Mercy Medical Center North Iowa | Life & Health | Fall 2018

Enter to win $75 Have you played Mercy’s hidden cross contest? It’s easy to play: Just complete these simple steps by Oct. 24, 2018 : 1 . Find all three of the Mercy crosses in this issue. 2. Submit the article titles where crosses are placed to be eligible to win a $75 prepaid Visa Card. 3. Share your name, address, phone number and email address. 4. Email the items listed in steps 2 and 3 to question@MercyHealth.com , or mail them to: Mercy Medical Center–North Iowa Marketing Department Mercy Cross Contest 1000 4th St. SW Mason City, IA 50401 The Mercy cross, shown here, is a smaller version of the cross found in the Mercy Medical Center–North Iowa logo. But remember, the one shown here is just a sample. The crosses hidden may be smaller and are placed only within articles. Crosses found in Mercy logos are not eligible for the contest. Contest rules: One (1)entry per household; participants must be at least age 18 to enter with photo ID required to claim prize; entry into this contest grants Mercy Medical Center–North Iowa permission to send future communications to contest participants regarding general health updates and information. Trinity and Mercy Medical Center–North Iowa colleagues are ineligible to win. $75 Visa gift card The winner of the Summer 2018 hidden cross contest is Nan Jurgens. Randomly selected from the entries received, Jurgens won a $75 prepaid Visa card. Another great contest winner “I really loved Dr. Swenson, the radiologist,” Pieper says. “After waiting for those biopsy results, he came in and said, ‘I just want to congratulate you on choosing the 3-D mammogram. You just saved your life.’ That was just a huge statement.” “Every 3-D mammogram also has a 2-D mammogram included as part of the study,” says Gary Swenson, M.D. “Since we have converted to 3-D mammography, we have had several patients like Jackie, whose cancers were invisible on the 2-D mammogram yet were clearly visible on the 3-D mammogram.” Swenson went on to explain that if she had not had the 3-D mammogram, it may have taken four to five more years before the cancer was detected—at which point it could have become a much more serious situation. Early diagnosis can mean easier treatment Surgery, a lumpectomy and a sampling of the sentinel node for the centimeter-sized tumor followed. Pieper had a re-excision surgery to clear the surgical margins and confirm all cancerous tissue had been removed. Additional treatment included a 20-day radiation plan and chemotherapy pills. “I felt blessed,” Pieper says. “Especially compared to the scare in my 20s. I was telling my doctor, who looks like my granddaughter, what that was like, and her eyes opened up wide. Before that surgery I had to sign a form giving permission for a double mastectomy if they found cancer. It was awful. This experience was nothing compared to that because of the strides they’ve made. Sometimes we think, ‘All these checks we send to this or that cancer society, what are they really doing with that money?’ I actually saw firsthand how they have made great strides. Maybe not where we want it, but just amazing.” In addition to crediting the 3-D mammogram for saving her life, Pieper says the test was slightly easier than the mammograms she has had in the past. It required less awkward movement to get the angles the radiologist required. According to Pieper, there’s no reason not to get the 3-D test if it’s available to you, even if cost is an issue. And in most cases, it isn’t. Most insurance plans cover it now. So, considering the ease with which Pieper breezed through her cancer battle, does she feel like a survivor? “Oh, absolutely,” she says. “I pretty much felt like that before I had anything done. I felt blessed when I got the news. I felt blessed it had been found so early. I had no fear. I just thought, ‘Oh my God, I’m so lucky.’” —Continued from front page ‘I felt blessed’ 2 LIFE AND HEALTH