Alton Memorial Hospital — Local services in Alton

I'm astounded by all the negative comments on here. And, sorry that people don't understand the various protocols that hospitals and ERs have to follow which sometimes make things appear that staff are not doing their job.

In 2018, I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. I never requested to know what stage it was. I didn't want to know. But I did have a PET scan and knew it had metasticized into my groin area.

After shopping around for a good oncology department, at five of the best cancer centers in the St. Louis/southern Illinois area, I went with Alton Memorial.

I had an oncology appointment set up within days, and was scheduled to start chemo the following Monday, and radiation was scheduled for an appointment that same afternoon.

Before so left, I was introduced to the radiation team, whom I'd be seeing every day for 30 days.

I didn't want to go through chemo and radiation, but both were necessary if I wanted a chance to live, so... very unwillingly, I showed up for my chemo appointment that following Monday. I was on time but had brought a book thinking that with so many other patients it would likely be a long wait.

Wrong,!!!!

I was called in before I even had a chance to find a seat in the waiting room and quickly was intrduced to the staff, who appeared friendly and very caring.

Later, a pack of chemo dripping into my veins through a pic line, I crossed the parking to the radiation bldg.

Similarly, staff was very likeable,, friendly and reassuring. Then it was time for my first treatment.

I remember walking down a long hallway with a nurse who pushed open a double door for me, while FEAR pushed silent tears down my cheek.

Despite my toddler attitude, the radiation tech reassured me constantly until I was up on the machine..

They put one of my favorite songs on ... Stevie Nick's, and then left me alone in the large room, wrapped in the arms of a gigantic green machine that reminded me of a carnival ride that my mom would never have let me ride on because it was too dangerous.

I lay there, took a deep breath and waited. The arms began their dance: swinging back and forth, up and down, around, over and under me.

By the middle of the third song, (Gold Dust Woman), the first treatment was over.

"That's it?" I asked. "That's it!" she confirmed.

But it wasn't really finished.

Alll this happened over a year ago. Being, for the most part, alone, and living in a not-so-healthy situation, the team leader, Toni, helped me find a place to live and secure it.

On my last appointment before Christmas, the girls at radiation told me there was a surprise Santa left for me in one of the unused offices.

When they opened the office door, I was speechless and totally dumbfounded.

The entire radiation team filled the office with dozens of gifts...necessities as well as fun things like Christmas lights and wall hangings. Towels, sheets, pots, pans, Silverware, blankets, rugs and a bath mat.

Every space in that unused office was filled with boxes and bags of goodies. For Me!?!?! I couldn't believe it.

With all their caring, I managed to get through the worst of a bad situation.

The kindness of Dr. Vlachic, Toni Bremmen, Lori, Barb, Sherry and Mary at Alton Memorial, has been as healing to me as the unbearable treatments.

Without them I honestly don't believe I would be sitting here writing out this.review. . Alton Memorial is the best hospital in the area. That's an absolute.

Best to all of you, & do trust Alton Memorial. They are great . Even If you have to wait in line to be seen in thee ER, it's well worth it. Peace, Kathy Burns ,909 South 17th...

I would NEVER go to ALTON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL unless there is something completely obvious (broken bone, etc) wrong with me. This was my horrible experience:

Presented with severe abdominal pain on 7/4/13 at Alton Memorial Hospital. The ER doctor discovered pregnancy (normal, 5 weeks) and an ovarian cyst. I insisted I'd had PCOS and cysts my whole life, and had never felt such intense pain from them. He just argued, "You've never been pregnant before, either." He prescribed Vicodin, and sent me home.

Although I had doubts about his diagnosis, he was right that I'd never been pregnant before, and he's a DOCTOR, so I thought that it might be possible pregnancy hormones/changes in my body could cause the excess pain...in other words, despite my own feelings, because he was a DOCTOR, I chose to TRUST him. BIG MISTAKE.

The pain persisted, but was duller with medication -- for awhile. Then, it got WORSE. I could barely breathe and was pouring sweat due to the pain, when I went to the ALTON MEMORIAL ER again on 7/13/13. (Once in the patient ER room, I waited over an hour for any type of pain management drug, too!!) The same ER doctor did same tests and concluded same result. "Your cyst has grown; that's why the pain is more intense," he declared. This time, I was completely ADAMANT there was something else wrong. He wouldn't listen to me. He just prescribed higher-dose Vicodin and told me to rest at home, but I didn't go home. I went directly to ANDERSON HOSPITAL in MARYVILLE, where the ER doctor there found an abdominal hernia just by touch-exam (something the ALTON MEMORIAL doctor totally missed), and immediately ordered a CT, which found massive pockets of infection -- diagnosis: diverticulitis.

