Timely local care saved Elmer’s life
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Patricia Elmer, RDH
When Patricia Elmer had surgery at University of Iowa Hospital in September, she had no idea she would become so acquainted with the care team at Ringgold County Hospital (RCH) and Mount Ayr Medical Clinic. After having surgery in Iowa City on September 18, she was in and out of University of Iowa Health Care (UIHC) until September 28.
She then returned home to Sun Valley Lake in Ellston, and followed up with Erin Leonard, ARNP at the Mount Ayr Medical Clinic. But on October 4, Elmer went to the RCH emergency room in extreme pain.
“I ended up going to the emergency room in extreme pain in my legs, which is where my surgery was. I was out of my head,” shared Elmer. “I had actually seen Erin Leonard the day before, and all my tests were perfect, but I went into septic shock.”
RCH emergency providers Ron Schafer, PA-C and Denise Coleman, ARNP arranged for an immediate transfer back to UIHC.
“Ron Schafer, and Denise, they took care of me and identified the problem immediately, right away, and arranged for me to be airlifted to Iowa City,” said Elmer. “They didn’t think I would make Iowa City.”
Elmer spent nearly a month in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Iowa City before returning home again at the end of October.
Elmer continued to visit Ringgold County Hospital for ongoing therapy to help her recover.
Around the middle of November, Elmer began to react to one of the antibiotics she was given to help fight off infection.
“Because I was on such high doses of many medications, steroids and antibiotics, I started to react to one of the antibiotics,” said Elmer.
Once again, she made a trip to the RCH emergency room and encountered a caring provider who stayed up all night with her on November 18, closely monitoring her condition. “He stayed up with me all night,” explained Elmer, “and finally, at three in the morning, woke me up and said, we need to move you.”
Although they needed to transfer her so she could receive a higher level of care, foggy conditions prevented air transfer.
“If he’d have waited two more hours, I would have been on a ventilator,” Elmer stated. “So, timely knowing that this is what needed to happen, I really feel like they identified the problem so fast to get me care, that it saved my life,” Elmer said. “And people in Iowa City said they did.”
One of Elmer’s greatest fears was ending up using a ventilator to breathe. Afraid of dying, she set a goal for herself to breathe with the rhythm of the medical equipment making noise in the hospital room.
“When they told me a ventilator, because they still wanted to use it, I said, ‘can I try just a little more?’ I didn’t want to be on a ventilator, or in a coma, medically induced coma,” Elmer shared.
In all, she spent two months in and out of hospitals.
Elmer raved about the care she received at RCH, the wound clinic, and the cleanliness of the hospital. She experienced a response in two or three minutes during her emergency stays in Ringgold County.
“Besides the quick thinking of top providers, the nursing care was outstanding,” said Elmer. “Sometimes in Iowa City, even though I was in intensive care, it could be an hour or not at all,” said Elmer. “My husband went to go get blankets and pillows and stuff.”
“It’s just so refreshing,” said Elmer, “To have such caring people [care] for you,” Elmer stated. “It’s just such a blessing to have as much staff as they have, and the care that we get locally.”
While Elmer was already familiar with the health care system, having served as a Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) for many years, she has a whole new perspective on everything.
“I just thought people should hear about our hospital here and how much they can help you,” said Elmer, speaking of Ringgold County Hospital.
Elmer hopes to be off of oxygen by Christmas, and is very thankful for the good local care she has received. She is looking forward to spending the holidays with her husband, at their cabin at the lake in Ellston.
