Baptist Health Bethesda Hospital East — Local services in Boynton Beach

I had a really scary health emergency at a terrible time — two days before my wedding. (It was a second marriage, small wedding, older bride and groom.) Bethesda East Hospital and Dr. Alexander Troum saved me so that I could be at my wedding that day and thankfully not have to cancel with everybody in town for the event. I entered the emergency department in the early morning on a Friday (wedding was that Sunday), with extreme weakness, dizziness and fatigue, which had been going on for a few days, but the night before was truly scary because my heart was pounding in my ears all night and I fell down when walking to the bathroom. That morning, I was very pale and dehydrated. The ED staff did their tests and determined that I had a severe GI bleed, with only 50% of normal hemoglobin levels. They didn't know the cause of it, but eventually I was admitted to the hospital and given IV fluids and two blood tranfusions. I told the nurse that I needed to get better in time for my wedding on Sunday at 4 p.m., and she made my case a priority. The difficult part was that by then it was late afternoon on Friday and no GI doctor was available. They were trying to find one to come in and examine me. It was thought that I had a bleeding ulcer, but nobody could say for sure until I had a GI consult and endoscopy. By Friday night, with no real progress, I was distraught I wouldn't make my wedding on Sunday. But on Saturday morning, Dr. Alexander Troum arrived at my bedside and was I ever happy to see him! I was relieved that a GI doctor was available to come in on a Saturday at the last minute. He was professional and reassuring. He told me he would do an endoscopy as soon as they could get an OR ready, and he'd find out what my issue was. If it was an ulcer, he'd clamp it during the endoscopy so that I would be all fixed and could get out for my wedding weekend. I was really hoping for a discharge later that day, so that I could go to my rehearsal dinner and see all the relatives who had come to town. In the OR, the anesthesiologist and his nurse chatted with me about my wedding plans. It was surreal, lying on the table telling them about my beachfront ceremony while they prepared me for the endoscopy. I couldn't believe I was there the day before my wedding, but so grateful that the staff was getting me through this. I woke up later in bed and was told that everything had gone well. Dr. Troum had found a 4 mm duodenal ulcer that was oozing a small amount of bright red blood, he did epi injections, placed clips over the ulcer, and got everything fixed up. There was no further bleeding. He came to talk to me soon after I woke up, and I was really happy to get good news. Unfortunately, my heart rate stayed elevated from all the trauma, and the nurse said I needed to rest and couldn't be discharged until Sunday, and only after my heart rate went down. But I had good care from the nurses there as well as the M.D. on duty, Dr. Dave Prashad. That night, my fiance and family FaceTimed me from the rehearsal dinner, which was a little sad. The next morning, my heart rate was still elevated and I got the bad news that I couldn't be discharged until I had another blood transfusion, to bring my heart rate down so I could safely attend the wedding. I started getting panicked about the timing. My nurse started another unit of blood, and my fiance was able get our ceremony time pushed back. Finally, the transfusion did its job, my heart rate level went down, and at 2 p.m. I was cleared to go home (doctor had pre-discharged me so no time would be wasted). I was told I couldn't drink alcohol and to take it very easy at the reception or else I'd end up back in the hospital on my wedding night. I promised to be careful. With the help of family, I was rushed home to shower and primp and get into my wedding wear. We raced from Boynton Beach to Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, to the beautiful venue where my husband was waiting for me on the oceanfront lawn. I got married that day, and it all worked out. Thank you, Bethesda East staff, and...

