- Community, Women's HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnne Arundel Medical Center wants to help make staying healthy easy, which is why we started “The Smart Woman Connection,” a health resource focused only on women’s health. Need help keeping track of your medical history? Want to know how to perform a breast self-exam, lose weight or manage stress? Our free women’s health journal can help you stay on top of your health. It’s easy for women to place everyone and everything ahead of themselves on the priority list. The demands of work life, home life and social life often collide. Women often push their own health and wellbeing to the side while caring for everyone else. Here are three ways to put yourself first: Focus on YOU. Women often feel guilty when they try to find more “me” time in their schedule. “I shouldn’t go to the gym because I need to spend time with my kids,” or “I can’t see a friend after work because I need to put dinner on the table.” Focusing on yourself isn’t something you should feel guilty about. “Me time” gives you the chance to relax, recharge and come back to responsibilities with a fresh focus. Learn to say no. You and your family get lots of requests for your time and soon you find yourself trying to do everything. Don’t default to YES. Ask yourself, “Is this something I really want to do?” or “Will this bring me satisfaction and happiness?” If the answer is no, stop and think about how to respond. It’s okay to say no, and it’s also okay to offer an alternative that is a better fit with everything else on your plate. Make your health a priority. Don’t neglect your yearly health checks and visits to your doctor. You can’t help others if you aren’t healthy yourself. Whether it’s a doctor you need, a personal health question you have or health screening guidelines you want, the Smart Woman Connection can help. For more information about the Smart Woman Connection, call 443-481-5995.
- Uncategorized, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAn unexpected tragedy “It was the worst day of my life.” That’s how Greg Meyer remembers Nov. 23, 2012. The night before his wife Leah had her first contraction. She was pregnant with their first child after two years of trying to have a baby. They were one week away from their due date. With a mix of nerves, excitement and disbelief, Greg and Leah arrived at Anne Arundel Medical Center (AAMC) to deliver their son, Talon. Their nurse began performing a final ultrasound before moving them to the labor and delivery unit. After looking at the machine for a few moments, she told Greg and Leah she needed to get the doctor. “It was then that something just didn’t feel right,” says Leah. “When the doctor came in, he told us the most gut-wrenching news we had ever heard: ‘Your baby doesn’t have a heartbeat.’” Leah describes the rest of the day as a blur. “From that moment on, we were physically present, but our minds weren’t fully aware of what was happening.” At 3:05pm that day, Leah delivered their stillborn son, Talon. “He was 5 pounds, .05 ounces and 19 inches long. He had a head full of dark hair like me, and long fingers and toes like his dad. We had no idea what we were doing … never in a million years did we think we would have to welcome our son into the world and say goodbye to him on the same day,” says Leah. The nurses encouraged Greg and Leah to take pictures and imprints of Talon’s hands and feet, dress him and cut a lock of his hair to keep in a memory box. After holding him for a few hours, Greg and Leah said a final goodbye to their newborn son. AAMC Labor and Delivery Nurse Tina Raab was one of the nurses who cared for Greg and Leah. “It’s a very humbling experience to be with those patients in the darkest moment in their lives,” says Tina. “Giving them tissues, hugging them, holding the mom’s hand when everyone goes to be with the baby … simple acts like that really go a long way in those situations.” “The little things our nurses did, like giving Leah a hug, meant the most to us,” says Greg. “What was an awful day could have been exponentially worse without their care.” Silence instead of support Greg and Leah aren’t alone. Each year at AAMC, roughly 60 couples experience perinatal loss after their first trimester. Perinatal loss is the non-voluntary loss of a baby from conception to 28 days of life. In the U.S., one in four couples will experience perinatal loss. And each year, 26,000 couples have a stillborn baby, a baby that dies in the womb after 20 weeks of pregnancy or later. For these couples, sources of support are difficult to find. “Perinatal loss is not a comfortable conversation that people want to have,” says Ann O’Sullivan, AAMC’s perinatal loss program coordinator. When someone dies, their loved ones remember them by telling stories and sharing memories. But when a baby dies, people tend to avoid the subject altogether, Ann explains. “Any family’s biggest fear is that nobody will remember their baby,” says Ann. “Families find different ways to remember their baby: some have birthday parties, some sponsor remembrance events and some plant gardens.” Greg and Leah went beyond that. While they remember Talon each year by lighting a candle, they have extended their efforts to give back to other people. “They took their grief and turned it completely inside out to help others,” says Tina. Choosing hope Left without their son at the beginning of the holiday season, Greg and Leah returned to AAMC weeks later during the holidays to hand out gifts to patients in the pediatric unit. And, for the past two years, they organized a concert to benefit First Candle, a Baltimore-based charity focusing on perinatal loss research. Greg and other local musicians perform, and local sports teams and businesses