- Heart CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogHeart surgery is a major event, and the journey doesn’t end when you leave the hospital. Your diet plays an important role in helping you recover. Arianne Kirby, a dietitian and certified diabetes educator at Luminis Health, answers a few questions about post-surgery nutrition. Do I Need to Follow a Special Diet After Heart Surgery? Ask your cardiologist about dietary choices that are best for you. In general, it’s important to follow a heart-healthy diet to keep your arteries open and promote longevity. If I Feel Nauseous or Don’t Feel Hungry After Surgery, Can I Just Skip Meals? You need calories and protein to help your body recover. If you skip meals, you could delay your healing. You also need to drink enough fluids, ideally water, to prevent dehydration. Talk to your surgeon about fluid or other dietary restrictions you should follow. In general, eat a heart-healthy diet of light meals that are low in saturated fat. Should I Have a Glass of Red Wine Every Day? A 5 oz glass of red wine can be beneficial as long as you follow a heart-healthy diet. That means reducing or avoiding sugar and processed foods. A glass of red wine is not a “green light” to eat foods that aren’t otherwise recommended. Do I Need to Reduce My Sodium Intake? Everyone needs sodium from food, especially on hot days or after a work-out when you lose a lot of sodium from sweat. The recommended daily amount for most adults is 2300 mg, but talk to your cardiologist about what’s right for you. Is it Okay to Eat Red Meat? It’s OK to eat red meat in moderation. Serving size, frequency, type of red meat and the degree of health risk are all under debate within the dietary community. Although red meat is a source of protein, iron, vitamin B12, and zinc, it is also high in cholesterol and saturated fat. If you choose to eat red meat, you should limit or avoid other food sources that are high in cholesterol and saturated fat (foods like cheeses, whole-fat dairy, bacon, sausage, cream, etc.). One suggestion is to keep red meat to a 3-ounce cooked serving, 1-2 times a week and to trim away all visible fat. The rest of the week, replace red meat with chicken, turkey, fish, beans, legumes. If I Am Cutting Out Sugar, I Can Drink Diet Soda, Right? Just because something is sugar-free doesn’t mean it is a healthy food. Artificial sweeteners can cause insulin spikes, which over time can raise blood sugar levels. These drinks also do not contribute any nutritional value to your diet. Learn more about our heart surgery program at Luminis Health.0
- Community, Pediatrics, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWhen local pediatrician, Dr. Steve Brown, was young, he dreamed of being a doctor working on a boat. The first part of his dream defined his career as a pediatrician, and last year, he realized the second part while he served as a volunteer at The Lake Clinic, Cambodia. The clinic brings doctors, medical supplies and other services to seven floating villages on the Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia. Many of the houses in these villages are either floating structures or built on stilts over the water, and the area is so remote that the only way to bring a clinic to the people is by boat. Dr. Brown had been consulting with clinics (including one in Cuba) over the internet for a year or so, helping them to assess more difficult illnesses or conditions. “I’ll get pictures of dermatological conditions, or something that transmits in a photograph,” he says, “and it’s easy for me to get a specialist to take a look at it.” After helping patients online, Dr. Brown had an opportunity to spend a month at the clinic where he experienced first-hand the extreme needs of people in such a remote location. “We traveled three to four hours to reach people who couldn’t even seek medical care if they wanted to,” he says. “Families are living off of $2 per day and it cost $40 to $50 worth of fuel just to get us there.” He says the most rewarding aspect of the work is the appreciation shown by the people they were helping. “The people are just so grateful that you’re there helping them and it gives you a warm feeling inside to be able to do that.” Dr. Brown also volunteers for Project Angkor, a humanitarian mission that sets up free temporary clinics in remote areas to treat patients and help train Cambodian medical students. Cambodia has a special draw for Dr. Brown, but volunteerism has characterized his career both near and far. As a member of the Maryland Physician Emergency Volunteer Corps, he worked with the Red Cross after hurricane Katrina to see people in Maryland who had been displaced from homes and needed medical care. “This kind of work is definitely what I went into medicine for,” he says. “I wanted to be able to help people who need the help.”0
- Heart Care, SurgeryGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWhile grocery shopping with his wife over the summer, John Cryan ran up a set of stairs from a parking garage and started to feel faint. He doesn’t remember blacking out but recalls waking up inside his car. His wife called 911, and an ambulance took him to Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center (LHAAMC).At the hospital, lab results showed a high troponin level, indicating a heart attack. John met with Scott Katzen, MD, medical director of the cardiac catheterization laboratory at LHAAMC, who recommended coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).Shortly after, John consulted with David Caparrelli, MD, Chief of Cardiac Surgery. Dr. Caparrelli explained that he could use an innovative surgical instrument to freeze John’s nerves, blocking pain signals to the brain and thus aiding in John’s recovery from open heart surgery. This technique, pioneered by Dr. Caparrelli and the team at Luminis Health, has provided long-lasting pain relief for more than 100 patients, and Luminis Health is one of the only hospitals in the country to offer this treatment. John and his wife agreed that surgery with Dr. Caparrelli was the right next step.“In some cases, you meet a surgeon once and never see them again. Dr. Caparrelli checked in on me multiple times and made me feel like I was his only patient,” John says.After surgery, John received a bottle of Tylenol for any discomfort. Six months later, he has yet to open it.“With many health care options, there’s an upside and a downside. In this case, there was only an upside. I recovered quickly and didn’t need pain relief medication,” says John.By October, three months after surgery, John realized he felt better than he had in 20 years. Now, six months post-operation, he completes an hour of cardiovascular exercise and walks his dog in the woods every day.Happily retired from a successful career in international banking, John enjoys a change of pace, spending summers on the Severn River in Annapolis. This season is especially meaningful to him, thanks to the life-saving care he received from Luminis Health.If you or a loved one needs heart surgery, visit Luminis.Health/HeartSurgery to learn about our treatment options.0
