It’s Tough to Come by Compassion Like I’ve Received Here [Kourtney Born]

This video highlights a patient’s experience receiving compassionate care for severe pain and a new diagnosis. It emphasizes how attentive staff, clear communication, and timely treatment can improve outcomes and make patients feel supported.

  • Compassionate care matters: Staff provided emotional support and treated the patient like family, easing anxiety.
  • Timely interventions make a difference: Rapid access to surgery improved recovery and reduced pain.
  • Clear communication improves understanding: Medical staff explained diagnoses and procedures in ways patients could easily understand.
  • Support throughout the process: Nurses and surgical teams stayed attentive before, during, and after treatment.
  • Empowering patient advocacy: Speaking up about symptoms and seeking timely care leads to better outcomes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Compassionate care is medical care provided with empathy, understanding, and active support, ensuring patients feel heard, respected, and supported during diagnosis and treatment.

Patients can work with their primary doctor to manage pain through medications and follow-up appointments. If symptoms persist or worsen, seeking urgent care or a specialist consultation is recommended.

Clear communication helps patients understand diagnoses, treatment options, and recovery steps. This includes explaining medical terms in plain language and answering patient questions thoroughly.

Delaying surgery can prolong pain and impact quality of life. Timely intervention, based on medical guidance and symptom severity, often results in faster recovery and improved outcomes.

Local hospitals with compassionate and well-trained staff provide quick access to procedures, emotional support, and follow-up care, creating a safer and more positive patient experience.

Video Transcript

My name is Kourtney. I live in Elkton and I dispatch truck drivers.

How long were you living with pain?

Months, honestly. I had initially gone to my regular doctor about it and they sent me in for an ultrasound, which I experienced here, and then it was the very next day that I was in the hospital.

What brought you to the emergency room?

I was having some pain and unexplained bleeding.

How was your ER experience?

It was great. Everybody was very caring. There was no wait when I initially got there. There wasn't even anybody in the waiting room. So they were very compassionate, very caring. So it was super convenient that we had the ultrasound here and they had everything they needed when I came to the ER. So that visit was very quick because I didn't need any imaging or anything.

What treatments did you try before choosing surgery?

I worked with my primary doctor and had multiple appointments with Dr. Haarsma, and had been managing the pain with pain medication. I had a scheduled surgery for the end of October, but at the end of September I had run out of pain medication. So I came to the hospital, or the emergency room, for pain medication. The doctor that day was super cool about things, didn't make me feel bad for seeking that out, and explained that maybe we should be doing the surgery sooner. So he sent me that same morning to Dr. Haarsma, and she ended up getting me into surgery that afternoon, so, over her lunch.

How did the emergency staff support you?

First off, I was all by myself when I came in, and I never once felt like I was by myself. One of the big things that kind of shocked me with the emergency room, there was an hour between when I was discharged from the emergency room and when my appointment was with Dr. Haarsma. So instead of making me go sit out in my car or to Dr. Haarsma's office and just sit in the waiting room in a ton of pain, the emergency room nurse just said, you can just stay here. They didn't need the room at that time, they just let me just stay there and take a little nap. I hadn't slept all night, you know, I was miserable. So that, to me, just meant a ton to not have to just kick me out and say good luck.

How did the surgery staff support you?

The women that were in there just were very caring. Nothing felt rushed, even though things were, this was kind of last minute, you know, and they just took care of me. And they were joking around with me. I like to joke, it keeps my anxiety down. And they just made me feel good. My mom was over in Rapid City. I had just got off the phone with her and said, come on out. So she was on her way and they were able to time everything, basically. I don't know if that just happened, but time everything that when it was time for me to go home, here comes my mom and we headed out. So it was a very good experience. It was a whirlwind. It's the only way I can explain it from start to finish. But I can't say enough how amazing all of the staff were.

How was the staff's communication?

I had been through this surgery before, years, probably 15, 20 years ago. So I kind of knew what to expect anyway. But yeah, everything was explained quite well.

How was your recovery?

Good. No pain. So that was good. I really liked that they call the day after surgery. I assume it was a nurse or something that called.

What was your diagnosis?

One of the things that I was diagnosed with is endometriosis. It's a very scary diagnosis. Dr. Haarsma immediately put my fears of not being able to have children at ease. This is something that does not mean you can't. In the past, in fact, when I was 15, I was told by an urgent care male doctor that I would never have kids because I have endometriosis. I wasn't actually diagnosed with that until just this year. I've always had that in my head and it's not true. Dr. Haarsma set my mind at ease about it immediately. Even given my age, I've said that to her a couple of different times, I'm getting up there. Is it even a possibility? And she's told me to stop worrying about that.

How has surgery changed your life?

It changed it 100%. Not having to deal with pain, not having to sit with a heating pad in order to function or take pain medication to function. That was huge.

What did you appreciate most about your care?

How everybody here treated me, like family, and like I wasn't by myself. They didn't treat me like I was a burden and they listened to me. As women, it's difficult sometimes to feel like you're listened to when you go in, especially when it comes to gynecological issues. You're bleeding. When did your period start? I'm a woman. I've been having those for a long time and I know how that works. The first time I came to the hospital, I was bleeding and I knew that wasn't what it was from. And I never felt pushed aside or brushed off like what I was feeling wasn't actually happening. I'm terrified of emergency rooms and this one has changed that for me.

What would you tell someone who is delaying surgery?

Go. Get it done. Don't delay. I was pushing mine off hoping that it would go away on its own, even though Dr. Haarsma told me that it wouldn't. And I regret doing that. I should have had the surgery probably in August and I was trying to make it to the end of October. It didn't work, so just go. That's what I would suggest. Do it.

What advice would you give someone living with pain?

Go talk to their primary doctor probably initially, but if they're not getting anywhere, if they're getting brushed off, keep trying or go somewhere. Go to Dr. Haarsma. Go somewhere else.

Why would you recommend Brookings Health System?

The staff, the doctors, the surgical team, nurses, anybody that I encountered was so caring and compassionate. I feel, especially in this day and age, we don't see a lot of that anywhere. Everybody's wore out. And I feel like it's tough to come by compassion like I've received here.

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.

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