Patient Profile: Lisa Geiger

Three times the confidence
Lisa Geiger was pregnant with triplets, but her pregnancy was not going smoothly. “I could hardly stand up. I wasn’t keeping any food down. I couldn’t even keep water down,” she remembers. Understandably, she was concerned about her babies, “I was afraid I was going to lose all three of them.” The perinatologist who was treating Lisa recommended the Fetal Assessment Center at Loyola University Health System. He told her that they have a great triplet program as well as a neonatal intensive care unit. So, if anything was wrong with the babies after delivery, they could stay there and receive expert care.

Taking a deep breath
Lisa made an appointment at Loyola’s Fetal Assessment Center. She was favorably impressed on her first visit. “I think the appointment lasted two and a half hours. They explained everything that was happening. I had three pages of questions for the nurse practitioner, Sharon [Byrd]. We talked for 30 minutes, and she answered as many as she could. Richard Besinger, MD came in after Sharon, and he spent a lot of time with me, too.…For the first time since I found out I was pregnant with multiples, I could take a deep breath. I wasn’t as freaked out.”

It turned out that the reason Lisa was feeling so terrible was a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). This severe nausea and vomiting during pregnancy can result in weight loss, dehydration, metabolic imbalances and nutritional deficiencies. With extensive experience in managing multiple and high-risk pregnancies, the physicians at the Fetal Assessment Center were experts in treating conditions like Lisa’s.

A team effort
The hyperemesis gravidarum was brought under control with the help of Lisa’s doctor, a nurse practitioner and a nutritionist. She even met with a women’s health psychiatrist. “I realized that my nerves were playing part of it because I was terrified.” What really made Lisa feel better was, “…hearing that I wasn’t such an anomaly. There were ways to manage the HG. I didn’t have to be miserable and I didn’t have to be scared…I realized that I should take things one week at a time and not look too far ahead. That kind of put it in perspective for me.”

Throughout her pregnancy, Lisa really appreciated the attitude of the staff at Loyola. “No one ever rushed me, and I always came with questions. Everyone was very friendly and very confident about what they were doing.”

Physicians from the Fetal Assessment Center took part in Lisa’s delivery. “One of my favorite doctors had promised to deliver my babies. The night my water broke, he had already gone home. They called him at home — and he came back and did the delivery. He’d promised to do everything he could to be there — and he was.”

I wouldn’t change anything
About her Loyola experience, Lisa says, “I wouldn’t change anything. I had great doctors and healthy babies. I just had a good friend who delivered twins at 30 weeks and switched doctors to go to Loyola. I think that’s great.”