When Lori Ellison noticed the frequent urge to urinate and incontinence when sneezing from her allergies, she traveled from Jacksonville to Central Florida to get expert care at AdventHealth for Women.
When she arrived at AdventHealth for Women, Lori met with Nathan Kow, MD, Medical Director at the AdventHealth for Women Integrated Pelvic Health Program. “Lori was experiencing typical signs we see with a woman with prolapse, like pressure and bulging, but I also noticed additional symptoms with her bowel movements that seemed a bit off,” explains Dr. Kow.
“When Dr. Kow noticed some issues with my bowel movements, he recommended that I see Dr. Teresa deBeche-Adams, a Colon and Rectal Surgeon at AdventHealth, to check it out further,” says Lori.
“After the MRI, we could see that Lori’s rectum was inside out, the beginning of prolapse, and part of her pelvic floor was starting to drop,” says Dr. deBeche-Adams.
From then on, Dr. Kow and Dr. deBeche-Adams formed a team to treat both Lori’s prolapse and pelvic floor in one surgery.
“They were able to discuss with other physicians and pelvic floor experts about my symptoms, which made me feel good that you’re getting different opinions from various experts on how to best proceed and what exactly should happen in my situation,” says Lori, “Luckily, with Dr. Kow and Dr. deBeche-Adams working together, I could get multiple things fixed in one surgery and one recovery time.”
By connecting the care of two AdventHealth specialties, Dr. Kow and Dr. deBeche-Adams provided expert treatment with fewer risks and less recovery time, providing a better whole-person care plan for Lori.
“Under a single anesthesia, Dr. deBeche-Adams and I were able to perform two major surgeries and decrease Lori’s overall healing time,” notes Dr. Kow.
“I know I had two doctors, but it felt like I had one team,” says Lori, “They treated me as someone they loved very much, and I felt really good about coming here and that I received the care that I would want someone in my family to receive.”
Integrated Pelvic Health Program Patient Testimonial - Lori Ellison
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