On Christmas Day 2017, Lawrence “Larry” Rozin of Dyer unexpectedly had to make a trip to the nearest Emergency Department. His heart was beating erratically. He had several tests including a CT scan of his chest, abdomen and pelvis.
“My mother and father died of heart failure and I thought I would die of that too,” Rozin says. “I have high blood pressure, high cholesterol and I am diabetic. I was in the hospital because of my heart and the erratic heartbeat, but I also had asthma and a cough. I recently had lung x-rays which were clear. The doctor asked me if I had ever coughed up blood and I said I never did. When he told me I had lung cancer that was the last thing I was thinking.”
A biopsy of Rozin’s lungs showed cancer in each lung. Further testing revealed that each lung had a different type of cancer at stage 1. He was immediately transferred to Community Hospital, Munster, part of the Community Healthcare System, for a higher more complex level of care.
An expert in the field, director of Cardiothoracic Surgery Michael Eng, MD, could perform a minimally invasive lobectomy on each lung with the assistance of the da Vinci® Robotic System.
“Mr. Rozin did very well with the robotic lobectomy,” Eng says. “I took a lobe out of one side in May of 2018, then I took out a lobe on the other side in September. Once, that meant a giant scar all the way around the chest on both sides, but now it means a few tiny incisions on both sides. He did very well and recovered in a fairly short period of time. He needed both done and benefited significantly.”
Today’s robotic surgeries are proving to be for recovery much better for the patient, Eng says. Patients who would not otherwise have qualified for an open procedure (a lobectomy) at all because of complications such as heart disease and their lungs are too weak, are able to tolerate a procedure with the robot and have a good care experience.
Rozin says he received excellent care and appreciates that his doctors and surgeon are so close to home.
“I wasn’t in a position to drive downtown or go anywhere else for care,” he explained. “I was weak from having lost nearly 60 pounds between diagnosis and the second lung surgery.”
Rozin is enjoying life again, staying active and making it out to the golf course at least once a week.
“I’m grateful to Dr. Eng and the team,” Rozin says. “My advice to others is to take care of your lungs.”
For more information about robotic surgeries at the hospitals of Community Healthcare System, visit COMHS.org/services/surgery.
