"It was a heavy, burning pain. I was at work and had pain in my arms and across my chest. I was having a heart attack.
I felt perfect peace from the moment first responders brought me through Hillcrest South’s ER doors. The staff responded quickly and methodically, and one nurse prayed over me before my surgery.
Had I arrived 10 minutes later, I wouldn’t have made it.
Did you know that the average person walks at least 10,000 steps each day? According to the American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society, this amounts to over three million steps a year. April is National Foot Health Awareness Month, a time when we encourage you to learn about caring for a part of the body you use more than we know: your feet.
“It started with chest pains. After receiving stents from another provider, I learned that wasn’t going to be enough. I called Oklahoma Heart Institute (OHI), and I’m glad I did because I received immediate concern, attention and treatment.
I had triple bypass surgery at Hillcrest South and all of the staff members were fantastic. They kept my wife well informed and treated me as an individual.
One day I woke up and my knee felt bone to bone. I couldn’t walk.
After two years of unsuccessful doctor visits and physical therapy, I found Hillcrest South. Finally, I had someone willing to help me and figure out the cause of the problem.
My therapist, surgeon and medical team all wanted me to get well, and my therapist went out of his way to help in any way he could. That’s hard to find.
I’m a mom of three boys, so my husband and I were shocked when our doctor told us we were having a girl. I asked several times, “Are you sure?”
Even without his tall stature, endoscopy technician Clay Gay would still stand out. “I like to laugh, make fun of myself – anything to make you feel comfortable,” he admits of his outgoing personality which he says is a perfect fit at Hillcrest South. “When patients come to the hospital, they’re nervous. I like to make them laugh. It calms them down and makes them feel at home.”
On the morning Gary Nickel noticed a small blister on the bottom of his left foot, he did not know that in weeks he would be facing a serious infection and an amputation.
“I noticed my foot was getting a little red and puffy, but it wasn’t too alarming, so I really thought nothing about it,” says Gary. “Three weeks later, I woke up and the inside of my foot exploded basically overnight. It was just raw skin and my big toe was black.”
I’ve visited the Hillcrest South ER on three different occasions for three separate health issues. After my first visit in 2009, I knew I wanted to stay with Hillcrest South for all of my medical needs. The hospital’s quality of care is second to none.
