Am I Pregnant? More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Pregnancy Tests

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This is recurring question for me in practice. Each day someone comes to the office asking if they might be pregnant. In today’s world there is no reason for anyone to be asking this question. There is no reason to guess. There is no reason to wonder if you might be pregnant because you are feeling certain symptoms like nausea and breast tenderness. There is a simple solution everyone can use and in minutes you will have your answer.

Take a Home Pregnancy Test

Home pregnancy tests are very accurate. They are the same tests used in a doctor’s office. Pregnancy tests are available at any pharmacy. They can detect a pregnancy 7-10 days after conception. The best time to take one is when you miss your period. If you doubt the result you can repeat it in 1-2 days. If you were pregnant the hormone level would rise enough for detection.

If you miss your period or if you think you might be pregnant here is what you do. Wait until it has been at least 10 days from the date of possible conception or even better wait until you miss your period. Buy a home pregnancy test and follow the directions exactly as written on the box. It is best to use the first urine of the morning as it is more concentrated. The tests ability to detect HCG hormone will be higher allowing an earlier positive result if you are pregnant. Usually the tests recommend waiting about 3 minutes before reading it. If you let the test sit too long the the test may show a false positive result. A false positive is when the tests shows you are pregnant when you actually are not.

Pregnancy tests work by detecting a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin, HCG. A hormone is chemical produced in your body. As soon as fertilization and implantation occurs this hormone begins to be produced. It then roughly doubles (increases by 66%) every 48 hours. Because of this predictable rise in HCG, a home pregnancy test will be accurate about 7-10 days after conception. By the time you miss your period a pregnancy test has an extremely high likelihood of being correct. A home pregnancy test can detect an HCG hormone of about 20. This highly sensitive test allows very early detection. In other words – you can trust the test results.

A blood pregnancy test done in a doctor’s office works a little bit differently. A blood test still detects HCG hormone but with this test an actual numeric level is given instead of a yes or no answer. A blood pregnancy test is slightly more accurate, but they also take longer and require a doctor’s visit. To simply answer the question “Am I pregnant?” a blood test is rarely needed. Here is an example:.

Let’s say you had unprotected intercourse and were concerned you might be pregnant. Ten days later you did a home pregnancy test and it was negative. On that same day you also did a blood pregnancy test. The home test said not pregnant but the blood test showed you were in fact pregnant with a BHCG level of 19. Notice this BHCG level is 1 point too low to for a urine pregnancy test to detect it. It is true that the home test gave you the wrong result, but remember that HCG doubles every 48 hours. If you waited two days and repeated the test urine test your hormone level would be about 38. The urine test would easily detect it. Had you simply waited until you missed your period before taking the home test the HCG level would be way above 20. The home test would have worked fine in the first place.

Often patients have done a home pregnancy test which showed they are not pregnant but they do not believe the result. My advice is to TRUST THE TEST. If you do not believe a negative result simply repeated in 1-2 days. If your test is still negative then you are not pregnant. You may need to schedule a visit to discuss irregular menstrual cycles if your period does not come. If your test is positive then there is no reason to keep repeating the test. Save your money for diapers because you are pregnant. Take your prenatal vitamins and schedule your first prenatal visit.

Hooked on Social Media: How One OB/GYN Uses Social Media to Help His Patients

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By Dan Hinmon, Principal –– When Dr. Jeff Livingston, an OB/GYN practicing at MacArthur OB/GYN in Irving, TX, began his practice he immediately found a cause. “I was trying to address the problem of teen pregnancy in our area,” he remembers. “There were a lot of pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. I was volunteering time at the local high school.” Read more »

HTA Endometrial Ablation for Menorrhagia

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Endometrial Ablation may be an alternative treatment option for pre-menopausal women with menorrhagia (excessive uterine bleeding) due to benign causes, for whom childbearing is complete. Menorrhagia is frequently treated by performing a hysterectomy. The HTA® System is designed to ablate the endometrial lining of the uterus without the need for surgery.

Ask yourself the following questions:

  1. Does your period last longer than seven days?
  2. Do you use more than 3 pads or tampons per day?
  3. Do you pass clots during your periods?
  4. Does your heavy bleeding affect your work, social, athletic or sexual activities?
  5. Has medication (birth control pills) failed to help your heavy bleeding?

If you answer yes to any one of these questions, you are likely suffering from heavy menstrual bleeding or menorrhagia.

