- Cancer Care, Women's Health, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3Blog“Volunteering for Habitat for Humanity helped save my life,” proclaims Nancy Noel, now 71. While helping build townhomes in Annapolis, Nancy took a blow to the chest and the resulting wound refused to heal. Testing eventually led to a diagnosis of Paget disease, an aggressive form of breast cancer. After a total mastectomy, a double course of chemotherapy and six weeks of radiation — all at AAMC — Nancy came through a survivor. Nancy took up storm chasing after she completed treatment for a rare, aggressive form of breast cancer. “I simply made the decision to place myself in the hands of my brilliant and caring team and embrace the cure,” Nancy says. Nancy’s positive attitude led her to become a volunteer peer mentor with Survivors Offering Support (SOS). SOS was created by Denise O’Neil and debuted at AAMC in 2004. It has since expanded to hospitals throughout the mid-Atlantic. The program pairs a newly diagnosed patient with a breast cancer survivor. The mentor provides support and encouragement from diagnosis through recovery. “Most importantly, because we’ve been ‘through it,’ we mentors become valuable ‘pink sisters’ to our mentees. We visit them at chemo, offer a shoulder to lean on and celebrate their treatment milestones,” Nancy explains. Lorraine Tafra, MD, breast surgeon and medical director of AAMC’s Rebecca Fortney Breast Center, says the SOS peer mentors are an integral part of the cancer team. She says the mentors help newly diagnosed breast cancer patients through the emotional fog that follows diagnosis. Special training teaches SOS mentors how to avoid offering any medical advice, which comes only from medical professionals. SOS mentors also help women transition to life after cancer, a time that can be difficult. “There is often fear of re-occurrence and that age-old question, ‘What do I do with the rest of my life?’” Nancy says. “I tell women that they are now official members of what I call the Second Chance Club.” To ease post-treatment anxiety, Nancy recommends that women fill their lives with things they’ve always wanted to do. She and her husband, Bob, took up storm chasing. “As we stare up into that swirling belly of the beast, I thank AAMC and remind myself that it’s great to be alive.” Watch a video of Nancy sharing her story.Read more about how a supportive team of peers and medical professionals can help women with breast cancer make personal treatment choices.Read about two more ways to fight breast cancer: Ways to Fight Breast Cancer: Get Physical and Ways to Fight Breast Cancer: Understand Your Risks. Contributor Lorraine Tafra, MD, is a breast surgeon and the medical director of AAMC’s Rebecca Fortney Breast Center.0
- Women's Health, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogMy birth experience delivering Bella at Anne Arundel Medical Center was a very positive experience – in fact, it was a breeze. Even though this was our second child, my husband and I took a parenting class as a refresher course, and we would definitely recommend it. Our instructor was informative, warm and entertaining. One Wonderful Day I remember I went into labor very early in the morning. I waited a couple of hours at home to make sure it was the real thing. Then I had my husband pack up the car, I woke up our school-age son, and we got ready to go to the hospital. Upon arrival at the Thomas J. Frank Family Birth Center at AAMC, the nurses promptly brought me back to the triage area and confirmed (to no surprise) that I was in labor and dilated. The nurses were great about checking on my son, who was waiting outside the room until more of my family could arrive. My contractions were very intense, and I was having the dreadfully painful back labor. My nurse was so wonderful and calming while I waited to get my epidural. I remember her gently pressing down on my shoulders during the peak of my contractions and giving me words of encouragement. Somehow, that weight of her on my shoulders helped to make the pain more bearable. My epidural was a dream, and within minutes of getting it I was completely relaxed. I can truly say I was able to enjoy my labor — even being able to take a little nap and converse with family members. (Thank you, anesthesiologist!) My nurses were just the right balance of knowing when to let me rest and when to bring humor and lightness into the room. After 11 hours of labor and five minutes of pushing, we had our beautiful Bella in our arms. We had exactly the birth that we had wanted, and my doctors and nurses followed our birth plan to the tee. I had planned to breastfeed, so we had a lactation consultant pop into our hospital room before we left to make sure Bella was latching on properly, and to refresh me on breastfeeding basics. The lactation consultant was helpful and friendly. Advice For New Parents If I were to give advice to expectant moms and new parents, I would say remember to make time for you. Both pregnancy and parenthood are wonderful, joyous times. But they can also be both stressful and depleting. Remember that a healthy, happy mom makes for a healthy, happy family. As difficult as it may be to schedule in time just for you — even if it’s only 15 minutes — this goes a long way. And, never underestimate the power of three deep breaths to help you re-center and stay grounded. Staying Healthy My family and I stay healthy by making sure to get plenty of movement, eat healthy meals and receive acupuncture. My husband and I are both acupuncturists, and it is a true gift to be able to care for our family with this wonderful form of medicine. Our biggest teaching to our kids in terms of health and wellness is to listen to your body. Your body knows what it needs. If we ignore it, that’s when symptoms arise. It sounds simple, but so many of us override these messages. Get good rest, exercise, eat whole foods, drink enough water and balance work with play. Melissa Perilla is an acupuncturist in Annapolis.0
- Community, News & Press Releases, OrthopedicsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAs a not-for-profit hospital, Anne Arundel Medical Center depends on support from businesses of all sizes throughout the region. Partnerships with local businesses are invaluable as we work to ensure our community is “Living Healthier Together.” We’re honored and excited to partner with the Chesapeake Bayhawks lacrosse team to help improve the overall health and wellbeing of our community. “Giving back is an integral part of what the Chesapeake Bayhawks stand for. Without our fans and our community, we have no team. The Bayhawks are ‘all-in’ in everything we do, both on and off the field,” says Bayhawks owner, Brendan Kelly. “We built our team through the strength and support of our local community. Our partnership with Anne Arundel Medical Center allows us the opportunity to show our gratitude and connect with the people and organizations who made us the team we are today.” The sports medicine team at Anne Arundel Medical Group Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Specialists serve as the official medical team for the Chesapeake Bayhawks. They provide game coverage, offer pre- and post-season physicals, and coordinate rehab with a focus of getting players back in the game as quickly and safely as possible. Just like they do for all members of our community, they help patients recover from an injury, improve physical performance and stay active for a lifetime. “Partnering with the Bayhawks has been a great experience. The entire organization is first class and strives to make every game family-friendly,” says AAMC’s Dan Redziniak, MD, the team’s head orthopedic surgeon. “The Bayhawks players serve as role models for the children in their community as they continue to grow the sport across the entire country.”0
- Weight LossGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAAMC offers two weight loss surgery procedures — sleeve gastrectomy and gastric bypass. Both have been shown to be highly effective in combination with a long-term program of exercise, proper nutrition and medical support. Each procedure is minimally invasive and creates a small stomach pouch, helping patients feel fuller sooner and stay full longer. As less food is eaten, the body stops storing excess calories and starts using its fat supply for energy. Patients are able to digest food in a normal manner after recovery. “Bariatric surgery gives you an advantage in addition to diet and exercise, and is the only proven long-term weight loss solution,” says AAMC bariatric surgeon Courtney Doyle, MD. “By changing the anatomy, we help patients curb appetite and limit portions. These changes may also alter the body’s hormones, which can help to suppress appetite.” Return to Beating the Odds: Weight Loss Surgery Helps Man Keep the Weight Off. Save Contributor Courtney Doyle, MD, is a bariatric surgeon with AAMC.0
- OrthopedicsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogHip and knee replacements have grown to become one of the most popular and successful elective operations ever performed. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were 1.1 million total joint replacements performed in the U.S. in 2012. Estimates show that by the year 2030, there’ll be 572,000 hip replacements and 3.48 million knee replacements performed annually in the U.S. Given the high demand, hospitals are studying ways to best provide this care to patients. This is especially true at Anne Arundel Medical Center. When I started doing joint replacement surgeries 13 years ago, the average length of stay for a patient who had hip or knee replacement was three nights. This is changing. Patients are going home sooner. For instance, four years ago at AAMC, only 10 percent of patients who had hip and knee replacement surgery went home on the first postoperative day. This year in July, we saw 80 percent of patients who had a hip replacement, and 60 percent of patients who had a knee replacement, go home in one day. This includes a growing number of patients going home the same day of their procedure. How is it possible to be discharged the next day, or even on the same day, after this type of procedure? The answer lies in a team approach always focused on the patient. There are a growing number of programs focused on helping speed up postoperative recovery, supporting early discharge and decreasing postoperative complications after joint replacement surgery. Locally, there is the Enhanced Recovery after Surgery (ERAS) program at AAMC. Early on, we were concerned that with a shorter length of stay patients may need to come back to the hospital with medical or surgical issues, but this was not the case. Our data shows that earlier discharge does not increase re-admissions. With high-quality hip and knee replacement surgery, patients have a safe recovery — even when they go home on the day of surgery. Advancing outcomes in joint replacement surgery Hospitals and surgeons continue to engage in work to further improve joint replacement care. Here in Annapolis, the joint replacement team at AAMC is developing clinical programs to increase the number of patients who leave the hospital earlier and get on the road to recovery faster. And by using predictive models, we’re able to better understand and choose patients who are good candidates for going home on the day of surgery. Postoperatively, we’re working closely with physical therapists to develop protocols to use after surgery to accurately show when a patient is safely ready to go home. Our efforts are focused on early recovery, to get you back to your own home and normal life sooner without hip or knee pain. Author James MacDonald, MD, is a joint surgeon at the Center for Joint Replacement at AAMC. To see the latest outcomes report from AAMC’s Center for Joint Replacement, visit askAAMC.org/JointOutcomes. To reach his practice for an appointment, call 410-268-8862.0
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