Soon after hepatobiliary and advanced gastrointestinal surgeon Alexander Itskovich, MD, arrived at CentraState to serve as medical director of the Statesir Cancer Center, he headed down to the Emergency Department (ED) to introduce himself to the team. While there, he asked the staff to give him a call should [...]
Andrew Ferrara was a three-sport high school athlete when he suffered a football injury that permanently sidelined his athletic career. He herniated two discs in his back as a teen. At the time, the surgery to repair it was risky. So instead, he wore a brace to stabilize his [...]
Carolanne Weinberger suffered from hip pain for years but wouldn’t let it slow her down. In fact, she ran 21 races in 2019. She soon learned, however, that you can’t outrun hip pain. Carolanne, 54, works out every day. The Toms River resident started experiencing hip pain three years [...]
A family medicine physician can often be the first point of contact for preventive issues—and your strongest advocate when there are any health concerns. Although CentraState employee Racquel Diodato, 57, kept up-to-date with her specialty appointments and screenings throughout the years, she was looking to find a primary care [...]
At 5 feet 2 inches, Antonella Caruso has always been petite. But when she started suffering from severe abdominal pain after eating, she had trouble keeping her weight above 100 pounds. Antonella, 35, began experiencing severe stomach pain in late summer 2019. She saw several doctors and underwent countless [...]
A string of falls and a car accident left Whiting resident Nanette Neves in constant agony. Plagued with numbness and pain in her leg and lower back, she endured eight years of treatments to manage the pain. When she had trouble getting out of bed, she knew it was [...]
When Freehold resident John Russo fell after a progressive decline in his ability to walk, he figured he’d have to endure another joint replacement surgery. But he was shocked to learn that a serious spinal condition was causing his pain—and partial paralysis. John, 54, was in the Navy during [...]
After a successful surgery for bladder cancer earlier this year, Monroe Township resident Kalyanbhai Patel, 80, thought his battle with the disease was over for good. But when a routine follow-up appointment a few months later sparked worry, Troy Sukkarieh, MD, board-certified urologist, used innovative new technology called narrow [...]
We can't predict the future, but we can predict that it will be a lot better if you're healthier. You can start by checking important healthcare-related items off your to-do list. Whether it's going for screenings, getting a physical, or finally doing something about that bad knee, let's take [...]
Necrotizing Fasciitis No Match for Coordinated, Comprehensive Care Audra Carletta awoke in the middle of the night with a small, painful bump on her right elbow. Less than 48 hours later, she was in the operating room. The cause? A fast-moving form of necrotizing fasciitis, or “flesh-eating” disease. After [...]