Endometrial ablation is a procedure to treat abnormal uterine bleeding. The procedure is intended to destroy all or most of the tissue that is responsible for menstrual bleeding (the endometrium). After the procedure, patients may never bleed again, or if they do, their bleeding is generally reduced. Not all patients experience a satisfactory reduction in bleeding so all treatment options should be discussed with your doctor. In general, approximately 50% of women that have the ablation have no more menstrual cycles. Of the 50% that do continue to have a cycle, most have little bleeding and are satisfied with their results. The overall satisfaction rate is approximately 95%.

What are the reasons for undergoing the procedure?

If heavy bleeding during your periods is affecting your quality of life and you believe your options are to wait until menopause or to have a hysterectomy, there may be other choices for help without major surgery.

Intended Benefits of the Hydro ThermAblator® System (HTA® System):

  • A potential alternative to hysterectomy or other major surgical procedures.
  • An outpatient procedure usually performed in the office with only local anesthesia.
  • Decreased recovery period and generally fewer significant harmful side effects.

What is the HTA® System and how does the procedure work?

The Hydro ThermAblator System (HTA System) is a device that allows your gynecologist to perform endometrial ablation on an outpatient basis. This procedure involves your doctor inserting a probe into your uterus that includes a tiny telescope for viewing the lining of the uterus. Heated saline is circulated and is intended to destroy the lining of the uterus, even in a partial septate uterus or one with intra-mural fibroids ≤ 4cm, to eliminate or reduce bleeding to normal levels or less.

First, your cervix will be slightly dilated to allow the introduction of the telescope through the vagina, through the cervix and then into the uterus. This gives your gynecologist a view of the inside of your uterus to assure proper positioning. Then, your uterus will be filled with room temperature saline solution to gently clean and flush the uterus. The fluid will be heated to 90º C(194°F) and circulated in the uterus for ten minutes in order to treat the endometrium (lining of the uterus).

When the treatment is complete, the uterus will be flushed with room temperature saline to cool the uterus and the probe. All of the saline will be removed after the cooling phase is completed. Your uterine lining has been treated and will slough off similar to a menstrual period over the next few weeks.

Your gynecologist will do some pretreatment tests that may include a Pap smear, an ultrasound, endometrial biopsy, and/or a hysteroscopy (look inside the uterus with a tiny telescope) to see why you are having excessive menstrual bleeding.

Your physician will give you pain medication before the procedure to reduce cramping during or after the procedure. With the new technology and advancements available at MacArthur OB/GYN, most ablations are done in our office with only a local anesthesia injection.

After the procedure, you may experience some cramping that should go away by bedtime. You will probably have a pink or yellow watery discharge for a few weeks after your treatment. If you experience two days of heavy bleeding, abdominal or pelvic pain, a fever, or pain that increases over time beyond 24 hours after the procedure, call your physician.

Most women should be able to return to normal daily activities the next day. You should speak with your physician about the resumption of sexual activity. You should not use tampons for up to seven days after the procedure to reduce the potential risk of infection. Your monthly menstrual bleeding may be heavy for a few months after the treatment as a part of the healing process, and should improve after a few months.

You should not have this procedure if you desire pregnancy in the future. Endometrial ablation, however, does not prevent you from becoming pregnant and such a pregnancy would be high risk for both mother and fetus. Contraception or sterilization should be used after this treatment since pregnancy can still occur. Please discuss the different options with your physician. Also, all procedures carry risk. Ablation risk factors include bleeding, infection, damage to organs (uterine perforation, etc), and are something you should also discuss with your doctor.

Winner of the 2012 MacArthur OB/GYN Scholarship

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When I found out I was pregnant with my daughter, I was 16 years old and just about to begin my junior year of high school. I was afraid and anxious, but most of all worried because of my future. Junior year is the main year that many colleges looked at, primarily because of SAT’s and such. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to graduate due to failing grades and the six week maternity leave. I remember crying because I had put it in my head that I possibly won’t be able to attend college since all of my earnings would go towards my child and her expenses. As I attended my classes and walked through the halls at my high school, I wondered, “What’s the point of even being here and graduating if I’m just going to struggle and probably not even go to the university that I want to attend?” I agonized over the thought of dropping out, and I almost did if it wasn’t for the support of Mrs. Samantha Garza.

