One of my proudest moments in medicine shared in an article created for Doximity(medical resource)

( To create context , this occurred in the mid 1990's and MRI'wasn't really used to diagnose at this time and the diagnosis can truly only be made on hysterectomy pathology) ) I had a woman in her late 20's (who was married and had one child) who complained she bled through all her clothes and even the seat in her car, /menorrhagia on a regular basis. every month when she got her period. Her blood indices  did not indicate she was really that anemic. Her thyroid evaluation was normal. She came crying and pleading and asking for a hysterectomy as she was traunmatized every month with her menses.  I came to find out that she had been raped by her step father and had to have an abortion. Every time she bled, it reminded her of the rape. She had tremendous psychological  overlay regarding this. Her pelvic exam revealed she has a moderately boggy uterus and I suspected adenomyosis.(endometiroso or overgrowth of the menstrual linign that grows each month preparing for a preganncy that grows into and invades the muscle layer/myometrium.  She had also had a prior procedure to tie her tubes and did not want any more kids. Her ultrasound was neg for fibroids. I had to give her a double dose of  injectable Depoprovera to try to get her bleeding to decrease enough so my  MD colleague could do a hysteroscopy D&C. Those results were negative for precancer, cancer or polyps.  I had to arrange a psych consult to try to get documentation of why a  hysterectomy  was necessary because her insurance refused since she already had her tubes tied and she wasn't dangerously anemic despite the amount of bleeding she purported. The procedure was finally approved AFTER A YEAR of jumping through all these hoops and dictating letters to various people, institutions and insurance companies explaining everything. and never giving up advocating for my patient. The final pathology DID REVEAL ADENOMYOSIS as I suspected. During her post op appointment, my patient was  so over-joyed and brought me candy, flowers and a beautiful framed quote thanking me for all my dedication and help. I still have it framed in my office. This is one of my greatest victories as an NP of 35 yrs. I did what we Nurses and Nurse Practitioner's do best. I listened to and advocated for my patient and did everything within my power to get her the care she needed physically, psychologically and spiritually no matter how long or what it took to do so. This is only one example of why many patients should consider having a Nurse Practitioner as their health care provider!.    We're smart, we are dedicated, we know our boundaries and when to collaborate, seek guidance, refer out and most importantly we listen, don't dismiss and we care!

This is an example of the extraordinary care and concern, detail, advocacy and  empowerment available at Women Wise Holistic Healthcare and Wellness by board certified Women's Health Nurse Practitioner, Eve Jacobs. Please see our patient testimonial page for further examples and comments on this website.