The Florida-Vanderbilt series at McKethan Stadium was a big draw over the weekend. (Photo: Rachel Mowat for UAA)
Carter's Corner: An order of nachos, a cranky body part and a Gators catcher turned surgeon
Wednesday, May 18, 2016 | Baseball, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The old saying is everybody has a story.
Learned over the weekend that a person's gallbladder surgery can have a story, too.
This little tale includes a baseball game, an order of nachos, a cranky body part and a former Gators catcher turned surgeon.
Meanwhile, I'll eventually return to that story I was in the middle of writing on Saturday night, the one about Florida's offense and the challenge ahead without the bat of first baseman Peter Alonso. Alonso was hit on the hand in Friday's victory over Vanderbilt by a 95-mph fastball from Commodores ace Jordan Sheffield.
Unfortunately for the Gators, the baseball won the fight and Alonso is sidelined with a fracture in his left hand, likely until regional play.
In the immediate aftermath of Alonso's loss, Florida was shut out Saturday as Vanderbilt's Kyle Wright pitched a gem. And then on Sunday – I had to read about this one since during the game I was about as coherent as Keith Richards on a three-day bender – Florida rebounded with a 10-6 victory to win the series.
First, back to that Saturday afternoon game. As the game slowed down in the middle innings, I had what seemed a great idea. I decided to visit the concession stand for a late-inning snack. However, the nachos, spicy cheese and peppers proved too much to overcome, sort of like Wright's curveball for the Gators.
The game ends, interviews are done, and it's off to the house to write about the No. 1-ranked Gators' upcoming stretch without Alonso, who leads the team in average, homers and RBIs.
Halfway into the story, I began to experience very uncomfortable pressure in the upper abdomen. The pressure continued to increase and began to spread, eventually turning into the kind of pain that prevents you from concentrating on nothing else.
The take-some-Advil treatment plan did nothing. Neither did the swallow-a-bottle-of-Tums approach. Hours ticked from the clock as I tried to rest in bed, on the couch, in my recliner, and finally, after a search on YouTube, the floor.
Former Gators catcher Eric Castaldo is now a Gainesville surgeon. (File photo: Maria Belen Farias of UFHealth)
As a public service, YouTube offers numerous clips of people doing strange body contortions on the floor for pain relief in the abdomen. Congratulations to those lucky souls who experienced success.
I struck out swinging.
Finally, around 4:30 Sunday morning, the discomfort was intolerable. I hopped in the car and headed straight for the nearest emergency room at North Florida Regional Medical Center.
The only recognizable sound I made on the drive was a word my mother does not approve of when a traffic light turned red as I approached.
Within five minutes of walking into the ER and explaining my situation, a nurse took my vitals. Soon I was flat on my back as the medical team went to work. It's amazing what stabbing pain can do to a man's blood pressure.
The pain meds arrived via an IV and all sorts of wires were attached to my torso. Heart attack ruled out. Good news. Aortic aneurysm ruled out. #Winning.
So what the heck is it?
"You have gallstones blocking your gallbladder,'' said a nurse conducting an ultrasound test.
The pain was punching away inside, but by this time, the drugs began to work their magic and my mind became a cloudy. That's when I thought I heard someone mention GatorZone and that a UF baseball player was called in to perform surgery.
"Yeah, I write for FloridaGators.com. Used to be GatorZone,'' I remember saying.
And then I asked something along the lines of, "What was that about a UF player coming in to do the surgery?"
A good player and even better student. I told my wife not to be concerned because catchers are usually the smartest players on the team. Sure enough, Castaldo has proven that theory true many times over.
He returned to school after a brief stint in the minor leagues and earned his medical degree from UF in 2002. He finished his medical residency at Vanderbilt in 2009.
Castaldo is now a member of the Surgical Group of Gainesville and on staff at North Florida Regional Medical Center.
"We'll take care of you,'' he said before a surgery as routine to him as calling a pitch during his baseball career.
A little while after waking from surgery, Castaldo stopped by to say the procedure was a success and I should be back on my feet in a couple of days.
In my mind, that's about the best news you can hear anytime someone cuts you open and removes a body part.
Castaldo did say it was probably best to avoid spicy nachos and fatty foods for a while. You have nothing to worry about Doc.
Meanwhile, I'll eventually return to that story I was in the middle of writing on Saturday night, the one about Florida's offense and the challenge ahead without the bat of first baseman Peter Alonso. Alonso was hit on the hand in Friday's victory over Vanderbilt by a 95-mph fastball from Commodores ace Jordan Sheffield.
