CRMC Employee Receives Incredible Care with Robotic Surgery

Jennifer Clayton, R.N., a same-day-surgery nurse at Cookeville Regional Medical Center, thought her body was going through natural changes when she noticed some bleeding.

“I thought at my age of 52 that my body was just going through the normal changes,” said Clayton.

After a few months had passed and the bleeding had continued, she stopped Dr. Bert Geer, gynecologist/ urogynecologist at Cookeville Regional, in the hallway of same day surgery unit to see if she could find some answers as to why the bleeding had continued for so long.

“Once I told Dr. Geer about what had been going on the last few months, he asked me to come in for an appointment,” said Clayton.

Dr. Geer added, “What she was going through was not part of the change and she needed to be seen.”

After doing an ultrasound, Dr. Geer discovered that Jennifer needed to have a hysterectomy after finding a large fibroid on her uterus making her uterus ten times the normal weight.

Jennifer and Dr. Geer decided that a robotic procedure would be the best choice for the minimal amount of pain and the fastest recovery. Jennifer could go home on the same day as the surgery.

“I believe in robotic procedures as I just recently completed my 2,000 robotic surgery. The robot offers so many advantages; it has enabled us to do so many more complex surgeries that we were never able to do laparoscopic. I can be so much more precise,” said Dr. Geer. “For Jennifer, it was an obvious decision to do a robotic procedure due to the size of her uterus.

The arms and wrists of the robot can rotate around 360 degrees, allowing me to get around corners and do incredibly precise surgeries,” said Dr. Geer. “Our typical blood loss is now almost less than two tablespoons which is a huge benefit to the patient.”

Seeking care at Cookeville Regional was an easy choice for Jennifer Clayton.

“I chose Cookeville Regional because I’ve been a nurse at this hospital for over twenty-five years, and I wanted to be surrounded by people who love and care about me. I am with them every day in the surgery area,” said Clayton. “These are people I trust. I think that is important, especially regarding care.”

Clayton did not realize how bad she felt before surgery, tired with migraines, and now she is back doing what she loves.

“After surgery, I felt tremendously better. The surgery was so easy and after three days, I felt like I could get back to my normal routine,” said Clayton.

Jennifer would encourage others to seek medical help if they are experiencing something that doesn’t feel normal.

“Don’t question or wait; make sure and have it checked out by your doctor,” said Clayton. “We have wonderful staff at Cookeville Regional there is no reason to go anywhere else.”