Don’t ignore chronic heartburn: the risks of untreated GERD are serious and can lead to multiple complications. Continue reading “Don’t Ignore Chronic Heartburn: The Risks of Untreated GERD”
Category: News
General Surgery: A Cutshall Family Affair
During his five years of training of as a General Surgery Resident, Dr. Michael Cutshall encountered many difficult and nerve-wracking surgical cases, but none of those situations made him as nervous as performing a simple hernia repair with longtime General Surgeon Dr. Ken Cutshall.
“The first time I ever scrubbed in with him was the most nervous I’ve ever been while operating. My hands were shaking,” Michael remembers. ”I wanted Dad to be proud.”
Father That simple hernia repair marked the first time Michael and his father Kenneth shared an operating room together. It was the culmination of the young Dr. Cutshall’s dream.
“When I decided to become a general surgeon, my dream was to move back home and work with my father.”
Dr. Michael Cutshall recently returned to his hometown of Johnson City, TN, to join Premier Surgical Lawson Group, his father, Dr. Ken Cutshall’s medical practice.
While the senior Cutshall is delighted to have Michael follow in his footsteps, he didn’t want him to feel obligated to become a surgeon.
“When he said he was going into surgery, I said ‘Are you sure?”, explains Ken. “I told him, make sure you pick something that makes it fun going to work every day. Don’t pick a career for any other reason than you enjoy doing it.”
Michael says seeing his father’s love of medicine influenced his own decision to go into medicine. “It was definitely a driving factor. I would visit my dad’s office as a kid and remember him genuinely enjoying his work.”
The father and son’s personal and professional lives share several parallels.
“We’ve had a similar path,” says Michael. “I went to the same medical school as my father, my wife is a nurse and worked at the same children’s hospital that my mother did while I was in medical school, and our two sons were born while I was in residency like my brother and I were when Dad was a resident.”
The pair has enjoyed teaming up on cases and sharing surgical techniques. Michael says he’s also learned some important life skills from his dad. “He raised me to treat everyone with respect, and now I’m seeing firsthand how he works with the OR team and how much they enjoy working with him.”
The senior Dr. Cutshall says he’s also learning new surgery methods from Michael. The first time operating with his son was an exciting milestone. “It was awesome! It was the first time I’ve ever had anyone in the OR say, ‘Hey, Dad!’ That was pretty cool.”
Drs. Ken and Michael Cutshall are general surgeons with Premier Surgical Lawson Group in Johnson City, TN. To schedule an appointment with Drs. Cutshall or one of their partners, please call (423) 975-5650.
Breast Cancer Awareness: What you can do to reduce your risk of getting breast cancer
Breast cancer is a concern for many, but there’s so much you can do to lower your risk and prioritize your well-being. Join Premier Surgical Lawson Group in the fight against breast cancer by taking proactive steps to protect your health! Continue reading “Breast Cancer Awareness: What you can do to reduce your risk of getting breast cancer”
Questions To Ask Your Hernia Surgeon Before Hernia Surgery
Whether you already know you need hernia surgery or you suspect you may need one, knowledge is power, and it can help to reduce anxiety. Knowing what to expect is one way to put your mind at ease, so the team at Premier Surgical Lawson Group in Johnson City urges you to be ready with lots of questions to ask your hernia surgeon before hernia surgery. Continue reading “Questions To Ask Your Hernia Surgeon Before Hernia Surgery”
What’s the Difference Between Endoscopy and Colonoscopy?
What’s the difference between endoscopy and colonoscopy? Number one, a colonoscopy is a type of endoscopy, but the similarity really stops there. There are many kinds of endoscopies to detect disease and for treatment purposes. A colonoscopy is just one. Continue reading “What’s the Difference Between Endoscopy and Colonoscopy?”
Meet Dr. Michael Cutshall
After spending years learning and training far away from home, Michael Cutshall, MD, is thrilled to be back in his hometown of Johnson City, TN, starting his dream job with his father.
“When I decided to become a general surgeon, my dream was to move back home and work with my father,” smiles Cutshall. “I’m excited to finally be here.”
His father, Kenneth Cutshall, MD, FACS, has been a general surgeon in Johnson City for nearly 3 decades. He also teaches young surgical residents and medical students as a Clinical Professor of Surgery at Quillen College of Medicine.
