Finding Answers During a Medical Emergency [Harlan + Mary Christianson]

Harlan: My name is Harlan Christianson.

Mary: And I'm his wife, Mary. Between us we have 5 kids, 14 grandchildren, and 6 great-grandchildren. They're spread out from England to Omaha, and one in Sioux Falls, and then one here.

What brought you to the emergency room?

Harlan: It started out with the itchy palms, just terrible itch. And you feel like cutting your hands off. And all I remember is seeing a very bright light. And she was standing right beside me. I couldn't see her. And I don't remember anything after that.

Mary: And so I took his blood pressure, and I said, "I hate it when these machines don't work right." So I retook it, and it was the same. It was 48 over 34. And I said, "You're going to the hospital." He didn't argue, so I knew he was sick. 

What happened whe you arrived at the hospital?

Mary: The waiting room was full, and that didn't matter. They went right in with him. I mean, they took him back. You were cold. Do you remember being cold?

Harlan: Vaguely.

Mary: His admitting temperature was 94.5. And they were good. They gave him warm blankets. They put a machine under with hot air. His lips were blue, his hands were purple, and his body was bright red. So they knew he was having some sort of an allergic reaction, but to what? The only thing we could come up with is he had started Jardiance two weeks before. 

What did your CT scan reveal?

Mary: He had mentioned he had been passing some blood. So they were looking for something in the abdomen. They found colitis, which he's never had before. Finding out later that was from the Jardiance. He had a very unusual, severe reaction to Jardiance.

Why were you admitted to Brookings Hospital's ICU?

Mary: We came to the Brookings Hospital because he was really, really sick. We knew he wouldn't make it to Sioux Falls. So we chose the hospital. It was the closest. And he was actually too sick to transfer. So they said, "He has to go to ICU."

What was your treatment?

Mary: Never to take it again. I mean, literally, you're never going to take that again. But to go back on his old medication that he was on because he did fine on that. They also said he was septic because of the colitis. So they were hanging bags of antibiotics. The IVs that they were giving him, they had warmed up, trying to warm him up at the same time. They were using a broad spectrum, and they wanted to kill whatever was starting this.

How did the ER & ICU staff keep you informed?

Mary: They sat down with me, and they said, "You know, we're going to do this and this. You know, he's going to continue getting the broad spectrum." And they said, "Hey, you should go home and rest." He needed to rest, and I needed to also. And I felt comfortable leaving. Had I felt he wasn't, I would have been in that room 24/7. But I felt comfortable leaving him here. I felt that he was going to be well taken care of.

What was your impression of Dr. Leadabrand?

Mary: I don't have enough nice things to say. I mean, she persevered. She dug into it on her own time, we were told, and wrote a three-page addendum to his chart. She went looking for all the side effects to Jardiance, everything that's been reported, not from the drug company, but from other health systems and other patients. She just stuck to it. The hospital's lucky to have her. She was in constantly. I mean, she was always popping in, checking on how he was doing. And if it wasn't for Dr. Leadabrand, she's the one that figured it out.

How was your recovery in the ICU?

Mary: Once they got on track of what was wrong, they were able to reverse everything.

Harlan: I didn't know I was missing them for a few days.

Mary: He couldn't walk, and so PT worked with him. And if he had to use the restroom or anything, I mean, the nurses were right there. And they explained, "You know, you're weak. It's going to take time."

How would your life be different without Brookings Health System?

Mary: He wouldn't have made it. I really do not believe he would have made it. I think he would have died. He wouldn't have made it to Sioux Falls. I really believe he would not have made it.

What did you appreciate most?

Mary: I feel the determination to find out what was wrong and take care of it. They didn't just, "Well, it could be, or that." No, they persevered, I mean, especially Dr. Leadabrand. She worked hard. She wanted to find out what it was and to get it taken care of. The caring concern that they had for him, and for me, I mean, was I being taken care of too. And what equipment we had at home. Did we need this? Did we need that? But they made sure every piece was covered.

How has this experience changed your life?

Harlan: Now, we're starting to think that we shouldn't be living that far away from medical care.

Mary: That, yeah, that is something that we've been doing the talking about. You know, we're roughly 20 miles away.

Harlan: I'm not looking forward to moving into town. I like it out there.

Mary: Yeah. I do enjoy it, but it makes you appreciate life just a little bit more. And I think church is a little bit more important.

Would you recommend Brookings Hospital?

Mary: Oh, absolutely. They save lives. Kathy came in, my daughter, very pregnant, and bypassed emergency, went right up to OB because her blood pressure was very low and the baby's heart rate was 35. And the surgeon was there, and they did an emergency c-section and saved a life. So, yeah, they've saved two lives. They saved my daughter and my grandson and then yours. And so yeah.

Are you one of Brookings Health System's grateful patients who would like to give back to us? Learn more about how you can give back at brookingshealth.org/MyThanks.