Denise’s story
Denise suffered a constant, dull burning sensation in her stomach for more than two weeks. She was weak, unable to eat, drink or sleep comfortably. She lost 10 pounds and even felt a tingling in her limbs and face. The symptoms were causing her such anxiety, she was unable to concentrate or do much of anything. Denise finally gave up and went to the emergency room.
She was seen in the emergency room and given a prescription for medication with the instructions to follow up with a gastroenterologist. Unemployed and uninsured, Denise did not go to a doctor and was only able to afford to fill the prescription for about a month. Her symptoms returned and, after she could no longer stand it, she sought help through the Clackamas County Health Department. Nurse Practitioner Elisa Engebretson arranged to refer Denise to Project Access NOW.
Denise was connected with Nurse Practitioner, Brenda Abraham, of Gastroenterology Specialists of Oregon. An endoscopy revealed severe acid reflux, which would require daily sustained medication indefinitely. Through Pharmacy Bridge, Project Access NOW’s pharmacy program, Denise is able to afford her prescriptions now and, as long as she follows a strict diet regimen and keeps her stress level in check, she can manage her abdominal symptoms.
However, in addition to her abdominal pain, Denise has struggled with pain in her back and in her right knee off and on for the past ten years. Though she was working during most of this time, the jobs she held provided health insurance only sporadically. Her back issues ultimately required her to reduce her work hours down below the minimum to qualify for insurance at all.
A recent return visit to the Clackamas County Health Department followed by MRI testing revealed a torn meniscus in her knee and degenerative disc disease in her back. Again, Project Access NOW was able to arrange an appointment for Denise, this time to see Dr. Jeffrey Feinblatt of the Oregon
Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Clinic in Oregon City, for a full evaluation and treatment plan.
Denise is so thankful to the volunteer providers she has seen and to the staff of Project Access NOW. She says Pharmacy Bridge “saved my life.” She considers everyone she has encountered through Project Access NOW to be “angels.”
“All of these things together take a mental toll on my life. I do not know where I would be without the help I have received through Project Access NOW.”
(January 2012)