donate raffle items. The concert, Still Singing, has raised more than $6,000 to date. “We can choose to be permanently bitter or we can choose to try, in some weird way, to create positive change from this and make Talon’s life meaningful,” says Greg. For Greg, that choice inspired a career change. Moved by the compassion and care he and his wife received from their nurses, Greg enrolled in nursing school months after he lost his son. He now works in the heart and kidney unit at Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C. “Our stories aren’t the same, but I can make a deeper connection to what [my patients] might be going through, and what their families might need, after losing my son,” says Greg. “It does get easier” Nearly three years after losing Talon, Greg and Leah returned to AAMC’s labor and delivery unit. On Oct. 30, 2015, their son Emory was born. “Having Emory in our arms seemed like the fulfillment of a dream many years in the making,” says Greg. “Having a healthy baby is an amazing miracle.” Marcus Penn, MD, OB-GYN at AAMC, delivered Emory and cared for the Meyers throughout their pregnancy. “Dr. Penn is one of the most compassionate, caring and dedicated doctors I have ever met,” says Leah. “Before we had Emory, he was there for us during two miscarriages and encouraged us not to give up hope.” In order to be part of Emory’s delivery, both Tina and Dr. Penn stayed at AAMC well after their shifts had ended. “It meant so much to have them there,” says Greg. “It was kind of like a moment of bringing our miracle full circle.” Tina Raab, RN, (center) receives a DAISY Award for excellence in nursing. Leah and Greg Meyer and their son Emory attend the ceremony. Since Leah’s pregnancy with Emory was considered high-risk, the Meyers also visited a specialist at the Center for Maternal and Fetal Medicine. “Couples who have experienced a loss are often extremely nervous in subsequent pregnancies,” says William Sweeney, MD, director of maternal-fetal medicine at AAMC. “To provide peace of mind and ensure normal fetal health, we schedule frequent visits and fetal tests. We try to respond quickly to any parental concerns to ensure couples are at ease throughout their entire pregnancy.” While Greg and Leah celebrate their healthy pregnancy and newborn son, they will always remember Talon and continue to bring meaning to his life. “He’s our guardian angel now,” says Greg. “We won’t ever forget, but it does get easier.” “There is hope for families that are out there grieving,” says Ann. “We do offer perinatal loss support, and it’s important for people to be aware of that. No one has to go through this alone.” For more information about AAMC’s perinatal loss support services, contact Ann O’Sullivan, perinatal loss program coordinator at 410-570-2164. Visit www.aahs.org/birth for more information about AAMC’s birth and baby services. Read about our perinatal loss program in The Wall Street Journal. Contributors Marcus Penn, MD, is an OB-GYN at AAMC and can be reached at 410-571-9700. William Sweeney, MD, is the director of maternal-fetal medicine at AAMC and can be reached at 410-224-4442.
- Behavioral HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogMore than 60 million adults in the U.S. experience heartburn, the most common symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). GERD is a digestive condition that causes indigestion and acid reflux. If you feel a burning sensation below your ribs or a sour taste at the back of your mouth after you eat, GERD may be to blame. But GERD causes more than discomfort. It increases your risk of stomach and esophageal cancers. Fortunately, GERD symptoms are often treatable with diet and lifestyle changes. Obesity, smoking and drinking alcohol all increase your risk of GERD and make symptoms worse. And if you’re overweight, the extra weight pushes the contents of your stomach back up to your throat. The most effective ways to prevent GERD include losing weight and not smoking or drinking. In addition to these lifestyle changes, here are some other tips to avoid GERD: 1. Don’t lie down after eating. Think of your stomach as a cup of hydrochloric acid (which the stomach produces), combined with the food you eat. Standing or sitting upright, the acid is more likely to stay in your stomach. Lying down, the contents of your stomach can spill and move up to your throat and the back of your mouth. Allow gravity to do its part in preventing GERD by standing or sitting upright after a meal. Walking can also help encourage proper digestion. 2. Finish eating meals 2-3 hours before sleeping. This allows the stomach acid to move out of your stomach before lying down for the night or taking a nap. 3. Avoid trigger foods. Trigger foods can include chocolate, peppermint, fried or fatty foods, citrus fruits and juices, tomato products, vinegar and pepper. Coffee, alcohol and carbonated drinks can also make symptoms worse. 4. Eat smaller portions. Large meals fill the stomach, causing pressure that pushes stomach fluid up toward the throat. 5. Raise the upper body while sleeping. Use six-inch blocks or a special wedge-shaped pillow to keep acid in the stomach by raising your entire upper body while you sleep. This decreases pressure on your stomach and relieves symptoms. 6. Be wise about antacids. If you’re currently taking antacids or over-the-counter medications, or have in the past, it’s important to visit your primary care doctor. These medicines may wrongly mask symptoms of stomach and esophageal cancers. While GERD is not life-threatening, it’s important to talk to your primary care doctor about your symptoms. Your doctor can help you change behaviors and manage medication based on your individual needs. In some cases, your doctor may refer you to a surgeon.