Cutshall says growing up with a surgeon dad influenced him to pursue a career in medicine. “It was definitely a driving factor. I would visit my dad’s office as a kid and remember him genuinely enjoying his work. In college I studied biology on a pre-med track and really found an interest in it.”
During medical school at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, Cutshall was drawn to surgery. “I enjoy being hands on and love anatomy. During my surgical rotations, no matter how tired I was, I always looked forward to getting in the operating room and learning how to care for surgical patients.”
Throughout residency, Cutshall broached the subject of joining his father’s practice and decided to join the Premier Surgical Lawson Group office with his father after graduating.
“He was ecstatic!” says Cutshall. “He never pressured me to make any career choices I didn’t want, and he was very excited I decided to come back to join his practice.”
As young Dr. Cutshall settles into his new practice in Johnson City, he wants patients to know that his goal is always to be honest with his patients.
“My philosophy is to be completely honest and transparent with patient care, so my patients can understand their illness and the available treatment options well enough to guide their own care. Although there are no guarantees in medicine, I want to provide the best care possible for my patients, and I want them to feel good about their care.
Cutshall, who is fluent in Spanish, hopes to eventually share his medical knowledge and skills with underserved patients in other parts of the world. “My goal is to get involved with global outreach and partner with surgeons in underdeveloped countries to provide equipment and transfer knowledge about the newest techniques and treatments.”
In his rare spare time, Cutshall enjoys spending time outdoors with his wife and two young children visiting parks, lakes, and hiking.
General Surgeon Dr. Michael Cutshall is now accepting new patients at the Premier Surgical Lawson Group in Johnson City. To request an appointment with Dr. Cutshall, please call (423) 975-5650.
Premier Surgical Lawson Group is a division of Premier Surgical Associates.
What To Do When Heartburn Meds Stop Working
Got GERD? Many of us do and we don’t realize it. You know, it’s that terrible tasting acid that comes back into your throat when you are trying to sleep. It’s not just a typical heartburn that you can relieve with an antacid. GERD is something that occurs several times a week and nothing you take seems to work. Let’s find out what to do when heartburn meds stop working. Continue reading “What To Do When Heartburn Meds Stop Working”
How Much Pain Will I Be In After Hernia Surgery?
How much pain will I be in after hernia surgery? Having any kind of surgery will cause different levels of pain afterward. At the same time, everyone feels pain differently. That’s why doctors usually ask us how the pain feels on a scale of 1 to 10. It gives them a sense of your pain. The team at Premier Surgical Lawson Group in Johnson City wants you to understand the kind of pain you may experience after a hernia procedure and how to handle it. Continue reading “How Much Pain Will I Be In After Hernia Surgery?”
Minimally Invasive Gallbladder Surgery
Your gallbladder is an organ that stores bile to help you digest fat. Sometimes the gallbladder can become inflamed, infected or blocked. If these ailments occur, your physician may suggest minimally invasive gallbladder surgery, called Cholecystectomy. It’s one of the procedures most commonly performed by the physicians of Premier Surgical Lawson Group in Johnson City, TN, Kenneth Cutshall, MD, and John (Trey) F. Robertson, MD.
Process of Minimally Invasive Gallbladder Surgery
During minimally invasive gallbladder surgery, a surgeon removes the gallbladder with precision instruments through either a small incision in the belly button or a few small incisions. One of the instruments used has a small camera attached to it, which allows the surgeon to take pictures inside the body to guide the operation.
Benefits of a da Vinci Cholecystectomy
There are many benefits to da Vinci surgery, including:
- Low rate of complications
- Minimal, if any, scarring from the surgery
- Minimal pain
- Shorter hospital stay
- Low rate of wound infection
Risks of Minimally Invasive Cholecystectomy
Every surgery comes with risk. If you are undergoing a minimally invasive Cholecystectomy, there are a few risks to keep in mind, such as:
- Potential injury to small and large intestine
- Urinary retention
- Hernia at the incision site
- Potential bile duct injury
If you’ve been recommended for gallbladder removal surgery, your Premier Surgical Lawson Group surgeon will discuss whether you are a candidate for a minimally invasive cholecystectomy.
Call our office at (423) 975-5650 to request a surgical consultation.
We’re moving!
Starting June 5th Permier Surgical Lawson Group will be located at
101 Med Tech Parkway, Suite 405 in Johnson City.
Get directions to our new office, view our hours, and meet with our surgeons.