Robert Morrison

Robert was having heavy chest pains – plus pain in his groin.

“Heart attacks run in my family,” Robert says. “So does prostate cancer. So I was doubly concerned.”

He sent a message to his primary care doctor through the MyHealth Info portal. A nurse quickly responded to his symptoms. “She said, ‘You need to check yourself into the Emergency Department,’” Robert recalls.

The ED team took his symptoms seriously. They ran several tests to rule out heart attack and to diagnose Robert’s condition: X-rays, CT scan, blood tests. “They did everything but an MRI because my symptoms were all over the place, and they had to narrow it down – which I’m glad they did,” Robert says.

ED physician Alice Suchomel-Olson, MD asked about Robert’s chest pains: When did he feel them? Was he standing, sitting, lying down? (Answer: lying down.) What did the pain feel like? How long did it last?

Robert’s answers – and his test results – pointed to severe acid reflux. Dr. Suchomel-Olson gave Robert a 10-day course of acid reflux medication and encouraged Robert to follow up with his primary care provider, Dr. Adam Ailabouni.

“Before I left, she asked, ‘Did we answer everything? Are there any other concerns you have?’” Robert says. “I really appreciated that.”

He asked again about the groin pain. Turns out that acid reflux can cause pain in that area. And Robert’s many tests didn’t detect prostate problems – but if the pain persisted over the next week or two, Dr. Suchomel-Olson recommended asking Dr. Ailabouni about getting an MRI.

Robert didn’t need it, thanks to the reflux medication: “When the pain started receding in my chest, it receded in the groin too,” he says.

“I really appreciated the way Dr. Suchomel-Olson made a connection about the way these two symptoms could be related, and gave me a plan and a timeline,” Robert says.

“I like how it was all connected: I reached out to my doctor on the portal, and the portal reached out to the nurse, who reached out to me, who sent me to the ED,” he adds. “I like how the departments work together to make sure the patient is safe.”

Emergency Department care is about quick diagnosis: Gathering a lot of information as quickly as possible – including what the patient has to say.

“The one thing that really impressed me was how well they listen,” Robert says. “Most doctors I’ve been to dismiss you or try to rush through and tell you what’s wrong with you. This doctor asked me what I thought it was. It made me feel like I knew my body better than some stranger would.”

A few years ago at another health system, Robert’s doctor dismissed his chest and lower abdominal pain: “He told me it was my aging body having a bad bowel movement. He blew it off.”

That pain increased for a year. By the time it drove Robert to the Emergency Department in his town, two large gallstones had blocked his intestines and become septic. Robert needed emergency surgery to remove his gallbladder. “My liver was damaged too, but they were able to save it,” he says.

It was time to change doctors.

Robert had recently moved to Northfield. He was impressed by NH+C, and reached out to Dr. Ailabouni. It’s been a huge improvement: Dr. Ailabouni has helped Robert get his blood pressure and stress levels under control. Robert quit his high-stress job and went back to independent consulting, working from home, setting his own hours, and managing his workload for better health.

“I was with the same doctor and hospital system for so long and was resistant to change,” Robert realizes. “But I’m so glad I made the change. In other hospitals, it feels like an assembly line. Here, it feels like they truly care.”

Robert’s advice: “Listen to your body. If you feel there’s something wrong and you’re not getting what you need, don’t be afraid to change.”

Robert calls Northfield Hospital “a jewel in our backyard. It has a culture of listening, and partnering with patients in their own care.”

That change? It might be permanent: “This is going to be my hospital forever.”