Lifesaving Wound Care Treatment in a Family Atmosphere
Two-time breast cancer survivor Heidi Bohlmann was accustomed to successfully facing health challenges. But when stomach pain brought the Roswell resident to Wellstar North Fulton Hospital’s Emergency Department (ED), she faced her ultimate challenge: a torn small intestine, which led to a life-threatening infection.
“I remember being in the ED, then waking up in a hospital room 11 days later with machines all around me,” said Bohlmann, 58. “My family from Wisconsin was there. No one was sure I would pull through.”
Bohlmann underwent surgery to repair her perforated bowel, which included creating a hole in her abdomen so the contents of her small intestine could empty into an external pouch. Called an ileostomy, the procedure allows the intestine to heal.