful with everything you take into your body. Exercise is important. Be careful of even things that are legal, vaping, cannabis products that may not necessarily be good for you, even if they're well advertised and seem to be commonplace. So, you have to be careful because those things can affect your health down the road.

Host: You mentioned earlier on, Doctor, that you come from Northern New York State, near the Canadian border. Now, you're in the Lone Star state. What's it been like making that transition? And what do you do in your new home to enjoy yourself away from work?

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: Well, I love Texas. Enjoyed our time here. And the weather's great, which is helpful and do a lot of family stuff and sports and activities and just enjoy being outdoors and being active.

Host: And in summary here, what would you say is most rewarding about your job? What's a good day at work for you, Doctor?

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: A good day is basically helping people out. They come to you with a problem, and they're not feeling well. And you figure it out and speak to them. We all have the same understanding. Not speaking medical terms, but speaking plainly and so we all understand what the issues are and then doing something to get them better. And then, it's very rewarding to see them happy with what you've done for them.

Host: Just like you learned years ago from mom and dad, right?

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: Yes, sir. You're right. Thank you.

Host: That's great. Well, folks, we trust you are now more familiar with general surgery in a rural community. Dr. Daye, a pleasure. Keep up all your great work and thanks so much again.

Suhail Sami Daye, MD: It's a pleasure, Joey. Thank you very much.

Host: Absolutely. And for more information, please do visit wardmemorial.com. For more podcasts like this, please visit wardmemorial.com/podcast. Now, if you found this episode helpful, please do share it on your social media. I'm Joey Wahler. Thanks so much again for being part of Neighbors Helping Neighbors, the official podcast of Ward Memorial Hospital.