Mia was born in April of 2011 at the end of my junior year, and that’s when the pressure to go to college intensified. Once senior year began in August of 2011, I started noticing how all of the friends that I used to have were excited to graduate and move on with their lives. I’ve seen a lot of girls who have had children in high school graduate, but either they just settled down and had more kids after high school, or they went to college for a semester and then stopped altogether. I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do with my life and put numbers together. I didn’t want to settle for working long hours just to live from paycheck to paycheck. I didn’t want to be settling for a cramped apartment or living with my parents for the rest of my life depending on welfare to get me by. Although there are some outliers when it comes to this, statistics towards living under the poverty line with no higher education as a teen mother was chasing after me. It just wasn’t in my plans to NOT go to college. My parents never went to college; they didn’t even graduate high school. They came over to the United States to give us a better life and I was set on making them proud. Everyone expects for teen mothers to fail, and with that much negative expectation, I wanted to change the views of people.

When my family found out about my plans, there were mixed feelings about things. I had some support, but mostly I would hear, “How are you going to raise a child if you aren’t working full time” and “you can’t go to college if you have no money.” Either way, there was the issue of money always being brought up wherever I turned. I didn’t want to work full time and set aside college. The pressure was on because I honestly wasn’t going to have any financial help. My parents weren’t going to pay for me and I had no job at the moment, so I desperately searched around in hopes of finding something.

I first heard about the MacArthur OB/GYN scholarship through my high school counselor. She gave me a list of scholarships to look at on the Irving Schools Foundation website and as I was scrolling down, one specific link caught my eye. As I read the requirements for the posting of the OB/GYN clinic, I realized that I fit all of the points to be able to apply for it. I thought to myself, “Well it’s worth a shot, why not?” I went ahead, applied and anxiously waited to hear back from the board. I didn’t think that I was going to be the receiver of the award; it was my pessimistic nature to believe in such thoughts, but when I found out that I won I was so overjoyed that I think I cried a bit. NOW there was no excuse for me not to attend my first year at college. There was no excuse for me to say, “I can’t go to because I don’t have the cash for it.” I signed up for classes at my local junior college and walked into lecture hall on the first day, ecstatic because I was actually attending.

This scholarship gave me more than enough to pay for classes and books for both the first and second semester. My first year of college was paid for, and I grinned ear to ear because my education was all that I had going for me. BUT not only did this scholarship help me with school, it also gave me the last bit of cash that I needed to buy my car to be able to drive to and from work, school and the babysitter’s. It helped me to be able to work and save up so that I can pay for my next year of school without having to worry about making the deadlines for the payment plan I had originally set up. Many people don’t realize how grateful I am to the Wollenman Family and the MacArthur OB/GYN clinic for donating this money to help me. The amount might not have been much for certain people, but it was more than enough for me.

I honestly feel that this will really help many future college students a lot. The award goes out to high school students who are involved with a group having to deal with teen pregnancy issues. I personally was involved with TAPPS, the Teenage Pregnant and Parenting Students group. It was run by Ms. Garza and included all of the teen mothers on campus. In a way, we were our own support group as many of us were shunned against by our fellow peers. The people applying don’t have to be a teen parent, but raising awareness towards this is VERY important.

I don’t regret my daughter. She is the reason I decided to attend college to better myself. However having her so young, has made certain things financially, physically and emotionally difficult. So many people can benefit from this help, and it can go toward classes, books, daycare or anything else that might be needed to be able to attend school! I deserve a chance just like everyone else does; after all, what really sets me aside from any other college student other than just a few minor details?

So to everybody reading this, this scholarship helps out in a great deal of ways. Good luck to the next winner! I certainly have benefited very much. I am now currently working on my transfer basics to be able to attend TWU and reach my career plan of becoming a certified Nurse-Midwife. With the help of the Wollenman family and the staff at MacArthur OB/GYN, I’m taking the first step towards the rest of my life. What will help all of you?

Take Two Apps and Call Me in the Morning

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Will doctors recommend health apps to patients? There has been an explosion in health apps. Patients are using them for weight loss, calorie counting, exercise monitoring, ovulation calculation and for many other health needs. But to truly integrate the concept of health apps in the health care system healthcare providers will need to get involved. There is discussion in the health IT world lately regarding physician adoption of technology specifically mobile health apps, electronic record systems and patient portals. Doctors have now been plugged into the equation for technological innovation. This represents a paradigm shift for doctors. Life was much simpler when all we had was a pager and a stethoscope.

