What should have been a peaceful night’s sleep began a months-long nightmare for Pam Crow of Warsaw, IL.
“I was lying there one night and reached up to scratch my chest and I felt a lump,” recalled the 48-year-old wife, mother, grandmother and financial aid administrator for an area school recalled.
“In my gut, I knew right away it (the lump) wasn’t normal. I put off going to the doctor because I really didn’t want to know,” she admitted.
Pam waited for about a month before her husband and sister finally moved her to call her primary care provider, Christina Metternich, Advanced Practice Nurse, of Blessing’s Hamilton Warsaw Clinic. That call led to a rapid succession of tests including a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy.
Diagnosis: Breast cancer.
“Nothing really prepares you for hearing that,” said Pam. “When she (Christina) said it, the words took my breath away even thought I knew in my heart it was cancer.”
Pam faced a decision: Where to get her care? She had experience with providers in Iowa City and wondered if cancer required she go back there.
“I felt I wanted to stay more local,” Pam stated. “I wanted to give Blessing a chance. I have not regretted it.”
Blessing Physician Services surgeon, Dr. Emmanuel Bessay performed Pam’s lumpectomy and Robert Johnson, MD, led her radiation oncology treatments.
Through it all, in addition to her faith in God and her family, Shelia Hermesmeyer, RN, was at Pam’s side. Sheila is a Navigator on the Blessing Breast Center staff, available to attend doctor visits and treatments with breast cancer patients to help them understand their options and treatment plans.
“At first I was not sure I was going to like that,” Pam recalls. “I am kind of a private person. “It was fabulous. Sheila would ask questions for me that she knew I would think of later. She took all the notes so when I got home I could go over things.”
“When you are getting all that information, it’s mind-boggling. It’s information overload. I felt I could call Sheila at any time and ask her any question,” Pam observed.
Shelia understands Pam’s initial concern and a patient’s needs.
“I too am a private person, so I understand that need,” said Sheila. “But at this time in a woman’s life support is so important. While supported by her family, I provide a woman a different point-of-view based on my experience.”
Pam’s radiation therapy treatments ended in mid-August. She feels great and has some advice to share.
“Don’t wait. Don’t put it off. If you notice something is not right, get it checked out immediately. I am very blessed my situation turned out so well.”
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