Fred Nethken awoke Monday, April 7, struggling to breathe. Recently having undergone a carotid endarterectomy to reduce his risk of a stroke, Fred’s left vocal chord had needed a supplementary injection in order to help him breathe normally. Unfortunately, Fred suffered an adverse reaction to the injection which was causing his vocal chords to

[swell and obstruct his breathing]. Fred had to act quickly in the face of a life threatening situation.

Luckily for Fred, there was an exceptional Ear, Nose and Throat physician just down the road – Dr. Jeffrey A. Faulkner. “I had heard he was very good, but most importantly, he was right here,” Fred said. “If I had to wait another five minutes, I wouldn’t have been here today.”

As soon as he made it through the doors, Fred was greeted by Dr. Faulkner’s staff. They rushed him back to a room where Dr. Faulkner ran a flexible scope to look at his larynx and recognized that this was an emergent situation. Action needed to be taken immediately.

Within minutes, Fred was taken to Connally Memorial Medical Center where the Emergency Room team aided the surgery team in prepping the room and Fred for an emergency tracheostomy. [?] “The interplay between the hospital and Dr. Faulkner’s office was completely seamless,” Fred remembers. “Dr. Faulkner even beat me to the ER!”

Once stabilized, Fred was moved to the Intensive Care Unit at Connally Memorial. “Dr. Blond, all of the technicians and nurses were very friendly,” Fred remarked. “My post-op care was fantastic.” A few days later, Fred was able to go home and once again enjoy the important things in his life – his church and his family.

Fred is grateful for the quick save. “If it weren’t for the Connally Memorial Clinic System, I would have missed out on the rest of my life.”