Summertime
emergencies come in
all shapes and sizes. But as Grand Prairie
resident Lisa Turner discovered, sometimes
big emergencies come in small packages.
Two summers ago, while shopping, she
reached to the back of a shelf. That’s when
she felt it — a tiny prick on her arm. She
dismissed it as a likely scrape from the metal
shelf and went on with her day.
But a couple of hours later, a friend
noticed an angry, red blister on Turner’s arm.
Turner called her sister, a registered nurse,
who advised her to get to an emergency
room if the blister grew.
It did, so Turner headed to the Methodist
Mansfield Medical Center emergency
department (ED), where the attention
she received quickly alleviated any fears.
A wise choice
“They took really good care of me from the
moment I arrived until I was discharged,”
Turner says. “I’ve been in emergency
rooms before where they put you in a
room and seem to forget about you.
But at Methodist Mansfield, the nurses
and physicians were constantly checking
on me, asking how I was doing, and
keeping me updated on everything that
was happening.”
An exam revealed the cause of Turner’s
injury: a bite from a brown recluse spider.
“While the venom from a brown
recluse bite isn’t typically fatal, Mrs. Turner
certainly made a wise choice in seeking
emergency medical attention,” says Ketan
Trivedi, MD, medical director at Methodist
Mansfield ED.
After she was treated with IV antibiotics,
the bite’s redness and swelling began to
subside. Within a couple of days, Turner’s
arm was as good as new.
While her experience is out of the ordinary,
the care she received isn’t — at least not at
Methodist Mansfield. Equipped to handle a
variety of injuries and ailments, the medical
professionals here are standing by 24/7 to
take care of you.
BETTER THAN EVER
If you’re experiencing a
life-threatening emergency,
don’t hesitate to call 911. If
your condition is not serious
or life-threatening, we invite
you to take advantage of
our new convenient check-in
service at
ust
enter the time you wish to
be seen in the ED and a brief
description of your illness or
injury. You may then wait in
the comfort of your home
until your appointment time.
Lisa Turner, wife of state Rep. Chris Turner, is
thankful for the great care she received at the
Methodist Mansfield emergency department
after being bitten by a brown recluse spider.
Our stellar spin on
emergency
care
Methodist Mansfield Medical Center
•
❁
Summer 2014
7
