Complete Care Helps Holmdel Man Kick Foot Infection

After being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and peripheral neuropathy that causes numbness and weakness in his feet, Don Dudley, 63, of Holmdel, NJ, knew that regular foot care would be an essential part of managing his overall health. In 2022, he began receiving routine foot care from Bayshore Medical Center foot and ankle surgeon Gina M. Lagnese, D.P.M.

When Don developed a blister on his foot in February 2023 that led to an infection, Dr. Lagnese and the team at Bayshore Medical Center worked together to provide the compassionate, expert treatment he needed to heal.

“I wear a brace on my foot to help with drop foot caused by neuropathy,” said Don. “After doing a lot of walking while on vacation, I developed a blister on my small toe that got infected.”

According to Dr. Lagnese, Don was at high risk for pressure ulcers and related complications due to his Type 2 diabetes and neuropathy. Type 2 diabetes can decrease blood flow in the feet, which can lead to problems with healing and an increased risk of infection. Neuropathy causes numbness that can make it difficult to feel a blister, sore or injury.

Despite weekly treatments in Dr. Lagnese’s office, Don’s infection wasn’t responding. The next step was for Dr. Lagnese to perform surgery to remove the infected portion of Don’s toe.

“I was nervous about going to Bayshore Medical Center for my surgery, but Dr. Lagnese reassured me —and I’m glad she did,” said Don. 

An Overwhelmingly Positive Experience

From the time Don checked into the hospital, he said his experience was overwhelmingly positive — even when he experienced a cardiac complication that delayed his foot surgery. 

“I had been previously diagnosed with aFib ([atrial fibrillation)], but when the doctors were running pre-surgical tests, my EKG showed that I was having atrial flutter,” said Don. 

AFib and atrial flutter are abnormal heart rhythms. While Don was in the hospital, cardiologist Shaddy Younan, M.D., performed a procedure called a cardioversion to reset his heart rhythm. During his inpatient stay, Bayshore Medical Center infectious disease experts also worked collaboratively with Dr. Lagnese to make sure Don received IV antibiotics to treat the infection in his foot. 

“I was in the hospital for a little more than a week, and the entire time there was not one person who didn’t go above and beyond to take the best care of me,” said Don. “Everyone — from Kesha, my nurse, to Donna, who cleaned my room to the food service staff, the volunteers, the nursing assistants and the patient experience coordinators, were unbelievably kind and right there when I needed anything.”

After Don was discharged, he needed to continue receiving daily IV antibiotics for his infection. Although he had the option to receive his infusion treatment at home, he decided to go to the Bayshore Medical Center Infusion Center — and from day one, he said everyone at the hospital went out of their way to work around his schedule.

“I live 10 minutes from the hospital and work from home, so I would have my infusion from 7 to 8:30 a.m. and I would be home and working by 9,” said Don, who works in corporate sales. “Everyone in the Infusion Center touched my heart — and on my last day, I actually had tears in my eyes.”

Don said that in addition to the amazing Infusion Center staff, one of the highlights of his daily visits was the warm welcome he received from Pete in security and Angela in the outpatient check-in area. 

“Every morning, Pete would greet me by name, ask how I was doing and walk me to the elevator,” said Don. “One day, I moved my appointment to a later time. When Angela didn’t see me at my usual arrival time, she tried to call me to make sure I was OK.”

During one visit to the Infusion Center, Don even had the opportunity to meet and share his positive experience with Bayshore Medical Center President and Chief Hospital Executive Caitlin Miller. 

“One of my infusion nurses introduced me to Caitlin, who was walking around the hospital,” said Don. “She said she worked in administration, so I told her all about my great experience — and I didn’t even realize until after she left that she was the president and CEO of the hospital!”

Personalized Care Close to Home

Eventually, Dr. Lagnese was able to perform surgery to remove a portion of Don’s small toe, curing his infection once and for all. 

“After my procedure, Dr. Lagnese called me on a holiday to check on me — and when I called with a concern about my post-surgical care, she called me back in the middle of the night to make sure I was OK.”

When Don returned for his follow-up visit, Dr. Lagnese was excited to hear about his positive experience and pleased with his positive treatment outcome — especially when the severity of his infection could have led to a more extensive amputation of his entire toe. 

“It makes me happy to know that my longtime patients like Don feel comfortable at Bayshore Medical Center and receive such outstanding care,” said Dr. Lagnese. “Our goal is to provide our patients with personalized care right here in their community.”

Now that his infection has cleared up, Don is back to routine follow-up with Dr. Lagnese and has returned to his favorite hobby: competitive trap shooting. 

“My foot modeling days may be over, but from start to finish, I had an incredible experience — and how many people can say that after going through something like this?” said Don.

Next Steps & Resources

• Meet our sources: Gina M. Lagnese, D.P.M. and Shaddy Younan, M.D.
• Learn more about diabetes or heart care services at Hackensack Meridian Health.

The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.