Late one evening, Corinne's seven-year-old son woke up with severe stomach pain and vomiting. Corinne assumed her son was experiencing a common stomach virus, but to be safe, decided to consult a clinician using ARC's NormanMD.
Corinne was instantly connected to Shirlene Samuel, DO, an ARC Pediatrician with NormanMD.
After hearing about her son's symptoms, Dr. Samuel asked Corinne to have her son jump. She explained that unlike a typical stomach bug, jumping would cause pain if his appendix was swollen.
Corinne followed the doctor's instructions. When the movement caused her son sharp pain, Corinne received a diagnosis she never expected: her son likely had appendicitis.
"I hadn't even thought of that," Corinne says.
Shirlene Samuel, DO
On-demand care when it matters
Corinne immediately rushed her son to the emergency room, where his appendix was safely removed.
Surgeons told Corinne it was rare to see a patient so soon after they begin having appendicitis symptoms. In many cases, patients don't arrive until after their appendix has ruptured, which results in a much more invasive, dangerous surgery with a longer recovery.
"It was so helpful that the family was so cooperative with calling me right away and that they listened," Dr. Samuel says. "This was a collaborative effort to say, 'Hey, this is wrong. Let's go check it out.'"
Delayed access to care significantly raises the risk of a patient's appendix rupturing, with most patients experiencing complications and, in some cases, death.
"NormanMD helped save his life," Corinne says.
24/7 access to care
Corinne says she prioritizes renewing her subscription to NormanMD every year. Corinne says NormanMD is a lifesaving investment that gives her complete peace of mind about her family's health.