Robbie Buice was sound asleep one night when he woke up screaming.
He had no prior symptoms, no warning, but suddenly it felt like there were butcher knives going into his abdomen, the Pawleys Island resident says.
“I seriously felt like I was being attacked,” he says.
When his neighbors, Marie and Thomas Williams – a nurse and a former EMT – ran over to help, they suspected the cause right away: a perforated colon.
The condition was caused by diverticulitis, or inflammation of the digestive tract. Diverticulitis is “very, very common,” says Dr. Salim Ghorra, a general surgeon at Tidelands Health who treated Buice, but the severity of Buice’s condition was not.
“Not all cases require surgery, but his case was quite serious,” Dr. Ghorra says.
Buice was hospitalized at Tidelands Georgetown Memorial Hospital for about 10 days while his care team treated the perforation with medication followed by surgery. For a couple of months after surgery, Buice wore a colostomy bag while his bowel healed before returning for another final surgery to remove the bag and reconnect his colon.

Through it all, Buice says he didn’t really have much anxiety. The nursing staff, doctors and specialists he worked with at Tidelands Health kept him informed about what to expect every step of the way, which helped take the fear out of it for him.
“What made the difference is my attitude, which was created by the nursing staff and the doctor and the care that I was given at the hospital,” Buice says. “They put me in the frame of mind to move forward in a positive way.”

Shortly after his first surgery, Buice was able to return to his work as a Realtor and the enjoyment of playing percussion at Pawleys Island Community Church and with his bandmates in The Guys. He was also able to resume golfing with his friends.
Buice was so grateful for the treatment he received at Tidelands Health that he took to Facebook to commend his care team.

Dr. Ghorra says it was wonderful for Buice to recognize the doctors, nurses and others who were involved in his care.
“Mr. Buice went through a challenging ordeal, and we’re thankful to have helped him overcome it,” Dr. Ghorra says.