Surgery

Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, underwent successful surgery on his torn Achilles tendon Tuesday afternoon, but his availability for the 2012 season remains a significant question mark. The surgery was performed by noted foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte,N.C. "After some recovery time, [Suggs] will begin the process of rehabbing the area," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement released by the team Tuesday night.

The reassurance that he was 100 percent healthy following an offseason operation on a double hernia didn't come for Torrey Smith while running a route or going up to catch a pass. It came while the former University of Maryland standout was playing basketball this offseason, both in his charity game and one hosted by his teammate, Anquan Boldin . “I played in my basketball game and had like five dunks. I played in Anquan's and had like five dunks,” said Smith who was at Ray Rice Day today at Calvert Hall.

When Richard Lee Norris opened his eyes after a marathon 36-hour surgery to give him a new face, he immediately wanted a mirror. A natural reaction for a man who had been practically living as a recluse since a 1997 gun accident took off his nose, chin, lips and teeth, said doctors from the University of Maryland who had just performed the world's most extensive face transplant on the 37-year-old from Hillsville, Va. Norris is relearning to...

A man was shot in Woodlawn in Baltimore County on Friday night, according to police. City police first responded at about 7:30 p.m. to reports of a man shot near the intersection of Liberty Heights Avenue and Powder Mill Lane, which is near Powder Mill Park and just inside the city line, according to Det. Jeremy Silbert, a city police spokesman. After determining the man had actually been shot nearby in Baltimore County, they turned the case over to county police, Silbert said.

How long do the fatigue and "brain fog" last after general anesthesia for surgery? It depends - on your age, the specific drugs used, how long the surgery took and how healthy you were to start with. These days, most general anesthesia is short-acting, which means you wake up quickly and the drugs are mostly out of your system within a few hours, said Dr. Carl Rosow, an anesthesiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. But tiny amounts can linger for up to seven days - enough so that you may not feel completely normal, especially if you also have a drink or two. Moreover, if you are one of the unlucky 20 percent to 40 percent of patients who have nausea and vomiting after general anesthesia, that can add considerably to your recovery time because of dehydration and weakness from not eating, said Dr. John Ulatowski, director and chair of the department of anesthesia and critical care at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions.

Lefty Tsuyoshi Wada had season-ending elbow-ligament (Tommy John) surgery Friday in California. Dr. Lewis Yocum, who removed bone spurs from Wada's elbow in 2007, performed Friday's surgery. The Orioles issued the following statement from Wada: “The procedure went as planned and Dr. Yocum felt good about how it went. He predicts a full recovery,” Wada said. “I'm glad to have this over with and look forward to beginning my rehabilitation so I can get back to pitching for the Orioles as soon as possible.” There is no set timetable on when he will return to Sarasota, Fla., to begin his rehab.

When she was a little girl, if a bad dream would wake her up in the middle of the night, Julie Murn would pad down the hall of the silent house to her big sister's room. She'd crawl into Kathy's bed, grab hold of her nightgown and hold tight. "Just," she says, "to make sure she was there. " And she always was. The sisters have been together, one way or another, for as long as either one can remember. Born 18 months apart, they fill page after page of their family's worn albums with impish grins and exuberant poses — familiar pages they revisited recently, sitting knee to knee on Julie's living room sofa, giggling and groaning as steam curled from their coffee mugs.

Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia will undergo arthroscopic surgery at a New York hospital Friday to correct a small meniscus tear in his right knee. Sabathia is scheduled to begin his regular routine in preparation for spring training three to six weeks after the surgery. In the meantime, manager Joe Girardi reportedly has begun to talk with the Yankees about the parameters of a new three-year contract for between $9 million and $10 million. And the Yankees declined to pick up the options of Lance Berkman ($15 million)

Oilers goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin will have surgery Thursday to repair a herniated disc in his back and is expected to be out 12 weeks. The Oilers didn't provide a timeline for his return, saying Wednesday that he's "out indefinitely," but Khabibulin's agent, Jay Grossman , said the goalie will need 12 weeks to recover. Khabibulin, who signed a $15 million, four-year contract over the summer, hasn't played since Nov. 16. He's 7-9-2 with a 3.03 goals-against average.

County Executive John R. Leopold is recovering from his second back surgery in five months, his spokesman said Monday. Leopold underwent revision lumbar spinal fusion surgery Friday afternoon at Anne Arundel Medical Center and was released from the hospital Sunday, said spokesman Dave Abrams. He had a similar procedure in February. "After the initial surgery, unfortunately he still was experiencing some pain," said Abrams. "He decided to have this procedure done so he can mount a full and vigorous campaign in the fall."