On the other hand, incorporating new innovation is nothing new for doctors. Physicians are constantly exposed to innovation. We are approached with new medications, new surgical devices, new equipment and new lab tests. Frequently, doctors are pitched a new product and have to decide whether to integrate it into practice or to pass for now. With medications, medical devices and lab tests the decision to accept and adopt is complex. It involves analyzing safety, efficacy, cost and other factors.

Some physicians have the early adopter mentality. At home, we are the first to buy the latest iPhone (even though our current one works fine). We also rush out and buy a 3D television (much to the annoyance of our spouses). Early adopters are the first to try a new surgical technique. Other physicians are more likely to wait and view the success or failures of the early adopters before deciding to jump in.

In many ways physicians are already leading the way in mobile health. The majority of doctors are using smart phone and physicians are early adopters of the iPad. Physicians are using apps clinically within the daily workflow. I use AirStrip OB daily to monitor my patients in labor and Epocrates to check medications. Using medical apps has gone mainstream and Health apps are flooding the market. This trend will continue as the Internet itself moves from the laptop to mobile. We know physicians will use health apps but will they prescribe apps to their patients as a direct part of patient care?

It is very important that app developers understand the physician mindset if you expect us to use apps and to recommend your product to patients. We will not utilize or recommend a health app just because it is cool or just because we can. Adoption is unlikely to be based on cost, efficacy and safety. Your app needs to meet two simple criteria. First, the app needs to make physicians’ lives easier. Second, it needs to make the care we provide our patients better.

Currently I prescribe a few in clinical practice. I suggest TweetWhatYouEat.com for weight loss. I like the iPregnancyApp.com for my pregnant patients. I suggest the HealthTap.com app for access to physician driven health information. Our practice is about to release our own app for our practice in 2013.

So will physicians recommend apps to patients? Absolutely! Give us something worthwhile and we will be all over it. We ask very little in return – make our lives easier and make the care we provide better.

Dr. Livingston Honored with 2012 Heroes for Children Award

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Irving Rambler –– Dr. Jeff Livingston, an Irving-based physician and managing partner of MacArthur OBGYN, received the 2012 Heroes for Children Award from the Texas State Board of Education for his public school volunteerism and his demonstration of character, heart and passion. Livingston, one of 15 recipients of this year’s award, received it from Texas’ top educators group on Nov. 16.

The Heroes for Children Award is given annually to individuals who dedicate their time — often ranging in the thousands of hours — to Texas public schools. The Board of Education’s award recognizes volunteers from across Texas for their passionate and strong desire to give back to their communities and schools, and their hard work to improve the lives of children.

Dr. Livingston is a volunteer in the Irving Independent School District where he educates students, parents and educators about health issues, teen pregnancy and STD prevention.

Throughout the past nine years, Livingston has spoken to countless Irving ISD students, providing information about making proper sexual choices, personal responsibility, sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy prevention. His volunteerism in the schools began shortly after he began to practice in 2003.

“Shortly after I joined MacArthur OBGYN I began seeing a large number of young teenagers and was surprised at the prevalence of sexually transmitted disease, teen pregnancy and an overall lack of knowledge regarding sexual health. I reached out to the local school nurses and offered myself as a resource,” Livingston said. “Navigating through a politically charged issue like teen pregnancy was a challenge at first, but after gaining the support of Irving ISD administration I began giving lectures and presentations on teen pregnancy and STD prevention.”

Livingston also sponsors and works closely with the Teenage Parent and Parenting (TAPPS) workshop each spring, focusing on child development, parenting, child abuse prevention, healthy relationships and other health information.

TAPPS is a district-wide program that meets the needs of pregnant and parenting students. While the national high school graduation rate for teen parents hovers around 40 percent, the graduation rate for TAPPS students is higher than 90 percent. By creating a partnership between the TAPPS program and community physicians, the partnership extends the reach of the program beyond the four walls of the classroom.

“The physicians and I in my practice not only care for the pregnant student, but also work with them to make sure they are enrolled in the TAPPS program,” he said. “We enroll them in the YWCA Nurse Family partnership, which provides mentorship, prenatal and parenting education and schedule visits around their school day.

