Getting Specialty Care When Needed
HELPcare Clinic in Austin provides most of the health care most people need for most of their lives through an affordable membership.
Unhurried primary care appointments with Dr. Dave Strobel and Nurse Practioner Stephanie Kimmes typically last an hour.
There are no per-appointment charges, and more than 55 diagnostic laboratory blood tests also are included, as well as point-of-care tests.
You get a consistent primary care provider you know and who knows you, and who can help you get access to specialist care when you need it.
I'm experiencing how that works right now, and I'm feeling extremely blessed, as I will be having an operation tomorrow at Mayo Clinic in Rochester to relieve severe compression of my spinal cord.
I've been having neck pain since early April, and had an instance of numbness in one hand that felt kind of like when you sleep on your arm and cut off the blood supply, but in this case the numb thumb lasted about 24 hours.
That was weird!
A couple of weeks ago the neck pain seemed to be getting better, but on the evening of July 12 I was participating in an open gym with the Lyle-Pacelli girls basketball team, and I felt significant weakness in my arms and legs.
My first shot from the free throw line was an airball, and when we played Lightning and I had to get my rebound after a miss, my legs were rubbery and I couldn't run.
That got my attention!
So a week ago today I had an appointment with Dr. Dave, and because of my recent numb thumb and neck pain history he suggested it would be a good idea to get an MRI of my cervical spine.
We arranged to get that done on a self-pay basis in the Twin Cities. The price was significantly discounted and I drove home yesterday with the images on CD.
By early afternoon we had the radiologist report, which indicated "severe cord compression and spinal canal stenosis" due to a bulging disk.
Lisa and I discussed the report with Dr. Dave by phone last night as he drove home from the Twin Cities, and he said our goal should be to get evaluated for possible surgery as soon as we can.
He sent in the referral to Mayo Clinic Neurosurgery at 8 a.m. today. Because I felt some gradual worsening of my symptoms, Dr. Dave, Lisa and I thought I should be evaluated in the Emergency Department at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys in Rochester. By 5:15 p.m. I was scheduled for the operation tomorrow.
Lisa and I are so grateful for how this has all come together. It's been a wonderful answer to prayer. We're thankful that...
- Dr. Dave was alerted by my previous numb thumb and neck pain history to order the MRI when I had these new symptoms last week.
- The MRI revealed a reason for my symptoms, and that it's a structural problem instead of a progressive neurodegenerative disease or a spinal column tumor. It's fixable.
- Having the high-quality MRI images greatly expedited the Mayo Clinic specialists' review of my case and enabled them to make a quick decision, and because of Dr. Dave's referral the images were the only missing piece they needed.
- Mayo Clinic Neurosurgery and Orthopedic Surgery teams are among the best in the world, and they're only about 40 miles from my home!
- I have good insurance as a Mayo Clinic retiree that will minimize the financial impact.
- We have three wonderfully loving families holding us up in prayer and providing both practical and emotional/spiritual support:
- our family family, including six kids and their spouses (one who becomes official July 30) as well as our 14 grandchildren (so far) who will all be back for that wedding next week. My parents, brother, in-laws and extended family as well.
- our HELPcare Clinic family, both the medical and administrative staff and our patient members who share the vision of what we're creating as a primary care option.
- Our church family, at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Rochester, who will be joining the others in prayer.
Tomorrow will be the first operation I've ever had, and I couldn't be happier for where it's happening, who's performing it, and for how we have seen the hand of Providence in bringing it to pass.
We're gratified to be helping to bring a primary care option to our hometown of Austin, Minn.
We're grateful that when specialty care is needed, we can get access to some of the best in the world at Mayo Clinic. All of the staff here have been outstanding.
We are blessed indeed!
Update (7/22/22):
On yesterday's edition of our KAUS AM 1480 radio program, I joined Dr. Dave Strobel and Jason Brandt from my hospital room to discuss my experience and its implications for HELPcare Clinic members:
Update (7/25/22): The Thursday operation was successful and I was able to go home Friday. I told the story about this amazing week on my personal blog yesterday.
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Praying for you, Lee!
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1 ReactionPraying for a speedy recovery Lee!
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1 ReactionSo glad everything went well for you, Lee. 💙
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1 ReactionSo glad you’re doing so well, Lee. Great example of how to access additional care when needed.