HE’S ONE OF THE BEST! Dr. John Schorge and the multidisciplinary care at Regional One Health helped Jenna overcome a medical mystery When Jenna Bostick went to a local emergency room, she had no idea she was about to be at the center of a medical mystery. To find a solution, she needed the multispecialty expertise available only at a comprehensive medical center like Regional One Health. A team led by John Schorge, MD, chief of the Regional One Health OB/GYN service and chair of University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, provided advanced care that took Jenna from gravely ill to an astonishing recovery. “Because she had something of a medical mystery, she needed a hospital with comprehensive services. She needed multiple disciplines involved so when a diagnosis became clear the proper person would be ready to intervene immediately,” Dr. Schorge said. “That’s the benefit of a medical center where patients have access to academic physicians and advanced resources – she had a team of experts working collaboratively toward what turned out to be an astonishing recovery.” Jenna had been in good health her whole life, so when she started gaining weight in her abdomen as she approached 40, she attributed it to aging. But in early March, she became extremely ill. “I had a lot of fluid on my abdomen. I couldn’t eat or drink anything for several days, and I started running a fever,” she said. She went to a local emergency room, but doctors couldn’t determine what was wrong. They discussed transferring her to University of Alabama-Birmingham or Vanderbilt in Nashville, but ultimately spoke with Dr. Schorge about the care available at Regional One Health. With the support of Regional One Health Foundation donors, the hospital has the advanced expertise and world-class technology to care for patients like Jenna with complex medical needs. “We made our case, and it was clearly the right decision,” Dr. Schorge said. “We have the advanced resources and 14 2024 Gratitude Report multidisciplinary care she needed, and she didn’t have to travel 200 miles away from her friends and family, who were a big source of encouragement and support for her.” At Regional One Health, doctors determined Jenna needed surgery, but was too malnourished and retaining too much fluid to endure an operation immediately. It was the start of a marathon two-month hospital stay. “It was a shock, and I was very anxious,” Jenna said. “I remember meeting Dr. Schorge and how calm and kind he was. He wasn’t panicked, so I didn’t panic. He explained everything in a way I could understand, and when he broke it down, it wasn’t as scary.” Dr. Schorge told Jenna she needed medical nutrition therapy via IV to get strong enough for surgery. He brought in interventional radiology to place a drain that would ultimately remove liters of fluid from her abdomen. Still, a diagnosis did not immediately emerge. Two CT scans were inconclusive. The fluid from her abdomen was non-malignant, but also non-diagnostic. Bloodwork failed to unravel the mystery. Jenna would need surgery to reveal her diagnosis and resolve it, making the multispecialty expertise available through Regional One Health and UTHSC even more critical. “We were able to have weekly calls with multiple experts discussing all aspects of her case: nutrition, diagnosis, surgical options, reconstruction, etc.,” Dr. Schorge explained. “We could all weigh in on our different pieces because we’re co-located here at Regional One Health.” When it was time for surgery, a multispecialty team stood ready: gynecologic oncology, surgical oncology, medical oncology, internal medicine, plastic surgery, anesthesia, etc. As it turned out, Dr. Schorge’s complex gynecologic surgery expertise was what Jenna needed: he discovered a massive mucinous cystadenoma, a benign tumor
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