I am forever grateful for Dr. Sipprell's care

Julie Christensen is thankful she decided to go to Ridgeview’s Emergency Department in Waconia in September 2019—and she is grateful to Kevin Sipprell, MD, Emergency Physicians & Consultants, PA., for saving her life.

“That day, I was having an episode with heart palpitations and extremely high blood pressure, reading around 235/110,” Julie said. “I had been having these episodes consistently over the previous year and randomly over the 20 years prior, always progressively getting worse.”

“After years of seeing numerous doctors and having countless tests, I was feeling helpless. No one could figure out what was wrong,” she said. “Thankfully, I ended up in Dr. Sipprell’s care. He took the time to really listen to my story and think outside the box.”

After further tests and consulting his colleagues, Dr. Sipprell diagnosed Julie with a pheochromocytoma—a very rare tumor of the adrenal glands. Julie’s condition was life- threatening and required surgery—which was planned to happen at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

But first, Julie decided to delay her surgery just by a short time so she could attend her daughter Leah’s wedding. “It was an extraordinary day that I’ll never forget,” Julie said.

A few days after her daughter was married, Julie had surgery at Mayo. Immediately following the procedure, her blood pressure returned to normal and—just more than a year later—she has fully regained her health.

“I am forever grateful for Dr. Sipprell’s care—he saved my life.”