I was admitted to Anderson hospital, where I stayed for 10 days. I had IV antibiotics, and they gave me a morphine drip to control the SEVERE pain. I had two surgical drains implanted, underwent more scans, and over the course of all this, I lost the baby. And even after the drains, they couldn't get all the infection without putting me under and slicing me open to irrigate.

IF ALTON MEMORIAL DOC HAD CAUGHT THE INFECTION on 7/4/13, NINE DAYS PRIOR, there's a chance the infection could've been treated with just oral or IV antibiotics, and I maybe I wouldn't have lost the baby, and maybe I wouldn't have had to have those painful procedures and surgery (which I'm still recovering from, BTW). Nine days. The infection brewed for NINE more days than it should've. And, because I didn't know what not to eat (and I was pregnant, so I was eating 'healthy'...eating all the things that would make tears in my intestines bigger, roughage...), the infection worsened. NINE days!!!

I cannot express how terrible it feels to live 5 minutes away from a hospital, but I can't TRUST them, so I have to drive all the way from Alton to Maryville to get CARE.

Hey -- I know doctors have been educated, but some doctors need to learn and understand that we've been living in our bodies our entire lives, and that should count for something. When I say, "that isn't this pain," and, "I know there's something else wrong with me", I expect a doctor to take that completely seriously. I wasn't demanding a specific test or telling him how to do his job -- I was only providing him with the patient feedback that should've suggested to him the possibility that his diagnosis was, at least, incomplete. And he totally overlooked/missed the hernia...

Just don't go to Alton Memorial unless there's something obvious (broken bone, etc) wrong with you. They won't listen. They didn't listen to me --- TWICE, and I lost my...

I recently had a horrible experience in the emergency room with NP Andrea Thurm. I came in with severe unilateral sudden neck pain and facial swelling. Everyone was very kind, except Thurm. She entered the room in a foul mood right from the start and had no bedside manner whatsoever. She seemed to decide right away that my visit was pointless. She felt around on my neck a little and insisted I had just slept wrong, and even though I repeatedly told her that the pain started before I ever even laid down, she refused to pursue anything further. When I asked her why I had facial swelling if it was just a pulled muscle she told me there was no face swelling, despite the fact that my coworkers had been so concerned that morning because it looked like I'd had bad lip infections and my eye was puffy and red. I said I would just go and get a second opinion at my doctor's office because they have knowledge of my familial medical history, namely the autoimmune conditions. Thurm drilled me on that for a bit, very dismissively, and told me the ER won't test for things like that. I had never intended for them to do rheumatologist level testing, but I had hoped for at least a SED rate or an ANA. Even just a blood count to check for infection signs. ANYTHING beyond just feeling around on my neck and sending me out the door. She then suggested she could give me a script for a muscle relaxer, which to me felt like just masking the problem to get me out the door. I said I was willing to try since I had to work the next day. She asked if I wanted a doctor's note and when I said that my company doesn't accept doctors notes, you just go in or don't get paid, she scoffed and said "Yeah well it's the same for me except if I don't go in I lose $900 a day." I felt like she saw my retail uniform and decided I was so far beneath her that the loss of one day of income was irrelevant. At this point, I was so emotional and feeling so defeated. I said, "Are you having a bad day or something? You seem really grumpy.." She laughed and said no, that she was fine, and did I want the meds or not? When she left the room, I contacted my doctor's office and was able to set an appointment with them instead, so I went to the nurses' station and asked that they just let me leave. Thurm said, "Don't you want your meds?" And I said no, that I was going to go elsewhere. As I walked away, I could hear them laughing. I left and had a good cry, then went to my doctor's office and it took them all of 5 minutes to determine that I have an ear infection in the ear directly next to where my pain is located, and swollen lymph nodes as a result. They got me antibiotics, and I am already doing so much better. I didn't go into the ER wanting pain pills or muscle relaxers, I wanted help to figure out why I was in pain, and instead I was treated like a burden, and then in my patient files Thurm wrote that I was "verbally abusive" to her. I suppose she's never had anyone ever question her about why she talks to patients like they're worthless and beneath her. I kept an even calm tone the entire appointment, only said that I would go get a second opinion and that I felt she was being grumpy, and I left sobbing. I think Thurm should find other employment if she can't handle diagnosing an ear infection or treating her patients...