“We empower students to be ready to parent, and we aggressively educate on contraception to avoid a second teen pregnancy. We have demonstrated that identifying the pregnant students and meeting their specific needs can change lives. We see successful pregnancies and help the students achieve success in the classroom. The payoff for these efforts will be seen for generations to come.”

Dr. Livingston is a board certified obstetrician and gynecologist who grew up in Dallas. In 2009 he received the Golden Apple Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to students and teachers. He also serves as the medical director of a crisis pregnancy center called Real Choices and is former chairman of the OB/GYN Department at Baylor Medical Center of Irving.

The Heroes for Children honorees are selected by the state education board members and are recognized for volunteering their time, talents and skills to help improve the public schools in their communities. One recipient of the award is chosen from each Board of Education district.

Written by Phil Cerroni

Fall

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I like the fall season. For me it signals the end of our 100 degree plus temperatures and the enjoyment of being outside again. Fall also signifies the start of the holiday season, beginning with one of my favorites…Halloween!

I’m especially excited about Halloween this year as there is no football game or marching band contest occurring on that day so I actually get to go Trick-or-Treating with my daughter! We will have new challenges this year with the booty collected from going door-to-door. My daughter is now in the Color Guard at her high school and their director strongly encourages healthy eating and limiting junk food and sugar consumption. Junk food and sugar do provide quick energy but that energy is very short lived. Sugar gets into our system very quickly; we feel great and have increased energy. Sugar also is burned very quickly and when that energy is consumed, tends to leave us feeling even more tired and grumpy and sometimes even feeling sick.

This is a great learning opportunity for teaching portion control for you and your little ghosts and goblins. So how do we incorporate enjoyment of a great holiday tradition and all that candy with over consumption of those awesome treats and maintaining good dietary intake?

  • By all means enjoy the holiday. Trick-or-Treating is just as much fun for me as it is for my children and I’m not sure who looks forward to the treat gathering more…my children or me.
  • It is ok to indulge on occasion, but not every day. I enjoy sampling the treats just as much as my kids. There are some treat choices that I get to only sample once a year.
  • Portion control is the key. As our Color Guard director teaches his students, it is not so much eating a treat or two on a daily basis that can affect your performance, but the amount that is consumed at each sitting which tends to have a negative effect on performance and endurance.
  • Try having you and your children put appropriate portions is a small sealable plastic bag. Allow them to make the choices and count the pieces.

So what does one do with all the left-over goodies?

  • When interest is lost, take left-over treats to the office. My kids generally tend to lose interest in it in about a week. Those goodies not chosen to be consumed show up in my office for anyone to enjoy.
  • “Recycle” your candy. This is what our Color Guard instructor does so some of these goodies end up in the stocking for Christmas.
  • Use chopped pieces of candy in cookies for the holidays.
  • Donate left over candy to the troops overseas or to churches.
  • Get creative and crafty and make garlands, wreaths and other crafts or ornaments for the winter holidays.
  • Use your left over candy to decorate gingerbread houses.

Post your suggestions here or on our Facebook page.

First Day of School

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One of my very good friends confided in me last Friday after another End-of-Band-Camp-Dinner. This is her daughter’s Senior year in high school. She is an only child. My friend cried on my shoulder as we headed to put the cafeteria to rights, remembering her daughter as she grew and how close they have become recently, sharing with me how much more demonstrative her daughter has become. Being the “expert” and having graduated 3 of my 4 children, I put my arm around her and expressed how much I understood. I encouraged her to enjoy every day. Graduation will be here before you know it. After all, they grow so fast. It seems that once they start high school the time zips faster than the speed of light! I was envious that she was going to reach empty nest before me.

One would think that after a previous 18 “First Days of School,” the 19th would be a piece of cake, right? The first day of school was never a really big deal to me. I always had another child waiting behind. I chuckled last night as my daughter and her BFF were packing their backpacks, preparing for whatever may befall them in high school; an umbrella, a change of clothes, make-up, hair brush, glasses case even scissors in case they needed to cut some paper.

The girls are riding the bus this year to school for the first time. This is the first time I will not be taking them to school and watch them enter the building. Fortunately the stop is on our corner. My daughter’s BFF arrived early, before it was even light outside. I took the yearly pictures, in which they cooperated and even smiled this time. My husband and I walked them to the corner and even chronicled this event with pictures in front of the stop sign. I saved the embarrassment of my daughter by being seen in public in my pajamas, and hid behind a Crepe Myrtle in the front yard, awaiting the arrival of the school bus. I could hear the bus approaching as it rounded the corner and the squealing of brakes as it stopped in front of the girls. The doors opened and from behind that Crepe Myrtle I documented them ascending into the dark interior. I stood up and headed into the house and found myself crying for the first time on the first day of school. My baby is growing up and in 4 short years she will be gone and making her way in the world.

