Transcription:
Let's Dish About Gut Health

Gina: Welcome to Iowa Specialty Hospitals and Clinics ISH Dish Podcast, practical health advice from Iowa Specialty Hospital experts. We want to connect the members of our communities with the latest healthcare information that's understandable, relatable, and useful to your daily life. With us today, we have Amy Faga and Amy Faga is a gastroenterology nurse practitioner. There we go. Okay. You have, a few different designations behind your name. You have msn, so Masters of?

Amy Faga: Science of nursing.

Gina: And advanced registered nurse practitioner. And then the FNPC?

Amy Faga: I'm a family nurse practitioner that's certified.

Gina: Okay. Good enough. So tell me a little bit about you, what you do for Iowa Specialty hospitals and clinics.

Amy Faga: I have been with Iowa Specialty for about a year now. I worked with Dr. Adams for almost 20 years now, but at here at Iowa Specialty, I'm working with him kind in various clinic settings taking care of patients that either have had procedures done by him who have maybe been following with or so on various disease processes that I can manage. I always have him as an outlets out there to find and talk to them. and have people follow him if need be.

Gina: Okay. So just to back up a little bit, Dr. Adams is a gastroenterologist who works for our system and he does a lot of the surgeries, endoscopies, so colonoscopies, different things like that.

Amy Faga: Yep. Colonoscopies, upper endoscopies. Yep.

Gina: Okay. And then so what specifically can somebody come in and see you for?

Amy Faga: Anything that is basically related to your GI tract. you have heartburn, if you have nausea and vomiting, if you have diarrhea, constipation, belly pain. I also do liver diseases. So if you have had hepatitis in the past or have elevated liver enzymes, some of my patients feel really well, but their labs are kind of goofy, so I see them for what's going on with their lab work.

Gina: And if somebody has any of these symptoms, would they need to have a referral to see you?

Amy Faga: Nope. a referral. Yep. Just call the clinic and you can get scheduled in with me.

Gina: Okay. And just because I'm gonna put a plug in for that while we're talking about it, if you do have any of the symptoms that Amy has been talking about, gerd, ibs, fatty liver, other chronic GI conditions, such as you stated, you can call to schedule an appointment by call, 515-532-9310. And they will help you out and get you scheduled. And And you see patients pretty much everywhere it looks like.

Amy Faga: Yes, yes. We do a lot of driving

Gina: I bet. Get to know all these country roads pretty well.

Amy Faga: Yes, yes yes. So I'm seeing patients in Webster City, Fort Dodge. I go to Hampton once a month, and we go to Garner once a week.

Gina: Okay. But you're busy.

Amy Faga: Yes, yes. It's kind of a challenge to know where I'm going every morning.

Gina: Yeah, So let's talk a little bit about, let's just back up a little bit and talk about Amy Faga, the person. So gimme a little background about who you are and what you like to do. Maybe some family?

Amy Faga: I have a husband who've been married for 25 have three boys who are no longer little boys. They are 22, 19 and turning 16 this week. So one in, yeah, still one high school. one that will graduate from Iowa State this coming spring, and one that will, is in John Deere tech up in Kmar and will graduate about a year and a half from now.

Gina: Wow. Any grand babies on the horizon? Or daughter in law?

Amy Faga: Well, yeah, there probably could be potential of that but, yeah, no, nothing official. So, but yes, yes. So, so lots of family around. I grew up, in Juul. I Hamilton High School, went to Luther to undergrad college, and then I went to Drake for my master's and my nurse practitioner . So, Local growing up in middle of Iowas type of deal.

So

Gina: what got you into this field?

Amy Faga: I love science is kind of where it started from was that. And, I enjoy helping people and talking to people and I think great, area. I think when I started out it was, Sort of, I can do this and I can take it a lot of different directions. So kind of find that thing that you love and that you're gonna be good at. So everybody in nursing can go lots of different directions.

Gina: So then the, secret to that, I'm assuming you were an RN at one point. Yep. And then you become the BSN?

Amy Faga: I actually graduated with a bSN and an RN. Yep. So I did that all at once. But, yeah, and then I worked in the hospital. I actually worked for a as a NICU nurse for about six years. couple of those years I was going to college to get my nurse practitioner worked in diabetes ed for a little while, worked in nephrology, as a nurse practitioner, and then went to work, in gastroenterology with Dr. Adams.

