Contact us at: (254) 865-8251
General surgery is a specialty that focuses on the abdomen. General surgery also addresses diseases involving the skin, breast, soft tissue, trauma, peripheral vascular surgery, and hernias. Coryell Health’s general surgeons, Dr. Stephen Norris and Dr. John Bawduniak, MD, have extensive experience treating a wide range of diseases and conditions through surgery.
General surgery performed at Coryell Health include:
- Breast surgery
- Gallbladder surgery
- Hernia repair
- Laparoscopic surgery
- Rectal, colon and bowel surgery
- Skin cancer surgery
- Thyroid surgery
Hernia repair
A hernia occurs when the tissue in the abdominal wall weakens and allows the intestine or other surrounding tissue to push through. A hernia repair procedure can correct the problem. The sooner the repair is conducted and the smaller the hernia, the easier the recovery period will be for the patient.
Laparoscopic surgery
Not every surgery is invasive, painful and difficult to recover from. Sometimes surgeries can be conducted using minimally invasive techniques. What makes these procedures minimally invasive is size of the incision, which is usually between 0.5 to 1.5 centimeters. Typically, general surgeons will opt for laparoscopic surgery if at all possible before resorting to more invasive procedures.
Gallbladder surgery
Gallbladder surgery is conducted to remove gallstones from the gallbladder, or the gallbladder altogether. It is normally done through small incisions in the abdomen.
Breast surgery
General surgery also includes breast surgeries such as mastectomies, mammatome biopsies, sentinel node biopsies, and other types of breast biopsies. Breast biopsies are very common and may occur after a woman has an abnormal mammogram or finds a lump in the breast.
Thyroid surgery
When a person has an issue with their thyroid, such as thyroid cancer or hyperthyroidism, surgery may be required. During this procedure, the general surgeon will remove a piece of the thyroid gland or the entire thyroid gland.
Rectal, colon and bowel surgery
Cancer and other diseases can affect the colon, bowels, and rectal areas of the body. When this happens, surgery may be required to remove the malignant tissue.
Skin cancer surgery
While a problem area or skin condition may be diagnosed by a dermatologist, he or she may then refer a patient to a general surgeon to perform the surgery to remove the problem area (malignant or benign).
Contact Us
Coryell Memorial Surgical
1507 West Main Street
Gatesville, TX 76528
Phone: (254) 865-8251
Featured Patient Stories
Barton Johnson
General Surgery
Back to Work, Family & Life After Hernia Surgery Several months before his Annual Wellness check-up, Barton Johnson, 38, began feeling tenderness and a noticeable bulge in his left groin that had started slowing him down. After hernia repair surgery Johnson is back to work for A&M, ranching and spending time with his family. "I feel awesome," he says. “At first it was just a little twinge,” the Gatesville resident says. “I thought it would subside, but I was wrong.” An MRI found an inguinal hernia, which is a gap in the muscle near the groin. In Johnson’s case, part…
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John Bawduniak, MD
Specialites:
General SurgeryVascular
John Bawduniak, MD, general and vascular surgeon, has been treating patients at Coryell Memorial since 2014 and joined full time in January 2017. He has been in practice in Waco since 2007, and is board certified in general surgery with significant training in vascular and endovascular surgery. He has special interest in complex minimally invasive and laparoscopic surgery as well as oncologic surgery and vascular surgery. Dr. Bawduniak was born and raised in Spring, Texas. He attended Rice University on swimming scholarship, where he graduated with honors (cum laude). He went to University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, and completed…
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Stephen Norris, MD
Specialites:
Wound CareStephen Norris was raised in Comanche, Texas, graduating from Comanche High in 1967. He played catcher on the baseball team ran the quarter-mile and mile relay in track, started as a guard on the basketball team, and played trumpet in the band. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Baylor University in 1971. He then attended the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, graduating in 1975. He then did a five-year general surgery residency with the idea of practicing in a small town. The Norris family has spent the last 40 years in Gatesville, along with their daughter and…
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