I texted my friend after I collected myself sharing with her this time, how surprised I was at how this “First Day of School” affected me. Her response was, “I feel your heart…” Number 19 “First Day of School” down…only 3 more to go…

What do you remember about this First Day of School? Let us know on Facebook »

Doctors Use Social Media To Make Virtual House Calls

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Few remember that doctors used to make house calls back in the 1940s and 1950s. But, the spirit of that service is still alive and well thanks to social media –– some doctors are embracing the online world and using it to connect to patients.

As expectant mom Kristi Francisco nears her due date, time with her obstretrician, Dr. Jeff Livingston, is at a premium. But, the Grapevine mother knows a way she can ask him a question anytime, anywhere.

“If my grocery store and my favorite restaurant is on Facebook, then my doctor should be as well,” Francisco said.

Dr. Livingston agrees. He’s one of only a few north Texas doctors who has embraced the social media world.

“If we want to make a connection, we need to talk to them in the way that they want to talk to us,” said Dr. Livingston.

In between delivering babies and seeing patients, Dr. Livingston hops onto the MacArthur OB/GYN Facebook and Twitter pages to answer questions posted by patients. One, for instance, asked how soon one can find out a baby’s gender. Another poster wanted to know if you can eat fish while pregnant.

Read more on CBS 11 »

Scholarship in Memory of Dr. David Wollenman

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Dr. David Wollenman was an icon for obstetrics and gynecology here in Irving, TX for over 33 years and brought over 7000 babies into this world. He brought cutting edge surgical techniques to Irving that he learned through experience and at continuing education programs. It was largely due to his influence that we have many of the continuing education goals and current practices here in Irving. He passed from this world last year in July after battling against an aggressive form of brain cancer. Because of his love for the Irving area, the medical field, continuing education and medical advancements, and just because of the person he was, MacArthur OB/GYN is honored to sponsor a scholarship in his memory.

The scholarship is awarded to an Irving ISD graduating senior with academic achievement with an emphasis in math and science and current or previous participation in a teen pregnancy program. This year, the scholarship was awarded to Elvira Mancillas of Nimitz High School.

Elvira, smiling big in the middle of the picture above, is standing here with some of the MacArthur group and Dr. Wollenman’s wife, one of his sons, and his two daughters. Elvira is more than deserving of this scholarship. She will be graduating in the top 15% of her class and plans on pursuing a career in nursing. Her goal is to become a maternity nurse. Elvira knows that goals don’t just happen, so she has a plan and is working hard to make her goal a reality. She plans on completing her prerequisites at Northlake and El-Centro before transferring to TWU to pursue her nursing degree. Elvira has taken Advanced Placement/Honors classes to help prepare for her upcoming education. She is a leader in school and has served as captain of her volleyball team. She has also been involved in track and field and in basketball. For those of you lucky enough to have known Dr. Wollenman, you know what a sports aficionado he always was… “I’m a homer,” he would always say when referencing his love for his local sports teams.

Elvira is one of eight children in her family and really understands what it means to work hard. Not only has she excelled in academics and athletics, but she has been able to hold a job in customer service relations for Pizza Hut. Having been her doctor, I can see how she’d be perfect in a job where people skills are needed. Elvira really is a people person and this will help her as a nurse. She says that perseverance is her main personal strength. I agree and think that she is just tougher than she looks. I took care of her and delivered her daughter just a little over a year ago. Elvira says that she did have to grow up quickly at age 17 when she had her baby girl. Undoubtedly she struggled, but she persevered, worked and is working hard, and has done so well for her and her daughter. I am really proud of her and was happy to hear that she was picked to receive this scholarship.

Dr. Wollenman is the reason I ended up here in Irving, so he has forever impacted my life. He was a mentor to me and to many, and I can’t say enough great things about him. I am so grateful to have known him. Also, I was fortunate to be Elvira’s doctor and deliver her baby. And I am proud of this wonderful young lady and am happy that our practice is helping her get a little closer to achieving her goals, while honoring Dr. John David Wollenman.