Posts Tagged: Registered Nurse

COPD patient becomes stronger with exercise

Sabine Brouillette credits her health team at Edmonton Southside PCN for saving her life. The 67-year-old COPD patient’s breathing was becoming worse. When she was refused treatment at her dentist because of her breathing, she went to see her family doctor, Dr. Colleen Johnston, at Town Centre Family Clinic. Dr. Johnston referred Sabine to a…

Physical activity leads to stronger patient

Waiting for a diagnosis caused Audrey Karpetz to become inactive and gain weight. Audrey had difficulty breathing and it took eight months to pin the cause of sarcoidosis, a lung disease that inflames the organ and left her with no energy. “There was a long time when I couldn’t walk. The pain was so bad,”…

Patient succeeds with small steps

Step by step is how Maha Chehayeb achieved her goal of becoming more physically active despite health issues. She was told by her family doctor, Dr. Rafi Husain that she needed to lose weight before considering knee surgery related to advanced arthritis. Her medical history also includes diabetes, high blood pressure and a large abdominal…

Patient learns to advocate for herself

Karen Beler credits Sue Perry for helping her change her life. Before meeting Sue, a mental health coordinator at Edmonton Southside Primary Care Network, Karen describes herself as stressed, untrusting and a hermit. She also couldn’t say no to others. “All my friends used to take advantage of me and when I couldn’t do anything for…

Patient focuses on overall health to live longer

When Kieth Mumford’s family doctor saw that his blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar levels were rising, he asked his patient to see a primary care nurse and a registered dietitian at the clinic. Dr. Michael Hamilton explained to Kieth that these services were offered through Edmonton Southside Primary Care Network. The nurse monitored his blood…

Reaching daily goal motivates patient

Mary-Anne Janewski walks a steady pace around the track at The Meadows Recreation Centre. She’s aiming to reach her daily goal of 10,000 steps. What keeps her motivated is seeing the changes in her health. Mary-Anne is an example of an Edmonton Southside Primary Care Network patient who started her journey with her family doctor….

Family physician sees impact of PCN services

Edmonton Southside Primary Care Network equipped Dr. Mark Antoniuk with resources offering him the opportunity to accept additional patients to his medical practice. “I’ve actually had new patients who’ve wanted to join my practice because I was part of the PCN. They’ve heard of all these services that are available, and they’ve left other clinics…

Carrots and a treadmill kick starts health improvement

Patients often report knowing exactly what lifestyle changes they need to make for improved health, but find their good intentions all too often give way to entrenched behaviours and lifelong habits. Physicians, meanwhile, struggle with the time intensity involved in lifestyle counselling, wondering what more they can do to bridge the gap between what’s agreed…

Patient battles with a common addiction

Don Kupina isn’t ashamed to admit that he’s an addict. It’s an addiction he’s been struggling with for most of his life. “If I was a drug addict, I would stop taking drugs and that’s it. If I was a smoker, I would stop smoking. If I was a drinker, I would stop drinking. But…

Chronic pain requires supportive care

Compassionate care is what has helped Dave Lidgett through one of the toughest health challenges in his life.Edmonton Southside Primary Care Network (PCN) clinical staff provided Dave with a listening ear and guided him through the health system. The 52-year-old was in a serious car accident in December 2008 where he went through the window…