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Rebecca Silvestros ’ s Patient Story
Written by Emily King
W
When you have an experience that goes above and beyond your expectations , you want to tell others about it . When Rebecca Silvestros came to us and said she wanted to tell her story about her first time at The Washington Hospital , we were thrilled to hear such a wonderful first-hand patient account .
On the Friday before Memorial Day , Rebecca Silvestros was excited to be attending a family wedding that weekend . She went to bed as normal but woke up around 10:30 pm in tremendous pain , vomiting and shivering .
Rebecca ’ s husband rushed her to the hospital , and because of COVID protocol , had to drop her off . The staff at Washington Hospital took over right away , getting her into triage and assessing her symptoms . Despite the pain and distress from her medical emergency , Rebecca said that she felt safe in the hands of the medical staff , as they got her through triage and up to a room .
“ I went up to the fourth floor and everyone was crowding around me like I was some really important person ,” said Rebecca .
Dr . Julie Ann Corcoran determined that Rebecca likely had some type of bowel obstruction . After some testing and imaging , it became apparent that it was likely scar tissue from a previous surgery that was causing Rebecca ’ s bowel obstruction and subsequent pain .
“ When I first met [ Rebecca ], she didn ’ t have much experience with WHS . Additionally , she didn ’ t know much about me , since I had only worked at WHS less than a year ,” said Dr . Corcoran .
Rebecca was understandably nervous . Dr . Corcoran and her nurse practitioner , Charlotte , spent time with her , discussing her case , explaining the testing they would be doing , and answering any questions she had . Rebecca was surprised at how different her experience at Washington Hospital was compared to a larger hospital in the city . She said she was blown away by the level of personal care and attention that she was given .
“ Dr . Corcoran and her nurse practitioner Charlotte , they were so kind , and I felt like they cared so much . It was amazing , I felt like I wasn ’ t just another number ,” said Rebecca .
The next morning , Rebecca ’ s son came to see her . He worried that a bigger hospital in Pittsburgh may be able to provide better care for his mother than a smaller local hospital . But Rebecca was more confident in her doctor and care team at WHS than she had been previously at larger hospitals .
After looking at test results and trying less invasive treatments , Dr . Corcoran determined that surgery would be necessary .
After a successful surgery , Rebecca woke up to find that some of her nurses had stayed after their shift had ended just to see how she was doing . She was so touched by this gesture . She raved that everyone from the person who escorted her to the elevator in a wheelchair , to the nursing staff and her surgeon treated her so kindly .
Rebecca ended up staying in the hospital for thirteen days . She said that her recovery in the days following surgery were difficult because she was discouraged and just wanted to go home . She remembers one particular day post-surgery , where she felt incredibly depressed .
“ I started crying one day and the nurse manager Kim Kramer came in and she was a godsend ,” said Rebecca .
Kramer snapped into action and recruited one of the nursing students to take Rebecca out to get some fresh air . The nursing student took her outside for the mental break that she needed . She even walked her around the gift shop , just for a change of scenery and a distraction . They treated her mental health just as seriously as her physical health .
“ When people ask me if I liked Washington Hospital , I tell them I could not say enough good things about that place ,” said Rebecca . “ As bad as it was , I am so thankful I was there . I cannot imagine having a better experience with another hospital .”
WHS General Surgery 95 Leonard Avenue , Building 1 , Suite 300 , Washington , PA 15301 ( 724 ) 229-2222 whs . org
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