Matthew R. Hughes, M.D.

Dr Hughes treated me today, my first time appointment with him.
Fully knowing what I was about to experience with an age old cyst, in a VERY sensitive area, I am not fully capable of relating my dark feelings of dread, as now, the little monster was dark red, swollen, large and very very sore. I felt like I was carrying around a thick wallet in my briefs, actually more likened to a demonic entity.

Well, my mind had worked itself into a heady crescendo of Freddys Revenge, as Dr Hughes came into the room, on time, and introduced himself.
His demeanor put me at ease momentarily.
He examined me as I knelt on the table horse goddess of lancing. He used a gentle touch upon examining the sore and said, we will fix this today.

THE NUMBING SHOTS:
The holy grail of pain, for me anyway, the numbing shots. My past experiences with other doctors of being lanced were petrifying. The lancing doesn’t hurt, it’s numb by then, It’s the numbing shots.
I requested a piece of surgical tubing to bite down on before the shots, since I had misplaced my trusty strip of leather.
Dr Hughes said, no need for that as he gently cleaned the area and rubbed on a little numbing salve.

I knew what next, was coming.

At this point and being in the appropriate prayer position, with clenched teeth, the toes in my boots curled tight, my eyes closed. I was ready.

One two, buckle my shoe.
One moderate toe curler, just one! I mean it’s going to hurt some but this was uncanny.
All numbing shots of past were rated 8’s and 9’s, out of 10, on my toe curler scale. Ten, being the top level of pain, when you see white flashes of light, with closed eyes.
I asked, are you done numbing it?
I’m draining it, he said. No way I thought, as my previous experiences of the numbing shots went on for what seemed, forever.
This is the same cyst I’ve had lanced 5 times over the last 30 years or so. Only when it became infected.
It was over. The entire procedure lasted under ten minutes and I found a new colon doctor for life. And I can pretty much say that, as I’m 67 and he’s probably mid 40’s.
Being a Cyst Keeper, has this experience changed my life with a bipolar cyst? YES
I know how you feel. Go see him.
You will be glad that you did.

Let me start by saying that this is not a doctor's visit that I was looking forward to having, other than looking forward to getting it over with and eventually forgotten about. The physician's assistant at my primary doctor's office referred me to Dr Hughes, saying that he's incredible, and puts people at ease. I thought, "ha!" I'm having to go to see someone about a hemorrhoid. I don't even like talking to a doctor about this, much less letting one poke around one and surgically remove it! I'd gone through this with a primary care doctor 15 years ago, and it could best be described as horrific, and I have a pretty high pain threshold. I actually felt at ease with Dr Hughes. He was maybe 5 minutes late, and apologized. From his reaction to my response, he obviously prides himself on not keeping people waiting, which is something I appreciate. He took care of my problem in his office, and the amount of pain is nothing like what I experienced previously with another doctor. Yes, after the local wore off, it's mildly painful, and I took some Ibuprofen, and may take one more dose before bed, but I doubt I'll take any more tomorrow. The pain isn't as bad as some hemorrhoids that I've had previously, which I really think is a testament to how much more skillfully he performed the procedure than some doctors. This is not a topic I would normally post about, anywhere, but considering how frightening this can be, I wanted to recommend Dr Hughes in the strongest possible terms. If only all doctors were as nice in disposition, good at communication, skillful in performing procedures, and prompt.

Trust is the word that comes to mind when I think of how Dr. Hughes worked to heal my condition. I'll spare you the details but my condition was complicated. Here I am today, 1 year to the day, three surgeries later, healed. I recommend Dr. Hughes because of his skill, his ability to adapt to things as they changed, and made very complicated decisions along the way. The end result...healed. So trusting was the key for me and he is one you can trust. I guarantee it!

Having a hemorrhoid remove is never a pleasant experience. I recently had one removed which required a numbing shot. I thought I was going to die but Dr. Hughes and his staff made me feel comfortable and took my mind away from the short lived pain. He also removed my son's colon and and highly recommend his practice for ANY colon and rectal needs. Great people.