Here & There Column 10-23-10

Medical Help When You Need It

If you need help in a medical emergency it's good to know that one does not have to reach out too far to get it.
Such was the case in our household in the early evening hours of November 16 when my wife became ill while in the process of getting supper ready.
Shirley called for my help while I was working on the computer in the back room of our home and I was able to catch her before she fell to the floor.
Having never experienced something like this I quickly realized that although she had experienced being very dizzy and the room spinning around her she had not lost consciousness and could talk with me as I immediately got instructions from her to turn everything off on the stove.
It became became very apparent that I would not be able to get her up and into a chair and knowing she needed medical attention I had my first experience calling 911.
The dispatcher there was meticulous and asked all the right questions and it wasn't even 10 minutes and the Livingston Manor Volunteer Ambulance Corps members were at my door.
EMT Ralph Bressler performed the initial examination with outstanding professionalism and was assisted by Corps driver Rich Vesseo who assisted getting Shirley up off the floor and into a gurney chair which helped them wheel her out and into the ambulance. A great job done by these men and this small but dedicated Ambulance Corps......true volunteers with a mission to help when needed.
Wow......what a busy place the Catskill Regional Medical Center Emergency Department at Harris is but once again it didn't take very long before Shirley was being looked at and as the hours went by many different tests were administered by competent knowledgeable hospital staff. I can't praise this staff enough....they were just great.
As tests were completed Dr. Don Frankel gave us assurance that it did not appear to be a stroke or heart attack and I now sit in wonderment how Dr. Frankel went from one patient to another doing what he does best for hours on end.
Catskill Regional should also should be very proud of staff Hospitalist physicians Dr. Muhammad Dar and Dr. Krassimir Mirtchev who gave us clear understandable answers to our questions and concerns and asked that Shirley remain in the hospital overnight for additional tests.
Additional tests were suggested by Dr. Mirtchev who directed us to Dr. Maria Kristin P. Mercado (Noninvasive & Interventional Cardiology) at Crystal Run Healthcare where we are presently having additional testing performed and also have high praise for Dr. Mercado and the staff at Crystal Run in Rock Hill.
We are greatly relieved to find answers and solutions for Shirley's sudden illness and as always it's important to follow your doctors recommendations.
Dedicated professional medical help and those volunteer Ambulance Corps personnel are all right here on our door step and we thank God for all of them.