Diagnostic Imaging and CT Scans [Pat Schirmang]

My name is Pat Schirmang. I grew up in South Dakota, but I moved at a young age down to Arizona. And while I was there, my job entailed working at the Arizona International Guard out at Sky Harbor in Phoenix at the airport. And my profession there was I managed their clinic on a day-to-day basis. And my brother and his family all live up in this area. So, I'm back up in South Dakota with the snow and the cold and my family.

Why did you need a CT scan?

The CT scan was requested by my physician Amy Baker. I was having really nasty pain in my lower right side. Well, obviously my appendix had been gone for a long time, so we knew that wasn't it. We tried different items, but nothing seemed to work. So, she suggested that I go ahead and get the CT, and with the contrast, it would give a better idea for the organs in the area. So, I went ahead and we got it scheduled, and I got it done.

Were you nervous?

Yeah, you know, after being in the health care industry for many years, I'm just not a big fan of undergoing tests myself. So I have a lot of sympathy for people when they do, and a CT is one of those. But I knew that it needed to be done so that I could get an answer of what was going on.

How did your experience at Brookings Health compare to previous CT scans?

I've only had two others, fortunately. And the people here were just so very kind. They were professional, they were obviously very knowledgeable about what they were doing. They had answers for my questions, and I had a lot of questions. So, it was just very comforting to know that I was in the hands of people who cared.

Unfortunately, when you go to a big city like Phoenix, where I was from, I've had procedures done there, and that's where the others were done. Sometimes people are just too much in a hurry. They're busy, they wanna get in and get out. They don't have the time to show you as much compassion as you might need. And I needed a lot.

What did you appreciate about the imaging staff?

Well, I have to give a shout-out to one young lady. Her name was Ashley. There were two of them in the room at the time. One of them was behind the glass and she was doing her magic with the equipment. But Ashley, she basically never left my side. She was right there. She kept asking if I was okay, you know, do you have any questions? Do you feel alright?

And if I did have a question or I just wanted to clarify something, she immediately had an answer for me. But she never left my side through the procedure. She's the one who put the dye in the tube. And it was funny because if you've never had a CT, sometimes they forget to tell you when the dye goes in, it feels warm all of a sudden. And so, she stood there and she goes, "Okay, I'm putting it in. It's going to get warm." And yeah, there it is. So, working with her, I would definitely not hesitate to ask for her, again, to be my tech.

Why did you choose Brookings Health System?

Well, first of all, it's convenient. I could drive down to Sioux Falls, which I have for other things, and I probably will again in the future. But it's right here. It's local. I like to support local. This hospital is well known for being one of the better local, smaller hospitals in the area. There was no reason to consider going any place else.

What were your results?

The pain in my side went away two days after I had the CT. Had nothing to do with it. But unfortunately, the CT did discover some other issues that I'm going to be dealing with now, which is fine. I'd rather know about them ahead of time than all of a sudden find something that I never would've known and it could have evolved into something worse. It's sort of like throwing me a lifeline.

What did you appreciate most about imaging at Brookings Health System?

It's the people and their attitude and their knowledge and their professionalism that really come across. And you have that here. I really appreciated everything and the way I was treated here. So, if someone wants to know what they're gonna be in for, they're gonna be treated well.

Would you recommend imaging at Brookings Health System?

That staff, they're just unbelievable. They show the compassion that they have for their patients. It comes through very clearly. They wanna make sure that you're comfortable when you come in for that because they do realize that most people getting a procedure done, no matter what type it is, it's probably something you haven't had before, or if you have, it's been very rare. You need to have someone who you can trust. And I think the staff here definitely gave me a feeling of trust.

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