John Jerstad, M.D.

I went to the ER because I thought that I had something in my eye. The Dr. stated that I had a significant cut on my eye, numbed it and sent me home. a few hours later I couldn't stand it any longer so i went back. He stated that he miss-read the situation and prescribed a strong pain reliever and an antibiotic eye drop. I took the pain relievers all weekend and finally got into my eye dr. on Monday. She looked at my and immediately stated that I had a piece of steel in my eye. She took it out and then had to use a roto tool to remove the rust that had developed because the piece of steel had been in my eye for 2 1/2 days. I then had to have a contact over my eye for 3 more days to protect the injured portion of my eye. Mistakes are made but unfortunately this was a very brutal time for me as the pain was constant and miserable.

I feel like the doctor did a well job listening to me at first, but after going through the test and previously having test that led to somethings, I feel like I got told that I ... it wasn't what I thought it was even though now later ... weeks later I found out it is. And then kind of got dismissed about what I was actually feeling because they thought it was something smaller than it was. So, I felt like I got shoved back out afterwards and then was in pain for more weeks ... another week for finding out it was what I thought it was, which was more serious and now I have surgery. So, it was frustrating because I had to endure a lot more pain because I was told that it wasn't that when it was.

When I first got there, there was nobody around, I had to press the bell several times to get admitted, and then they didn't ask me about anything, they just had the receptionist come out, and then the doctor misdiagnosed me with food poisoning when it was actually kidney stones.

Try not to send people home that need to consult a surgeon like the doctor did with my daughter. He sent my daughter home with her gall bladder full of gall stones. So I took her to Sanford emergency department and they immediately admitted her and consulted the surgeon team and that is what the doctor in Brookings Health system and the emergency department failed to do. He could have potentially killed my daughter.