Traci Andracke of Bloomington was packed and ready for a family vacation to Hayward, Wisconsin, recently. But the night before they were to leave, she felt awful, with flu-like symptoms and a painful left breast.
Traci, mother of a 4-month-old son and a 2-year-old daughter, suspected she might have mastitis. The inflammation of breast tissue commonly affects nursing mothers.
Her Only Option Was the Emergency Department
“It was really making me miserable,” said Traci, who works as assistant general manager at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum in Bloomington. “My whole body ached, I could barely stand up. I was so cold, then I’d be sweating.”
Since she had been treated for the condition before, she knew she needed urgent care before the infection worsened.
She called the after-hours line of her obstetrician’s office, and a nurse recommended she be seen within 3 to 4 hours. Since it was 9 p.m., her only option was the Emergency Department – not the ideal place to be on the night before vacation.
The on-call nurse then suggested Traci request a visit through OSF OnCall, an online urgent care clinic that allows patients to connect with a board-certified provider through their computer, smartphone or tablet.
The nurse connected Traci to the service. After registering her visit request by phone, Traci was called back by a doctor in just minutes.
“The Doctor I Spoke With Was Awesome…”
The doctor, who was also a mom who had been treated for the condition in the past, went over symptoms, asked questions and gave her the option to use Skype or Facetime, which Traci declined since she felt she had thoroughly described her symptoms.
The doctor agreed that she likely had mastitis and called in a prescription to a 24-hour pharmacy near Traci’s home. Traci’s husband picked up the prescription, and by 11:30 p.m. – about 2 hours after she initially called her obstetrician’s office – she had taken her first dose.
Early the next morning her condition had improved markedly, and vacation was back on track.
“I was happy with how quickly the care took place,” she said. “I was feeling miserable and knew I needed a prescription to feel better. The doctor I spoke with was awesome, and it was significantly cheaper than an ER visit; my co-pay to go to the ER is $175. This was $35, so it was a no-brainer.”
Last Updated: February 15, 2018