Our Doctor ... Our Friend

Dr John Barnes has been our family Doctor since we first moved here in 1986. He has treated our entire family. Myself, my husband George and our three children. He's been with us through all the illnesses, and growths in life. Our oldest daughter is in health care because of Dr Barnes's fine example.

When it was announced he was going concierge, we decided we did not want to miss out on that personal relationship that we had established with him. It certainly came in handy this past summer when my husband George got sick. A typical virus or so we thought. When I took George to see John, he was very disoriented, had labored breathing and unable to walk steady. One look and John sent us immediately to the ER for an MRI. Since John has treated George all these years, he was concerned that a previous ailment had resurfaced.

We arrive at the ER, our doctor there had already been briefed about George , his personal history, of just retiring and of being a terrific guy. It gave her insight of my husband that only a caring Doctor of 35 years would know.

2 Days after being admitted, stroke being ruled out, my husband as I knew him was still experiencing some of the confusion and unsteadiness on his feet. I felt scared and unheard by the hospital Doctors. I called John and asked him to come and evaluate George. To make sure what I was seeing was what he felt too. On Saturday m morning he came and after putting the test results together with some questions he quickly determined that George had Legionnaires disease. A recent trip was the missing piece that no one thought to ask about. John put it all together and prescribed the proper medication and within a day George was coming back to his old self. He was clear thinking, breathing better, lungs clearing and steadier on his feet.
After 2 days he was released and finished healing at home.

Because John knew my Husband, asked the necessary questions, along with the test results he was able to prescribe the proper meds and help George heal. This all hit home at how critical George was and how much a knowledgeable Doctor can be when a coworker of mine lost her husband only weeks later of double pneumonia and sepsis. The same thing George had,

Thanks to Dr Barnes, George is fully recovered and enjoying retirement with his grandchildren.
I had always felt blessed to have John as our Doctor but now even more so for saving my George.