Meet Ellen.
Ellen Grams was planning on seeing her grandchildren the next day. She hadn’t felt well for a couple of weeks, could feel something in the back of her throat and began to lose her voice. She went to Mediquick with the goal of finding out if her condition was contagious. She fully expected to leave with a prescription for an antibiotic, but instead she left with news she didn’t expect.
“Ellen could barely speak, which is not uncommon with certain conditions such as laryngitis. Her vital signs were normal, but I was hearing some upper airway noise that was unusual, like a tracheal constriction,” Jennifer James, APRN, Mediquick, said. “My gut was telling me this was not just another case of bronchitis or laryngitis, but I had no idea what was causing her odd symptoms.”
Thankfully, Jennifer listened to her gut and sent Ellen on to the Emergency Room.
“As a former EMT, I knew something was wrong when she offered to call an ambulance to take me to the ER,” Ellen recalls.
In the ER, a CT revealed a 4.5 cm tracheal mass surrounding her vocal cords. Ellen was referred to a specialist who surgically removed the mass just weeks later.
“If Jennifer had not had sent me on for a closer look, I may not be here today,” Ellen said.
Within five weeks from the time the knot began to form in her throat, Ellen had surgery to remove the cyst. Tests revealed no cancer and Ellen is now thriving!
“I am so thankful this situation had a positive outcome,” Jennifer said. “She looks and sounds like a completely different person from the first day I saw her. I pray each morning before coming into Mediquick that God would use me as His instrument to make a positive impact on the lives of our patients-- patients like Ellen. I am thankful to have met Ellen and that she entrusted me with her care!”
Mediquick is located at 724 North Spring Street in the lower level of the Hospital Clinics building in Harrison.
Hours: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.