Well unfortunately I moved to Boynton Beach and Bethesda Hospital is 5 min away from my house. My health took a turn for the worst and I had to be taken via ambulance at least 8 times. I went in with my blood Pressure around 180/105 honest truth and have documents to prove it, the Dr were completely rude telling me that I'm exaggerating that blood Pressure that high isn't dangerous?? I kept telling them that I felt my heart fluttering and my heart rate was going down to the 30s and 20s when I fell asleep. They would keep me overnight then rush me out the next day like if I was staying and being treated for Free!! Not the Case! one night I went in with my pressure very high in the E.R I had a nurse by the name of Joshua I couldn't believe how rude he was he yelled at me and told me that my problem was that I was suffering from Anxiety then he came in without telling me anything and tried to inject something in my IV. I asked him what are you doing? He said I'm giving you some Ativan?! I said what?!! I don't need that! I pulled my hand away but some got into my system. The next morning I felt very sick I couldn't stand or hardly walk, I felt drugged up so I went to urgent care and they had to send me via 911 ambulance to JFK hospital I was admitted for 3 days. Well they kept saying there was nothing wrong with me that I had Anxiety! Well on August 21 I called 911 when they arrived and looked at Me and asked why was I so pale? When they checked my pressure it was extremely elevated and my pulse was 37 they rushed me to the hospital while talking to the nurse and telling them my symptoms. When I got there everyone was running to get me hooked up with heart monitor and they did a EKG and 15 minutes later the first Nice well educated and caring Doctor told me Mrs Sanchez I found Your problem! he said you no the electrical part in our hearts that makes our hearts beat well your's isn't working!! They ran and put this padding under Me in case I went in to Cardiac arrest that padding would shock me! Then he said you need to have Surgery and a Pacemaker inserted. I started crying because after many visits to this hospital they never cared enough to figure out what the problem was! after that Dr Freher came in to tell me he'd be doing my surgery the following morning. So they rushed me into the Cardiac unit and the nurse supervisor said that if my pulse went any lower she was going to send me to the ICU unit because I would need a drip line with medication to keep my pulse elevated till surgery. Well when I fell asleep it went down to 22 beats a minute, This is no lie I had someone from the pharmacy who heard about my heart rate and she told me she couldn't believe it because she said how is that possible there's no Life there! So I thank God for the Doctors who literally Saved My life! Because all the other E.R doctors and nurses are Rude and treated me like I was a crazy woman with Anxiety when in all reality I was right and I knew there was something horribly wrong with My heart!! Sadly last night on 12/27/23 I had to return by ambulance because my high blood Pressure was extremely elevated and had chest pain! Well I was admitted and after them telling me I had heartburn?! turns out I have a infection in my lungs my potassium was very low and have fluids in my lungs. But guess what?? They were in a rush to get me out of there and they discharged me! Last time this happened to me was in 2017 I was younger and had to hypertension problems or heart problems and wellington hospital kept me admitted for 5 days. Now I'm 59 with all kinds of health problems and they sent me on my marry Way home. I told my husband that I know wellington hospital is farther away but it's my life on the line. I have insurance and other options for payment and I'll be damned if I'll continue being treated like I'm suffering from Anxiety when that's the last thing that I have. and the nurse from 7pm to 7am never came in to See Me in the entire night. and I'm the patient who never calls or bothers them for anything. I do everything myself....

It’s a lovely hospital from what I could see. In terms of patient care, service, cleanliness, resources, etc I give them a 10. The place is ran like a 3 star hotel. Now while the focus on providing excellent care and service was appreciated, all I required was the basic care and professionalism, one would expect from a place such as this.

First of all I want to say a big thank you to all the nurses who were with me in the delivery room. They were all great. I don’t remember any names, but I particularly appreciate the 3 nurses that were with me initially on the night I came in. To the nurse who helped me through my epidural, you deserve to be nominated for a Daisy, and if I had your name I would personally have everyone I know nominate you. I have nothing but gratitude & good things to say about those delivery room nurses & anesthesiologist. My delivering Dr, Dr Jose Castaneda was marvelous as well.

Postpartum: The postpartum unit was hell. It made me want to walk out of the hospital without my baby, it was so bad. There is no rest whatsoever because different people are constantly coming in & out of your room for different reasons, you’re being talked at, not talked to. You can barely keep up with everything that’s coming at you. Once again, I don’t remember any of the names because in this particular unit, I had 5 nurses total over the span of 2.5 days, that being said:

My first nurse was ok and was pretty helpful to me when I first got to the room. But unfortunately the breastfeeding hell started with her, and I did not appreciate being forced to start attempting to breastfeed in front of my guests.

I did not care for my second nurse at all. She made a few comments I did not appreciate and which honestly I think were out of place and unprofessional. First of all you don’t know me, just like I dont know you. Just because I am a first time mom does not mean I don’t know anything about babies. I know how to change a diaper and how to burp a baby. I also know how to hold a baby. Y’know, the basics? Which you would’ve known had you asked me. But what you did instead, was take our child and proceeded to pass comments CONTINUOUSLY, about both of us needing to try to learn how to do the basic things for the baby. Here’s the thing, we did not need you to feed or burp our baby. I know how to change and burp a baby, my partner did not, which is why I let you do your spiel to begin with. I had just gone through labor and torn myself giving birth, my partner did not. So before you pass comments that carry an insinuation that I was lazily sitting about not wanting to do anything for my child, maybe think about the reason I was in that room to begin with. I could’ve let this all roll over my head, but when you took it upon yourself to feed my baby the bottle (I mean, did someone tell this nurse we were special needs or something??) anyway, as you were trying to force feed a bottle of formula down my baby’s throat, he was understandably fighting you. You then proceeded to tell him that he knew what to do, and not to act stupid. I mean really? What kind of baby talk is that? Idk if she thought she was being funny, but it was not. If you can’t control the words that come out of your mouth, maybe speak less. God he only knows how many other patients you have exposed to that nasty condescending energy. I hope you get whatever you deserve for behaving that way towards people who are in their most vulnerable state.

Nurse number 3: My favorite. Very empathetic, professional, kind. Did not speak to me condescendingly. She gave baby his first bath. Bless you.

To the 2 lovely spirits who checked my blood pressure during my time in that unit, bless you.

The Pediatrician was excellent. Loved him. Food was great, but the...