- Men's Health, Senior Care, Women's Health, Heart CareGeneral Page Tier 3BlogFamily gatherings, celebrations, extravagant meals, and lavish desserts—the holiday season is full of indulgences that can be damaging to your heart health. We asked William C. Maxted, MD, cardiologist and director of the Heart and Vascular Unit at Anne Arundel Medical Center, to share tips for maintaining a healthy heart while still enjoying all the holiday season has to offer. Here are four of his recommendations: 1. Enjoy Without Overindulging The holidays and food go hand in hand. With food at the center of attention from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, it’s easy to overindulge at times. It’s okay to eat the foods you enjoy, but it’s important to still be mindful of what you’re eating. Eat more slowly and visit the buffet with a smaller plate to help you to keep portions in control. And, a diet- and fitness-tracking app helps you keep an eye on how many calories you are really consuming. It’s best to avoid food with a lot of salt, especially if you have a history of high blood pressure. Don’t overindulge on alcohol either, as it can affect your heart in many different ways, even causing heart rhythm disturbances. Moderate alcohol intake is best—ideally two drinks at most. Even if you don’t have a heart condition, excess alcohol should be avoided. 2. Remember to Relax Pressure from hosting family and friends, travel, holiday shopping, and attending multiple parties can raise stress and anxiety levels. A high level of stress is never good for your heart. Planning ahead and setting limits is the best way to enjoy the holidays while avoiding additional stress and anxiety. Be realistic about what you can fit into your schedule and prioritize. 3. Exercise When You Can It can be difficult to maintain an exercise routine during the hectic holiday season. Try incorporating exercise into your schedule of holiday activities. 4. Listen to Your Body There is an increase in cardiac deaths during the holidays, possibly because people ignore symptoms to avoid disrupting the merriment. When symptoms arise that could be cardiac related, seek medical care immediately. A delay can end in a worse result than stopping the holiday party, and it’s not worth the risk. Author William C. Maxted Jr., MD, is a cardiologist at Cardiology Associates in Annapolis and Bowie. He can be reached at (410) 573-6480.
- Men's Health, Senior Care, Women's HealthGeneral Page Tier 3BlogFor people 65 years old and older, we recommend two vaccines. The first is the high-dose seasonal flu shot. Except in rare cases, everyone age 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine. Patients age 65 and up should get the high-dose shot. It has four times the amount of antigen, the ingredient that starts your immune system making antibodies, as the regular shot. Older people who get influenza are at risk for serious complications from the disease, which could lead to hospitalization or death. Because of this, it is much better for seniors to receive a vaccination before the worst of the flu season hits. This will be our second year giving the high-dose shot. Last year we saw 40 percent fewer cases of flu among seniors who had the high-dose vaccine compared to those who opted for the regular dose. The second shot we recommend is the Prevnar-13 vaccination, which protects against 13 strains of streptococcal pneumonia. Because older people tend to have more conditions that weaken their immune system—such as diabetes, asthma or COPD—protection against strep bacteria is very important. Just as with influenza, seniors who develop pneumonia are at greater risk for complications, such as blood infections or meningitis. We have a good supply of both vaccines and encourage everyone to come in for your shots. We can administer the shots on a walk-in basis—no appointment is needed—and the cost is covered by most insurance. Author By Meetu Agrawal, MD, a primary care physician at AAMG Largo Primary Care. To reach her, call 301-925-7610.
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