My wife Jane began shaking uncontrollably. We were about to leave for the annual down rigging activities. She opened the bathroom door and said “I can’t walk.” We managed to get her to a nearby chair while I wondered at her sudden change; perhaps it was a stroke. She has the chronic condition, Ataxia but I had never observed this behavior in the 21 years since she experienced a subarachnoid aneurysm. I checked her blood pressure and went hunting for a thermometer. No need for that now, she was chilled. I wrapped her in a blanket and ran to our next door neighbor. I didn’t know her well but seemed to recall that she was a retired nurse who had worked at the Chestertown hospital. We puzzled about Jane’s condition and quickly decided to call 911.
The hospital emergency room was an answered prayer. The staff started testing and poking and finally the doctor noticed a small red spot on Jane’s lower leg. “This may be it” he said. It soon got bigger and a nurse drew an outline around it with a felt tip pen. Over time the enflamed area grew knee high. In the meantime a battery of tests showed the problem to be the bacterial infection, cellulites and she was moved to a room on the second floor where she was started on an antibiotic drip. She remained in hospital for a week while a cat scan and cultures showed that although the infection was in her bloodstream her condition was not related to her peritoneal shunt a frequent source of infection.
Identifying the source of the infection was not easy but a possible answer came the week Jane was discharged from the hospital when a routine visit to the dentist found a broken tooth inside her gum. Jane has a collection of toothbrushes which she now keeps in antiseptic mouthwash and also uses the mouthwash as an after brushing rinse until the tooth fragment is removed.
Jane is at home now taking medicine orally and her condition is improving steadily. We are grateful that Chestertown has the resources to move quickly on a problem that might otherwise have become a disaster. I know how true this is because I experienced it myself. Several years ago I had a walk-in bladder operation with general anesthesia in a local clinic. It was a mistake for which I almost died when my kidneys failed probably on the ambulance trip to Easton.
However desirable, the business model doesn’t fit the medical emergency and public interest mission any more than any other public service organization. Modifying hospital operations and reducing services may seem financially sound but at the cost of well being and lives of community members it cannot be permitted.
Respectfully,
Gordon Chapman is President of the Kent County Chapter of AARP
James Urda says
Gordon, thank you for reporting on your real life experience and relating it to the potential
disaster to the health needs of our community if UMMC Shore Medical System withdraws inpatient
services from Chestertown Hospital. I join you and the many community leaders who have initiated
a strong objection to UMMC’s dream of centralized inpatient service in the Easton area. I can’t imagine
anyone in our community supporting such a plan …and further I can’t imagine responsible Maryland State
officials accepting such an ill advised move. I would optimistically hope that UMMC would help our
Kent County-Queen Annes Community answer its legitimate needs and not disregard us for the sake of its own adventure……/jsu
MARY WOOD says
Gordon and Jane – Let us hope those in authority at UMMC read the Spy. Those in the community need the help of the hospital they built and have supported through the years. Good wishes for Jane’s recovery.
Ann Murray says
This week, a Yahoo link took me to a list of the 10 best places to retire in Maryland. Chestertown was listed as number 2 in the state, which did not surprise me. My husband, John, and I retired here from Kansas in 2008. We chose Chestertown because we were looking for a small college town on or near the Chesapeake Bay with a hospital. If Chestertown had not had a hospital, we probably would have found another place to retire. Currently, according to the Yahoo article, 27% of the population in Chestertown is 65 or older. How many people will chose Chestertown as a place to retire if there is no hospital? The economic consequences to the community could be staggering.
David Knudsen says
I am in a wheelchair when I go out and I hav Yorki/pooHe us not Not a dog but he is with or nearl me about
23 hours a day. If anyone should approach me quickly or in an aggesive manner, he Will
Growl and bite if necessary. Not a service dog although my doctor said I qualify,