- Community, Pediatrics, Infectious DiseaseGeneral Page Tier 3BlogMany schools are re-opening for in-person instruction after being closed for nearly a year. Heading back to school can be both exciting and nerve-racking. And whether your child has already returned or is still adjusting to new schedules, our experts have you covered with helpful tips for being back in the classroom. Routine Since many students have been out of school for almost a year, it’s important to restart good habits around routines like eating and sleeping. Children should start going to bed early and waking up each morning at an appropriate time. Remember, it’s always good to get eight hours of sleep and breakfast is the important meal of the day. Model Good Behavior Students should wear masks/face coverings on the bus and at school. If you wear a mask, your children will follow your lead. Face coverings must cover their mouth and nose fully. Kids should also practice wearing masks for long periods of time. It will make it that much easier when they return to the classroom. Watch for Symptoms If your child is sick, or if someone in your household has tested positive for COVID-19, they should stay home. Symptoms of COVID-19 can include cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing, fever of 100 degrees or higher, chills and loss of taste or smell. If you have questions, contact your child’s physician or the school’s health office. Health and Safety Children want to share; it’s in their nature. Normally, we applaud their kindness. But for now, students should refrain from sharing food or school supplies. They also must keep their physical distance from classmates. Turn a conversation about social distance into a fun exercise. For example, show your child how many toys it takes to get to six feet. Finally, remind them to frequently wash their hands with soap and water during the school day. These important steps will keep everyone safe and healthy. Children are our future. Let’s help them lead the way. Authors Lauren Fitzpatrick, MD, is the medical director of Luminis Health Anne Arundel Medical Center’s Pediatric Emergency Department. Kristen Breslin, MD, MPH, is the medical director of Children’s National Emergency Department at Doctors Community Hospital.0
- Employee SpotlightGeneral Page Tier 3BlogSome say adversity is life throwing you a curveball to make it better. For every defeat or challenge you face, there’s a seed of growth and improvement planted with it. By his mid-30s, Earl Shellner’s life priorities were launching his own business, making money fast and partying with friends. This included traveling around the country frequently and missing important family events. Things quickly changed when adversity came ‘knocking on his door.’ It turns out, life had a different set of priorities for Earl. In 2013, Earl had a plane ticket bound to San Diego to spend the winter before returning to launch his business back in Maryland. Right before leaving for his trip, he was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. The diagnosis meant 25 sessions of radiation, 12 sessions of chemotherapy and two months of oral chemotherapy at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC). His outlook? “Cancer saved my life,” affirms Earl. “It completely changed me. One time, I found out my cousin was taking my mom to the hospital for heart issues while I was at Mardi Gras partying. Another time, I flew all the way to Houston to meet with a friend and didn’t even think of calling my grandparents who live there. When I found out about my cancer, I realized how really great my family is and that I wasn’t paying attention to them. I lived a totally different life but I like the person I became a lot more now.” When Earl completed his treatment, he experienced “chemo brain,” a symptom cancer survivors use to describe thinking and memory problems that can occur after cancer treatment. He couldn’t remember how to spell his name, called people by the wrong name and would have the same conversations repeatedly without noticing. One of the nurses informed him that AAMC had just started a program for cognitive behavioral therapy. “They thought they could maybe help me with my situation,” he says. “I started attending meetings for speech therapy and, after looking at the data, they said I was improving dramatically just from the therapy. I was told there were only four other patients doing this at the hospital and I thought to myself, ‘If it’s working for me so well, it must work well for others too.’” Having experienced what so many had already lived through, he was adamant in using his lessons to help others. Today, working as a patient family advisor (PFA), Earl has a different perspective toward his priorities. “I made it my goal to use the experiences I had lived through to make everything better for our patients,” he says. “I remember one time I was sitting in the infusion center getting my fluids and a woman approached me after she read an article I wrote with information about the cognitive program at AAMC and how to find help. She said she needed to thank me because she had attended one of the behavioral therapy courses and it had helped her dramatically. Knowing that I’m helping others is what brings me the greatest joy.” Earl has been a PFA at AAMC for four years. In April, he won the 2019 Beryl Institute’s Innovative Patient/Family Advisor Innovation Award for leading and inspiring an innovation that has improved the experiences of patients and their families. PRO TIP: “Sit down to think about the pros and cons in your life and find out what’s important to you. Once I realized the partying and the money were all gone, I realized there is so much more out there. Plan for tomorrow, live for today and enjoy life.” If you know a great individual or a fantastic team going above and beyond to make a difference, make sure to let us know! Looking for a career in health care? We invite you to join a diverse and collaborative team of professionals working together to innovate the future of health care for our entire region. Check out our career opportunities. Advisors directly influence our policies, programs and practices. This role allows people just like you to help us deliver the best health care experience possible. If you’re interested, please contact our advisor coordinator at 443-481-6054 or use our online form.0
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