Kara Assid

Review of Pagosa Springs Medical Center

Arrived after having a severe allergic reaction fo...

Arrived after having a severe allergic reaction followed by shock. The team did not listen, did not treat, and had poor bedside manner.

I was visiting from out of state and had an allergic reaction. My airways were severely restricted, my chest, neck, face and arms got hot and red and I thought I would pass out. I immediately took two Benadryl right away and drank 100 oz water, and used my rescue inhaler. I sat in bed (sat up because I could not breathe laying down) waited thirty min and did not feel better. Could not breathe, hurt to take a breath, was disoriented and could not speak in complete, coherent sentences. I then went into shock where I was freezing and my teeth were chattering. I could not pick my feet up to walk very well. My husband took me to the closest ER.

Upon my arrival to the Pagosa Springs ER, my pulse was high (101 resting), blood pressure was high, my blood oxygen level remained low, in the seventies the entire time I was there (1.5 hours). Explained that I have severe allergies and did not have my Epipen. I was asked what I thought was going on and I said possibly anaphylactic shock. I asked for epinephrine or something to help me breathe. The nurse said I was not having anaphylactic shock (although I had ALL symptoms). Didn t know nurses could diagnose within 10 seconds of meeting the patient. Doctor took over 30 minutes to come see me, received no treatment, terrible bedside manner from both nurse and doctor. NO treatment. No oxygen, no epipen even! No Allergy med. NOTHING to help me except a 15 minute explanation on how elevation affects people. I told them I had this exact same reaction before in Iowa and this is not caused by elevation. The doctor said he would not prescribe an Epipen, and wanted to take blood and MRI s and X-rays (to jack up the bill), but I refused explaining I had all of that a few months ago and it is fine. If they don t LISTEN to facts or TREAT the emergent issue, why should they need more expensive facts?

After waiting another 30 minutes for my discharge, the icing on the cake was the paperwork I took home that said I was diagnosed with minor allergic reaction with face tingling . . ?!?! Not sure who said my face was tingly, but it wasn t me! Weird. They also gave me information on anaphylactic shock (telling me again that I did not have it)... and every one of my symptoms was listed in it s description.

Maybe it was just a terrible night for them, yet
I will hopefully never go to this ER again.