One afternoon last summer before the 4th of July, I was scheduled for a routine appointment with my ENT doctor.
One afternoon last summer before the 4th of July, I was scheduled for a routine appointment with my ENT doctor. I was feeling under the weather, but chose to keep my appointment. apparently, the ENT doctor thought I looked worse than I felt and recommended that I visit the emergency room at Mt. Pleasant Hospital.
My memory of the rest of the evening was blurred. I only recall the ER doctor indicated that all of my blood work was way out of the normal limits and that I should be hospitalized immediately. My wife, Kathy, asked the ER doctor to call Dr. Jones on her MDVIP hotline to tell her about my situation and to coordinate my transfer to East Cooper Medical Center.
Dr. Jones was waiting for us late that evening when the ambulance arrived. My symptoms were very unusual, and Dr. Jones consulted with a variety of specialists over the next two days, including a hematologist. Late Saturday evening, he reported to Dr. Jones that I had a rare disease of the blood (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, or TTP). They agreed that I needed to begin receiving a very specialized plasma treatment immediately, and made arrangements to transfer me downtown to the intensive care unit at Roper St. Francis. At the time, my condition was considered critical.
Early Sunday morning, I had my first treatment involving the complete replacement of all the plasma in y blood, a five-hour procedure. they repeated the treatment on a daily basis, though I didn't come around until Tuesday afternoon. I was transferred out of the ICU on Wednesday, but remained hospitalized for another ten days. After my release, I continued the plasma treatments on an outpatient basis until my blood levels stabilized.
Nearly eight months later, my health has improved so much. Dr. Jones and my team of specialists continue to monitor my blood work and overall health. Just two months after my health scare, I felt well enough to travel to Colorado to visit one of my daughters, and even enjoyed hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park.
Dr. Jones visited the hospital many times during my stay, coordinating my care, counseling my family and providing the type of personal compassionate care that every patient deserves to receive from their primary care physician. In particular, Dr. Jones dedicated care for me those first two days at East Cooper Medical Center saved my life. Without her personal involvement as my MDVIP doctor, things could have turned out much differently. I'm grateful for her care, not only of me, but also of my family.