Sharon Regional Health System

Samantha Rauber

I wouldn't even bring my dying goldfish here

Jennifer Bracken

I really wish I could give zero stars, specifically for Helen Thornburg’s dismissal of my genuine concerns when I was in the ER. Backstory: three weeks ago, I was having horrible symptoms with nausea, vomiting, heart palpitations increasing to panic attacks, shaking, being cold and clammy. I went to a hospital near my apartment (I’m usually at college) and they basically told me I probably have a virus and gave me reglan. Next day, I was back at the same time because nothing was helping. They did an ultrasound to make sure it wasn’t my gallbladder. It was fine. They give me zofran this time so I don’t have bad reactions to it. I head home (the Hermitage are) until I’m better, but my symptoms are still there. First visit to Sharon’s ER: I’m still shaking and having a horrible time (probably withdrawals from the amount of zofran the first hospital gave me). Dr. Helen Thornburg was the one working that night, and she basically just dismissed me and said “go home and take your medicine.” Second visit: I feel like garbage. I haven’t slept in roughly 72 hours. Something is WRONG. This time, I get an IV and knocked out with Benadryl. I’m half-coherent and slow to respond when Thornburg comes in and starts asking all of these condescending questions, playing my symptoms off as anxiety and telling me I “can’t just come into the ER for insomnia etc etc” and would barely let me try to explain myself. By the end of that visit, my urine test came back that I had a UTI. If I hadn’t gone back and INSISTED that something was wrong, I would’ve never found out. My discharge papers included one that said “Anxiety (child).” I am 22. I am in college. And this lady thought I was a child? Definitely explains the way she spoke down to me. One week of antibiotics later, things seem fine. Another week passes. Symptoms come back. I go to a MedExpress where they confirm there’s still signs of white blood cells, but my culture came back as normal. So something else could be causing the symptoms and it’s worth getting other tests done to check out. They give me another week of antibiotics. I was going to wait until the end of that week to see if I felt any better. It’s been several days, and I’m still having strange cramps if I wait to long to go to the bathroom, constant cramps/pressure in my lower abdomen, and heart palpitations. At this point, it’s almost been three and a half weeks. I am tired. I am exhausted. I need some other test done to make sure this isn’t something serious. Tonight, I went into the hospital around 8pm. I sat for two hours before anyone came to pick up another urine sample, which is whatever since I’m low priority. That’s fine. They seemed to be waiting on those test results before they did anything else. The nurse even told me he’d put down notes about blood work and a scan. And then I saw her. Helen Thornburg. I knew nothing was going to get done and that she would just dismiss my concerns and send me home. And I was right! She literally told me “no, these are just uti symptoms :) you need to go home and take your medicine sweetie :) just rest up :)” COMPLETELY ignoring any legitimate concern for my health that I had because it didn’t align with her diagnosis. She sent me home the first time, and I came back because I knew something was wrong and I was correct. To be dismissed again by the same woman? My patience can only tolerate so much. I waited another hour for discharge papers and left. In that time, my mother (who has worked at a hospital for 30+ years) calls to chew them out and say “if we have someone come through our emergency room with abdominal pain, they get a scan. It’s non-negotiable.” She wanted to make sure I got one to make sure it’s not my appendix or a cyst. She was ignored. I was ignored. Helen Thornburg dismissed my legitimate concerns once again, and if something actually wrong with me, it’s on HER for not doing tests that would’ve found it. Even if nothing is wrong, it doesn’t hurt to test and make sure. Please, for the love of god, listen to your patients.