Areas of Expertise

Dr. David W. Ford is a Board-Certified General Surgeon and has the accreditation, training, and experience you should seek when making a critical health decisions for yourself or for family members.

medical background
Colectomy

Colectomy

Colon Removal
A surgical procedure to remove a diseased portion of colon from either colon cancer, polyps too big to be removed with colonoscopy, or diverticulitis.
Ventral Hernia Thumbnail

Ventral Hernia Repair

A procedure to repair a hernia in the abdominal wall.
Inguinal Hernia Thumbnail

Inguinal Hernia Repair

A procedure to repair a hernia in the groin area.
Incisional Hernia Thumbnail

Incisional Hernia Repair

Reparation of a bulge through the healed incision of a previous surgery in your abdomen.
Umbilical Hernia

Umbilical Hernia Repair

A procedure that fixes a bulge or pouch that forms in the abdominal wall near the belly button.
Hiatal Hernia

Hiatal Hernia Repair

A hiatal hernia is a type of hernia in which abdominal organs slip through the diaphragm into the middle compartment of the chest.
Gall Bladder Removal

Cholecystectomy

Gall Bladder Removal
A surgical procedure to remove your gallbladder — a pear-shaped organ that sits just below your liver on the upper right side of your abdomen.
Adrenalectomy

Adrenalectomy

Adrenal Gland Removal
A surgical procedure to remove one or both adrenal glands. Tumors or disease to the adrenals may inhibit hormone production or produce excessive hormone levels, causing a variety of symptoms.
Nissen Fundoplication

Nissen Fundoplication

Acid Reflux Surgery
A surgical procedure to prevent stomach acid from reflux into the esophagus causing injury and pain not relieved by medication.

General Post-Operative Treatment

You may call with any problems, questions, or concerns at (970) 479-5036.

Vail Pharmacy

Vail Pharmacy is located in Vail Health Hospital at 180 South Frontage Road West, Vail, CO 81657

PH: (970) 479-7253
Fax: (970) 470-6410

Prescription Refill Hours:
Monday - Friday: 9:00AM - 5:30PM
Saturday: 9:00AM - 3:00PM
Sunday: Closed

Open all holidays except for Labor Day & Memorial Day.

Refill your Vail Pharmacy prescription online

Please call if you experience any of the following:
  • Temperature greater than 101 degrees
  • Incisions with increasing areas of redness, thick or colored discharge, worsening tenderness
  • Nausea and vomiting or an inability to tolerate anything by mouth
  • Progressively worsening pain

Pain

Pain management efforts are more successful if you take the medication as soon as you start to feel uncomfortable, rather than waiting until the pain is severe. Should you require a refill, please plan ahead, as we do not call in prescriptions after hours. Scheduled medication, such as narcotics, cannot be called in and must be written in-person.
Acetaminophen (Tylenol)
  • 650mg to 1000mg every 6 – 8 hours for first 3 days, scheduled
  • After 3 days, may continue as needed for pain
  • Do not exceed 4000mg in 24 hours
  • Avoid if history of hepatic (liver) impairment, alcohol abuse
Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories (NSAIDs), choose one:
  • Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) 400mg by mouth every 6 – 8 hours, as needed
  • Naproxen (Aleve) 440mg by mouth every 12 hours, as needed. Avoid if history of renal (kidney) impairment, or a history of coronary artery disease (CAD), hypertension. Avoid multiple NSAIDs at once (e.g. Ibuprofen + Naproxen)
Narcotics and Opioids
  • Oxycodone, Hydrocodone & combo pills are for severe breakthrough pain ONLY
  • If a combo pill (e.g. Percocet, Lortab, Vicodin, Norco), do NOT take with Tylenol.
  • Do not drive or operate machinery while taking narcotic pain medication.
  • Narcotics can be habit-forming, have addiction potential, and cause constipation, so be careful – and use sparingly.
Tramadol
  • Tramadol (Ultram) is for severe breakthrough pain & often used in place of opioids
  • It is not a true narcotic but can be habit-forming with long-term use.
  • Avoid if history of seizures
Simethicone
  • Simethicone (GasX) 40 to 125 mg every 8 hours as needed for gas pain & bloating
  • Do not exceed 500mg in 24 hours; this is sold over-the-counter

Hygiene

  • You may shower and use soap and water on surgical site incisions, the day after surgery
  • Keep dressing clean and dry for 24 hours, you may replace as needed for drainage
  • Do not swim or soak; no hot tub, pool, beach, lake, etc. for at least 7 days

Constipation

  • Post-operatively & within 2 days, should be having regular, soft bowel movements (BMs)
  • Hydrate & drink plenty of water (8 –10 glasses per day)
  • PEG 3350 (Miralax) 17g by mouth each day for BMs each day

Other alternative recommendations, as needed – Use at least one if have not had a BM for 2 days:

  • Magnesium Hydroxide (Milk of Magnesia) 15 – 30 mL by mouth once a day, as needed
  • Magnesium Citrate 200 – 300 mL by mouth once a day, as needed
  • Docusate (Colace) 100mg by mouth twice a day, as needed

Activity

  • Ambulate and increase activity as tolerated post-operatively
  • Simply walking often improves mentation, decreases pain & bloating, and improves BMs
  • Avoid heavy lifting (greater than 20 pounds) until follow-up after laparoscopic and open surgeries
  • Avoid prolonged straining and strenuous activity until follow-up
  • Wear your abdominal binder after hernia repair
  • Resume all home medication as directed

Wound Care

  • The raised, firm area called a healing ridge is normal, and should resolve over time
  • Remove your dressings/bandages 2 days after surgery, unless told otherwise by Dr. Ford himself
  • You may shower and use soap & water on surgical site incisions, the day after surgery

Robotic-Assisted Surgery

"The da Vinci Surgical System allows me to make smaller incisions, resulting in reduced risk of infection, minimize scarring, reduce pain, and accelerate recovery time, allowing my patients to return to normal activities more quickly."
David W. Ford, MD, FACS
da Vinci Surgical System

Robotically-Assisted Surgery with The Da Vinci® Robotic Surgical System

Surgical robotics for minimally invasive surgery

As a Board-Certified General Surgeon, Dr. David W. Ford operates with a minimally invasive robotic surgical system to perform a wide variety of procedures. Both minimally invasive approaches only require one or a few small incisions that doctors use to insert surgical equipment and a camera for viewing.

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Da Vinci surgical systems are comprised of three components: surgeon console, patient-side cart, and vision cart.

Patient Cart

The patient-side cart is positioned near the patient on the operating table. It is where the instruments used during the operation move in real time in response to your surgeon’s hand movements at the surgeon console.

A camera provides a high-definition, 3D magnified view inside your body. Every hand movement your surgeon makes is translated by the da Vinci system in real time to bend and rotate the instruments with precision.

Vision Cart

The vision cart makes communication possible between the components of the system possible, and supports the 3D High Definition vision system.

Surgeon Console

The surgeon console is where I sit during the procedure, have a crystal-clear 3DHD view of your anatomy, and controls the robotic instruments. Through a few small incisions, the tiny instruments are "wristed" and move like a human hand, but with a far greater range of motion.

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