Gina: And then you just said, this is it. This is what I like.

Yes. Yeah, yeah.

Amy Faga: I mean, I think it kind of became something that I really Can do a lot of research in, can kind of figure out what's new and, what's upcoming and how to treat people. I enjoy the part of it that you can really make people change their life. It's like people don't feel good, maybe not going to their grandkids events because of their gastrointestinal issues or kids missing school because of it. You can really make a big difference in how they feel and live their life.

Gina: Yeah, absolutely. if you have a little stomach ache, your whole day is ruined.

Amy Faga: It is. it's kind of fun to hear people go, you know what? You made me feel so much better. We took a vacation because I hadn't been able to do that, or I've. Been going see my grandson's basketball game because I didn't have to worry about where the bathroom was. So it's kind of neat that way.

Gina: Yeah, absolutely. I, did a little video with Dr. Adams recently and was quizzing him about that pill that you can swallow that has the camera. Do you deal with that as well at all?

Amy Faga: Yeah I can order that procedure, Dr. Adams does read those. so yeah.

Gina: So it the technology.

Amy Faga: The technology is kind of fun too. So that's, yeah.

Gina: Yeah. So for those of you listening who aren't aware, it's a pill that you swallow and it takes an insane amount of images.

Amy Faga: Yes. And it's taking them of the small bowel is what that's of it's somewhere we can't get with a colonoscopy or an upper endoscopy it makes seeing in their possible. And we could do that right here.

Gina: Yeah. So since I was asking him, well, who gets to filter through all those images?

Amy Faga: Exactly. I'm not I'm Iwhom not sure I was doing that here actually.

Gina: Because that would be an interesting job. Yeah,

Amy Faga: Yeah It is. A lot of images.

Gina: Yes. Yeah. And then it just comes out and flushes, away away. so cool. . Yeah. well anybody has looked at our website as of lately, we do have, patient ratings now on our website for all of our providers from Press Ganey. And, you are a 4.9 out of five.

Amy Faga: I Didn't even know that.

Gina: Yes. Congratulations . So you do get rated. You've got 47 patient ratings right out there right now and 10 patient comments, and I just wanted to show you off a little bit and, highlight a couple of them. So, back in October somebody said Doc Faga, which I thought was kind of neat, was an amazing doctor.

She listened to all my concerns and was so nice. Would definitely recommend her. Somebody else said, listen to my comments and recommended some options. Someone else said she was super nice and was concerned about my medical condition. Amy is an excellent care provider, so congratulations. That's awesome. She's not blushing at all. No. Just a little bit. All right. Well, is there anything else that you would like the general public to know about you and your services?

Amy Faga: We have a lot to offer people can certainly schedule and come in and we are glad to help them and if you think it's a minor detail, but it's affecting your life. Don't be embarrassed, come in. We talk about GI track issues all of the that's, I always remind people that, you know, this is what I do for a living. Don't be embarrassed. it's completely fine to talk about these things, right? So, if your belly is bothering you or you're having, issues with bowel movements or those sort of things, come on in.

Gina: Yeah, I agree. We all have one.

Amy Faga: Yes, exactly.

Gina: So we all function pretty much the same way. So if you are having issues, please reach out get an appointment with Amy. if nothing else, you can refer them on to something else or say, you know what, it isn't what you thought it was but at least you're taking care of yourself. Okay. Well again, to reach Amy and make an appointment with her you can call 515-532-9310. Or if you wanna find out a little bit more information, maybe what she looks like you can check out our website at iowaspecialtyhospital.com and then just click on find a provider and type in Amy Faga. That's f a g a. And with that, I thank you very much for coming on today.

Amy Faga: Well thank you for having me.

Gina: Absolutely. Thank you for listening to Iowa Specialty Hospitals and Clinics ish Dish Podcast. For more information on the topics we discussed today, visit us on the web at iowaspecialtyhospital.com. There you can read a transcript of today's episode or previously aired episodes, as well as get the latest news from Iowa Specialty Hospital. You'll also be able to explore all of the services that we offer for. ISH Dish Podcast. I'm Gina. Thanks for tuning in.