Family Medicine Clinic, PC

02/13/2026

If you are planning to attend the Wear Red Event, be sure to stop and visit with these wonderful ladies. You can also enter to win a Kate Spade purse… that would make any lady’s ♥️happy.

02/09/2026

❤️𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡: 𝐀 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧❤️

February isn't just about Valentine’s Day chocolates; it’s 𝐀𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡. As healthcare providers, we spend our days looking at charts, EKGs, and blood pressure readings. But this, for me, the mission is deeply personal.

Last year, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 "𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑣𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑟" 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑎 𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘𝑠𝑒𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 "𝑑𝑎𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡𝑒𝑟" 𝑟𝑜𝑙𝑒. My own father underwent open-heart surgery after we discovered his heart was struggling more than he let on. It all started with something that sounds relatively common: 𝐚 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐫.

*𝐖𝐡𝐲 𝐚 "𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞" 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐫 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬*
A heart murmur is often just a sound—a swishing or whooshing made by irregular blood flow in or near the heart. While many murmurs are "𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡," others are the first warning sign of valve disease or structural issues.

In my dad’s case, that murmur was the breadcrumb trail leading us to a diagnosis that ultimately required surgical intervention. It was a stark reminder that even those of us in the medical field can be humbled by how quietly and how quickly heart disease can progress.

*𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰*
From a clinical standpoint, early detection is everything. We don't want to see you for the first time when you're in crisis. We want to see you now.

▪️🩺𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐚 𝐑𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭: Many heart issues, including the murmur my father had, don’t come with a “warning siren”. They are often discovered during a routine physical. Scheduling a regular checkup allows us to catch any subtle symptoms or abnormalities before they become major complications.
▪️👂𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 "𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭" 𝐒𝐲𝐦𝐩𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐬: It’s not always a crushing chest pain. Sometimes it’s just being more tired than usual, slight shortness of breath when walking the dog, or feeling a "flutter."
▪️🔤 𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬: Blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar are the "Big Three." If you haven't had these checked in the last year, let’s get it on the calendar.
▪️🗣️𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐈𝐠𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐮𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐫: If a doctor has ever told you that you have a murmur, ensure it’s being monitored regularly with an echocardiogram if recommended.

*❤️‍🩹𝐀 𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐌𝐲 𝐃𝐚𝐝*
Watching my father recover was a masterclass in resilience; he is back to riding motorcycles and flying his Ultralight Airplane. It ALSO reinforced that 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐠𝐢𝐟𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲. Because he addressed his heart health, he’s here today to enjoy another February with us.

*𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑡 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑡𝑒𝑛 𝑦𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑠 𝑎𝑔𝑜. 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦.*

At Family Medicine Clinic, we are here to help you navigate your heart health journey, whether it’s a routine check-up or investigating a new symptom. Let’s keep your heart beating strong for all the Februarys to come.

*𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐲!*
🖤 Lisa Pape, DNP

02/02/2026

Perimenopause and Menopause

As women go through menopause transition, they often experience signs and symptoms related to menopause:

• Changes in menstrual cycles
• Abnormal uterine bleeding
• Hot flashes and night sweats
• Decline in fertility
• Vaginal dryness and irritation
• Increased urinary tract infection
• Sexual symptoms
• Joint pain
• Change in cognition
• Decreased energy
• Insomnia
Menopause looks differently for every woman and symptoms can start younger than what we sometimes expect. Thankfully a lot of these symptoms don’t last forever, but there are treatments to help improve many of these symptoms.
There are also some long-term health changes which as women we should start thinking about which include
• Obesity/weight gain
• Heart disease
• Osteoporosis
There are a lot of options for treatment but also a lot of misinformation and areas which need to be studied. I have recently been able to do a course with the Menopause Society to better be able to help patients that are going through some of these symptoms. We don’t have all the answers, but I do feel that our understanding of menopause transition is improving. If you have any concerns or maybe have some of these symptoms its never too early to talk about them.

01/20/2026

Shannon Kennedy, MD, Achieves Menopause Society Certified Practitioner Credential

Shannon Kennedy, MD, of Family Medicine Clinic, P.C., has successfully met all requirements to become a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner (MSCP), a distinguished credential awarded by The Menopause Society to clinicians who demonstrate advanced expertise in menopausal and midlife women’s health.

This certification recognizes Dr. Kennedy’s comprehensive training and proven competency in the evaluation and management of perimenopause, menopause, hormone therapy, and related health concerns. The MSCP designation is widely regarded as a leading standard of excellence in menopause care.

“My goal is to ensure that every woman navigating the menopausal transition receives informed, compassionate, evidence based care,” said Dr. Kennedy. “This certification reflects my commitment to supporting patients through every stage of midlife health.”

Dr. Kennedy is now accepting patients seeking guidance on menopause management, hormone therapy options, bone and cardiovascular health, and overall midlife wellness.

For additional information or to schedule an appointment, contact Family Medicine Clinic, P.C. at 712-423-1525.

12/23/2025

12/18/2025

Help us with our Christmas Tree Contest!! Vote for your favorite tree!!

11/24/2025

Family Medicine Clinic is experiencing phone issues this morning. We are receiving calls but uncertain that they are all ringing through. Please try again if your call does not go through. I case of emergency please call 911. We will post updates hopefully soon.
Sorry for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.

10/31/2025

They’re ready to rock!!!

10/31/2025

Happy Halloween🎃 Be sure to join these Trolls up town for a dance party!!!

10/20/2025

The Hidden Link Between Depression and Sleep Apnea
By: Jennifer Stodden PA-C
Most people do not realize that depression and sleep apnea often go hand in hand. Many people in our community struggle with fatigue, low mood, and poor sleep-often blaming it on stress or aging. But in some cases, the cause may be sleep apnea. This is a condition where breathing repeatedly stops during sleep. It has been estimated that 22% of men and 17% of women suffer from sleep apnea. Not only does this condition increase the risk of having high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and diabetes, it can also affect mental health.
When sleep is constantly interrupted, the body never fully recharges. Over time, this can contribute to many physical problems, but also cause sadness, irritability, and lack of motivation-symptoms that look a lot like depression. Likewise, people being treated for depression sometimes find that their mood doesn’t fully improve until their sleep problems are addressed.
The encouraging news is that both depression and sleep apnea are treatable. Simple testing, like in home sleep studies, can diagnose sleep apnea. CPAP, Continuous Positive Air Pressure, is one way of treating sleep apnea. CPAP provides continuous air pressure that keeps the airway open when you sleep, preventing breathing interruptions and allowing your brain to rest. Newer CPAP machines are quiet and there are many different masks to fit each individual patient. Other treatments such as nasal dilators, mouth guards, and palate expanders have been shown to be effective as well.
If you or someone you love struggles with low mood, lack of motivation, daytime sleepiness, or restless nights, talk with your health care provider. A simple sleep study could be the first step toward better mental and physical health.