Steve Schembri: Patient Story

I was at the Dr’s office for my annual check-up. My family Dr was away that day, so the Nurse Practitioner saw me instead. While completing my physical, and listening to my heart, she noticed an irregularity.

She left the room and brought in the two Doctors from the medical office, and they all listened to my heart and agreed. Something was not right. I had high blood pressure in the past and was put on diuretics but no further testing on my heart was done at that time and no one in all those years had noticed anything wrong with my heart.

The Nurse Practitioner ordered further tests. I was diagnosed with aortic stenosis and a congenital bicuspid heart valve. I was seeing the same family Doctor for over 15 years, and this was not picked up until the Nurse Practitioner did my assessment.

I ended up needing heart surgery and an aortic valve replacement. The Nurse Practitioner saved my life. She took the time to do a thorough check up and listened long enough to hear the heart problems. We should never underestimate the skills of a Nurse Practitioner.

Since my surgery, I have made changes to my lifestyle. I eat better, exercise more, and run marathons. My quality of life is much better. I have worked in the oil field my whole career, frequently operating in remote locations across Alberta, I shudder to contemplate the potential consequences had my heart issue not been identified by the Nurse Practitioner.