The Mayo Clinic Experience

Generally speaking, I try to keep my postings impersonal and focus on posing questions or offering food for thought or giving alternative sides to proposition.  Three weeks ago, my husband, Don, went through a series of consultations, tests, and procedures at Mayo Clinic system that I simply must talk about. 

In the past 2 years, Don's health had become a concern with the main emphasis on his pulmonary functions; apparent chronic bronchitis that worsened as months passed, emphysema that went from mild and then passed moderate, growing weakness, 90% loss of appetite, occasional light-headedness, increased right hand tremor, gradual weight loss of 30 lbs., large amounts of maroon colored sputum, general malaise, slowing thought process, and eventual loss of driving ability.  The severity of all of this grew so strongly in the months between July and October that I was growing fearful about his ability to ever improve.

Our time finally came to leave for Rochester, MN and our appointment at Mayo to see Dr. Wang, Internal Medicine.  Dr. Wang heard something when listening to Don's heart, ordered an EKG along with several other tests.  After many tests and consultations with other specialists, it was determined that Don had left-sided heart failure with functional capacity down to 20%.  Following the nuclear stress test, angiogram, and lab tests we were told that the cause of the heart failure is, as of now, unknown.  We were sent home with a plan for further testing and consults with cardiology and hematology to try to determine the cause and, most importantly, the treatment for the heart failure.

The Mayo health system is unlike anything I've ever encountered.  Mayo is a nonprofit organization that focuses on patient care and education.  Because they are focused on the patient and educating better doctors, they are projecting a level of care that is hard to find in any government or for-profit organization.
The medical consumer is never given the impression that they are a 'bother' or wasting their time.  The employees of Mayo ALL project the attitude of caring thoughtfulness and positive compassion.  The entire facility was spotless, organized, upbeat...it's true I could go on and on about the whole organization.  The employees don't ever act as though what they are doing is their duty, but rather they act as though helping you is their joy and mission in life.  It's such a grand experience.

I don't want to make this political, however, keeping the government fingers OUT of our health care is vital to our national well-being.  Mayo is the epitome of identifying the importance of each and everyone of us, and bureaucratic medical decisions have no place in a nation that considers life important.

You do feel God's hand at work when in the Mayo facilities and it is a blessing gladly received.