Michelle Armbruster does not spend time fussing
about herself. She is a busy bee. As a library director, she is wholeheartedly
dedicated to helping build library resources for her community. And as a mom, she
puts her life on hold to care for ill relatives. But that all changed when
Armbruster was a patient at the new UnityPoint Health Suspicion of Cancer
Clinic where she met a team committed to her every need.
“I went to see my family doctor because I had lots of pain
in my neck. He ran blood tests. The results showed nothing abnormal, so the
next step was a sonogram. I ended up having a sonogram on my thyroid that
revealed I had nodules. I then had to search for a provider that would book me
for a biopsy to help me see if they were cancerous or not,” Armbruster says.
Doctors in the area didn’t have an available appointment for
months. Armbruster was anxious to have a biopsy as quickly as possible because
cancer is a relevant illness in her family. As she began to lose her voice and
the pain continued she ran into a friend who knew about the Suspicion of Cancer
Clinic and advised her to give them a call. A few days later she had an
appointment to see Dr. Shawn Seibert.
“He got in me in very quickly and he took care of
everything. He scheduled me for a scope with an ENT, and a CAT scan for my
throat and chest. Dr. Seibert personally called me to keep me in the loop of
all my test results and he also coordinated all my care with my endocrinologist
and primary care provider,” she says.
It was a joyous moment when Armbruster learned she was
cancer free.
“I’m so thankful I ran into my friend. It all happened so
quickly. It’s a wonderful place for people having trouble seeing anyone because
lots of times doctors won’t see you until several months and it’s hard when you
want to know if you have cancer or not,” she says.
Armbruster will have thyroid surgery but the
clinic hasn’t let her off the hook in managing this journey on her own. She’s
scheduled to return in several months for further testing to ensure everything
is still in order.
“They listened, understood my concern and knew it was so
frustrating for me to get tests done. They jumped into action saying okay this
is what we need to do, here’s our plan, and they just got it started,” she
said, “You know your body more than anyone else. If something feels wrong go,
see the doctor and have someone to help you.”
Ask your physician for a referral to the UnityPoint Health Suspicion
of Cancer Clinic for any possible cancerous results.