Lefty Tsuyoshi Wada had season-ending elbow-ligament (Tommy John) surgery Friday in California. Dr. Lewis Yocum, who removed bone spurs from Wada's elbow in 2007, performed Friday's surgery. The Orioles issued the following statement from Wada: “The procedure went as planned and Dr. Yocum felt good about how it went. He predicts a full recovery,” Wada said. “I'm glad to have this over with and look forward to beginning my rehabilitation so I can get back to pitching for the Orioles as soon as possible.” There is no set timetable on when he will return to Sarasota, Fla., to begin his rehab.

You did a write up on HBO's documentary "The Weight of the Nation" in which you called our obesity epidemic a wake up call for America ("Salad bars take root," May 1). Nothing new here. The alarm bells have been sounding for a while now. I am an endocrinologist, and 90 percent of my patients are obese or near obese. This is a frustrating problem for doctors. There are no rewards for treating obesity. It is well known among physicians that a diagnosis code of obesity on your insurance claim can get you rejected for payment.

A day after having surgery to repair a torn Achilles' tendon, Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs remained upbeat and confident that he'll return and play meaningful football during the 2012 season. "Everything went good, he was in and out," Suggs told The Sun's Mike Preston of the surgery, which was performed in Charlotte, N.C. by noted foot/ankle specialist Dr. Robert Anderson. "There is only a small incision, and he said it was not as bad as some thought it was, which I had already been told.

Ravens outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, underwent successful surgery on his torn Achilles tendon Tuesday afternoon, but his availability for the 2012 season remains a significant question mark. The surgery was performed by noted foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte,N.C. "After some recovery time, [Suggs] will begin the process of rehabbing the area," Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome said in a statement released by the team Tuesday night.

When team officials announced last week that Pro Bowl outside linebacker Terrell Suggs had torn his Achilles tendon, former Ravens offensive lineman Wally Williams understood what Suggs was experiencing. Nearly 15 years ago at almost the same time, Williams tore the Achilles tendon in his right, or plant foot, while backpedaling in off-season drills. He returned in six months to start the final 10 games of the 1997 season. Suggs, 29, is expected to have surgery Tuesday morning.

Ravens outside linebacker injured his Achilles tendon during a workout last week and is expected to miss most - if not all - of the 2012 season. Suggs, the 2011 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, is scheduled to see a foot specialist in North Carolina next week to determine the extent of the injury. Dr. Lew Schon, the chief of foot and ankle surgery at Union Memorial Hospital, discussed, in general terms, what the surgery and recovery from such an injury entails. How serious is a torn Achilles tendon for an NFL player?

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman was recuperating from outpatient back surgery performed Wednesday at University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore to remove a protruding portion of a disc that has been causing him pain for nearly a year. Kevin Enright, Ulman's spokesman, said the surgery was successful, and the 35-year-old executive was able to walk the same day. County government is closed this week, with unpaid furloughs, and Ulman was not planning to be out of action long, according to Enright.

Orioles Longtime Orioles umpires attendant Ernie Tyler was recovering at the University of Maryland Medical Center on Wednesday after surgery to remove a benign brain tumor. Tyler's son, Jimmy , said that the procedure lasted several hours and doctors told the family it appeared to go well. "Everything seems to be fine," said Jimmy Tyler, the club's home equipment manager. "They see no problems, but we'll wait until tomorrow for sure. " Ernie Tyler, 86, was taken to the hospital after experiencing dizziness and slurred speech at Camden Yards on Saturday afternoon.

Orioles have made official what we all expected for more than a week now. Lefty Tsuyoshi Wada will have season-ending, Tommy John surgery on May 11 in Los Angeles. “I am very disappointed," Wada said. "I will work hard for the rehab and try to recover to be as strong as I can to help the team win. I appreciate the support from the  Orioles through this process.”  Dr. Lewis Yocum, who took bone spurs out of the Japanese lefty's elbow in 2007, will perform the surgery.

Orioles left-hander Tsuyoshi Wada will decide this week whether to have surgery to repair a partial tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow or attempt to rest and rehab it. On Monday and Tuesday, Wada was examined in California by Dr. Lewis Yocum, who removed bone chips from Wada's elbow after the 2007 season. Yocum, the Los Angeles Angels' team doctor, confirmed the tear and has recommended surgery, according to Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette.