- Weight LossGeneral Page Tier 3BlogRecently, I celebrated the four-year anniversary of my weight loss surgery at AAMC. It’s hard to believe that it’s already been four years since that important day! The recovery of the surgery feels like yesterday, but in other ways it feels like a long time since I was obese. Someone recently suggested that I compare and contrast how life was before weight loss surgery, and how it improved after. I think this was a great suggestion, so I have dedicated this post to highlighting the improvements to my quality of life. It’s also fun to remember how much more difficult life was four years ago, and see how much better it is now. It’s easier to get in and out of my car. Before the surgery, I would struggle to get in and out of my car, particularly getting out. I would have to have both hands free and grip the frame of the door and car in order to provide the leverage needed to lift myself. Now, because I am much lighter and have stronger legs due to squats, getting in and out of vehicles is easy. It’s easier to tie my shoes. This is something most people do not think about until they’re morbidly obese. When there is a large belly in the way, bending over and tying shoes, putting socks on your feet, and anything involving interacting with your feet becomes nearly impossible. Four years later, I don’t even think about how easy it is to do these tasks. I am seldom out of breath, and sweat far less.I distinctly recall walking at a normal pace outside of my work with a friend. He commented that he was concerned that I was breathing extremely hard. Anything and everything physical would cause me to sweat profusely and breathe quickly and deeply. The most trivial tasks would turn into a terrible workout. I would have to change my clothes constantly. Now, I must perform some serious cardio to break into a sweat. It’s refreshing to easily do tasks and have the stamina to perform them. Bathing is now the easy task it should be. I discovered that when my body was covered in fat, it was very hard to bend over and twist my body in the necessary way to adequately shower myself. To a normal person, this sounds almost silly. To someone surrounded in extreme body mass, this becomes a serious issue and I would strain to contort my body in such a way where I adequately bathed. Even though I was in the shower, I would be drenched in sweat. Everything is back to normal in this department, courtesy of the substantially less body weight. I am far stronger than I used to be. This has less to do regarding body fat and more to do with increased muscle mass and strength training. In the past, I never went to the gym and I struggled to lift items, or perform basic physical tasks. Now I can easily carry heavy items, chop wood, lift my children, pick up objects, and support my body weight. Before surgery, I never in my life did a push up, crunch, chin up, or pull up. Now, I can do all of these with relative ease. I work every muscle group on my body at least weekly and while I’m far from being Arnold Schwarzenegger, I’m far stronger than I ever have been in my life, including my teenage years. I eat way healthier than before. Before surgery, I ate whatever I craved with no care in the world. I would drink multiple 2-liter bottles of Mountain Dew every day, directly from the bottle. I would snack on sweets, chips, processed food, fast food; whatever I could get my hands on, all the time. Now, I make a serious decision about everything I eat. I try to avoid processed foods entirely. I also try to eat organic food whenever possible. I try to eat food with the most basic ingredients, such as meats, nuts, beans, vegetables and greens, fruits and berries. All of these things would have been at the bottom of my list of food cravings prior to surgery. Surgery by itself did not improve my eating habits. I was able to lose my addiction to processed foods and carbohydrates as my diet evolved after surgery recovery. I no longer take any medication. Before surgery, I had high blood pressure and high cholesterol; both caused me to take five forms of medication each day. Now, both of those symptoms are gone (as well as my sleep apnea) and I instead take a wide array of vitamins and supplements to improve my overall health. I shall list all of these in a future post, but for now I will reveal that they keep me feeling great. Medication had negative side effects I do not miss. They gave me brain fog, fatigue, and swollen feet and ankles. Furthermore, I’m not convinced I was less at risk of a heart attack or stroke than had I not taken them. My brain is functioning much better. In the past, I had brain fog (from the medication, I believe), fatigue, low self-esteem, and trouble concentrating and thinking. I was poisoning my brain with medication and poor food choices, so it’s not surprising in retrospect that these symptoms existed. Now, there are no longer any cognitive issues. If I ever feel tired now, I know to eat kale chips or some form of vegetable. I eat healthy throughout the day, and I feel great and as mentally sharp as I always have been. I used to routinely fall asleep any time I was sitting down, which was often. I would fall asleep in meetings, in my computer chair, and even begin to nod off while driving, which was terrifying. I attributed that to the sleep apnea, because I would wake up exhausted and would feel tired all day long. I fit in regularly sized clothes. I can now easily walk into a store and buy a pair of pants and a shirt. I currently wear a medium or large shirt and 36″ pants, all of which are easy to find and do not require a special store or department to locate. I used to wear 3XL shirts and 52″ pants prior to surgery. Those sizes were tricky to find, were more expensive than normal sizes, and were a real drain on my self-esteem. I can hold my breath longer. This became especially apparent because of snorkeling. In the past, I could not dive beneath the surface, because I couldn’t hold my breath. When there is a lot of internal fat surrounding your organs and especially your lungs, your lungs cannot expand to their full size. As such, you take fast, short breaths and cannot hold your breath for long. Furthermore, because I was out of shape, simply diving down would case my heart rate to elevate, which would cause me to require more oxygen. Now, I can easily dive down 15 feet or more with no issue, and remain underwater for a respectable amount of time. I easily fit into airplane seats now. I was on the verge of requiring a second seat, and the seatbelt extension, on airplanes prior to my surgery. I would have to suck in my belly to buckle the seatbelt on the loosest setting, and I would quickly unbuckle it when the flight attendant was not looking. Now, I have plenty of slack on my airplane seat-belts, and plenty of room within my seat. No longer do I have indentations from the arm rests in my legs and belly. I no longer have to worry about things breaking because of my weight. Tree stands, ladders, hammocks, chairs, and countless other things are rated less than 300 pounds of support. I would break things and otherwise worry about my safety when I would put my weight on objects that were not rated for my weight. One time I was installing a light above my kitchen island, and broke the granite counter top with my weight. I don’t have to worry about that any longer! My doctor visits are significantly more pleasant. Gone are the days when I would go to my doctor and he would lecture me about my weight, and caution me that I was on the highway to a premature death. I used to dread my doctor appointments so much that I would delay them entirely. Now, I look forward to seeing how good my blood levels are, how my weight is, and to be in a healthy range of all medical parameters that he checks. I’ll continue to add to this list as I think of more, but the first 13 improvements immediately came to mind without giving it any amount of thought. To say that my quality of life has greatly improved because of the weight loss and muscle gains would be an immense understatement. Register today for a free weight loss surgery seminar. Author Mark Goss is president and principal software engineer for the Annapolis-based Wyetech. Mark had a sleeve gastrectomy with AAMC's Weight Loss and Metabolic Surgery Program in February 2014. We’ve reprinted this post, with permission, from his Bariatric Betterment blog.
- Senior Care, PediatricsGeneral Page Tier 3BlogBeing a grandparent is one of the most rewarding relationships. But it’s not without its up and downs. Now that we have raised our children, it’s time to let them raise their own. This means listening and deferring to their rules as parents. Still it’s helpful to stay up on the latest dos and don’ts for newborns, like that related to safe sleep practices. When it comes to safe sleep, know your ‘ABCs.’ Here’s what it stands for: A: Sleep alone. Keep blankets, stuffed animals and pillows out of the crib. B: Sleep on their back. Having babies sleep on their backs is probably the most difficult because most of us grandparents remember our babies sleeping very nicely on their bellies or side. However, studies have shown that babies on their back are in the safest position. C: Sleep in a suitable crib or bassinet. Babies should sleep in the parent’s room but in their own space (crib or bassinet). It’s also important to know that it’s easy to overheat a baby, so keep the room temperature between 68 and 72 degrees. Dress the baby in comfortable clothing, similar to what you might wear. A few other updates and changes since you were in charge: Many new moms choose to breastfeed their little ones. Breastfeeding may not have been your choice when you had children, but there are tremendous benefits for mom and baby. Bathing babies is no longer a daily occurrence, especially for newborns. One to two times a week will suffice for a bath. Babies do not need quiet to sleep. In fact it’s better that you keep up the daily activity in your home so they will get used to the noise. Baby powder is no longer recommended. The American Academy of Pediatrics has stated that babies can inhale particles from the powder and cause damage to their lungs. Sterilizing bottles in boiling water is not necessary. Newer baby bottles are dishwasher safe, and there are also sterilization bags that can be used in a microwave. A cold bottle or room temperature milk/formula is okay, if the baby prefers it that way. If you want to warm the bottle, place the bottle in a container with warm, not hot, water. One thing that hasn’t changed is that new grandbabies—and their parents—need our love. Be supportive of new parents by helping them with what they need. Drop off a meal or offer to sit with the baby so parents can catch a quick nap between feedings. Take the older brother or sister to the park to play for an hour. Best of all, encourage new parents and let them know they can always reach out to you. Author Debbie Wasem is supervisor of Women’s Education at AAMC.
- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) is partnering with Surgical Care Affiliates, LLC. (SCA), to open two new surgery centers next year. SCA is a leader in the outpatient surgery industry and part of Optum, a technology-enabled health services and innovation company. The AAMC Surgery Center in Pasadena will offer orthopedic and gynecological procedures and is scheduled to open in January 2019. The Annapolis location, which is expected to open in April 2019, also will provide orthopedic procedures with a focus on total joint replacement and spine care. Both centers will offer outpatient surgery at convenient locations. “Our new surgery centers are an extension of Anne Arundel Medical Center’s high-quality, cost-effective care options to best serve the people in our region,” said Steve Clarke, vice president for Ambulatory Services and Network Development at AAMC. “Patients can expect our same patient-centered care, with the ease and accessibility of outpatient procedures.” AAMC chose SCA as its strategic partner to build and operate the two facilities because of its extensive expertise in this area. “We are partnering with Anne Arundel Medical Center to bring quality, cost-effective outpatient surgical care to residents in Annapolis, Pasadena and the surrounding communities,” said Kristine Lowther, SCA vice president of operations. “We look forward to expanding outpatient total joint replacement and spine surgery in Maryland and helping AAMC care for more patients in high-quality surgery centers.”
- Heart CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAt first, Roger Gaultney thought the pain he was experiencing was acid reflux. It was a warm day last September, and Roger, 62, had just come back from a dermatologist’s appointment. He was working in the yard of his Eastern Shore home, and began to feel sick and sweaty. He drank a Coke — his usual remedy for acid reflux — but the pain began shooting up and down his arm. He began to sweat so badly, it was as if someone had dumped water over his head. He struggled to breathe. He was sick to his stomach. “I knew I was having a heart attack,” he says. Roger’s wife called 911, and when the ambulance arrived, he asked to be taken across the Bay Bridge to Anne Arundel Medical Center. He says he knew he would be in good hands there. Paramedics took him to AAMC’s Emergency Department where he was quickly taken to the cardiac catheterization lab. That’s where Cardiologist Scott Katzen, MD, the lab’s medical director, inserted a stent in the main artery behind Roger’s heart. It was 100 percent blocked. Dr. Katzen emphasizes the importance of “door to balloon” time – the amount of time it takes to unblock a cardiac patient’s artery after the patient arrives at the hospital. “The goal is to have the blockage relieved and blood flow restored to the heart muscle in 90 minutes or less,” Dr. Katzen says. “Around 70 to 80 percent of the time, door to balloon time is an hour or less.” Dr. Katzen performed Roger’s catheterization through the radial artery in his wrist, rather than the femoral artery in the groin. AAMC has been doing these types of catheterizations, which are less risky and more comfortable for the patient, since 2012. Six months after the radial procedure, the scar on Roger’s wrist is barely noticeable. A designated Chest Pain Center AAMC is a designated Chest Pain Center, meaning a team of cardiologists is on call 24/7. AAMC cardiologists perform 1,200 cardiac catheterizations each year. “We are seeing more and more cases of heart disease at the hospital,” says Cardiologist Jerome Segal, MD, medical director of AAMC’s Heart and Vascular services. Dr. Katzen urges patients to learn the potential signs of a heart attack, which can go beyond just chest pain. For instance, patients should pay attention to any type of abnormal sensation in the chest. Shortness of breath is also a possible warning sign. “If you feel something is just not right, seek medical attention,” Dr. Katzen says. He reminds people that living a heart-healthy lifestyle — including eating right, exercising and not smoking — will greatly reduce the risk of developing heart disease. Roger says the care he received from Dr. Katzen was unbelievable. “It was like we’d known each other for years,” Roger says. “I really don’t have words to explain what that means to me.” A new life By all accounts, Roger was a healthy man prior to his heart attack. He’s always been slender, and he keeps physically active in his job as a drywall finisher and by playing with his grandchildren. His main health challenge prior to the heart attack was high cholesterol, though he points out that heart disease runs on his mother’s side of the family. His maternal grandmother died of a heart attack, and his mother had high blood pressure, as well as high cholesterol. A month earlier, he’d gotten a physical that showed no signs of heart problems. After his heart attack, Roger knew he was going to have to change his lifestyle. He now avoids red meat and dairy completely. He’s also become more spiritual and says he is attending church more. “My life is beautiful,” he says. Roger urges others to make an appointment with the Heart Health Foundation’s Dare to C.A.R.E. About Vascular Disease heart health screening program. To get your screening at AAMC, call 410-573-9483, Ext. 200.
- News & Press ReleasesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogThe Human Rights Campaign (HRC) Foundation has recognized Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) as a “LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Top Performer.” The HRC Foundation is the educational arm of the nation’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) civil rights organization. AAMC earned the distinction for its LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices in four categories: patient-centered care, patient services and support, employee benefits and policies, and community and patient engagement. “We are proud to be recognized for our commitment to an equitable, inclusive environment for both our patients and our workforce,” said Maulik Joshi, executive vice president of integrated care delivery and chief operating officer at AAMC. “We are constantly working to identify opportunities to create a more inclusive culture, and this designation is a testament to our efforts.” As part of its efforts, in 2016, AAMC launched its Health Equity Task Force (HETF). The diverse and multi-disciplinary group is dedicated to eliminating health disparities in the community, and strengthening AAMC’s commitment to diversity and inclusion in the workplace. AAMC’s LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Top Performer designation is reported in the 11th edition of the Healthcare Equality Index (HEI). A record 626 healthcare facilities actively participated in the 2018 HEI survey. Among the HEI participants, 95 earned a “LGBTQ Healthcare Equality Top Performer” designation. “With some of our biggest battles still ahead of us, it is crucial that institutions continue to demonstrate that the march toward full equality is not slowing down,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “The 626 participants in this year’s HEI continue this march in partnership with the LGBTQ community. For the past decade, the HEI has been the roadmap to closing the gap in ensuring equal care to LGBTQ patients and their families, and we urge every healthcare facility to join us in this continuing effort to provide inclusive care to all.”
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