- Community, Women's Health, Wellness, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogLike many of us, AAMC employees Peggy Rabuck and Joyce Kroneberger were no strangers to dieting. So when they saw a new “diet” advertised at AAMC from the reputable Mayo Clinic, they decided to give it a try. “It was unlike any other program I’ve done,” says Kroneberger. “This was a real change in lifestyle. I learned to rethink my relationship with food.” The Mayo Clinic Diet is a weight management program that focuses on adopting healthy habits and breaking unhealthy ones. Led by a registered dietitian and cardiac rehab specialist, the weekly classes provide a supportive, no-guilt group atmosphere and education that builds the foundation for fad-free nutrition and exercise. “It’s not radical or hokey, it just makes sense,” says Rabuck. “For example, they encourage you to eat whole, natural foods instead of processed.” Since taking the class, both women have enjoyed positive results. “I lost over 20 pounds,” says Rabuck. “I’m no longer pre-diabetic and I don’t need to take one of my blood pressure medications anymore. I also recently met my goal of completing a 5-K run.” Kroneberger lost 40 pounds and says, “I have more energy. It’s the best thing I ever did for myself.”
- Men's Health, Women's Health, Wellness, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogMargie Chase usually had success with weight loss when she put her mind to it. But then, something stressful would happen in her life, and the pounds would add up again. It wasn’t until the 53-year-old Davidsonville resident learned to understand nutrition and the underlying reasons for weight gain that she was able to make the lasting changes required for permanent weight loss. I struggle with emotional eating. When I have a lot of stress in my life; I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I eat. The death of my mom in 2005 put me into a downward spiral and I just never seemed to get out of it. Then a friend suggested I go to the Mayo Clinic Workshop. I followed the workbook and I read the chapters in the book and I realized I can do this. I can do all of this. The difference is that I learned a lot about nutrition that I didn’t know the other times. Things like reading the labels and how products are labeled to make you think they’re healthier than they are. Now I really understand the nutritional value of the food I eat. However a few weeks into the program my sister passed away. It was a tragic event and I didn’t know if I could keep going with the program. I was afraid I would start eating junk again. The biggest thing that kept me in it was talking it over with Ann and Carole, (the nutritionists who run the program.) They were so supportive, and even though I was eating, I was making healthy choices. And I still make healthier choices. For instance, today, I’m going out to Garrett County and I made sure I had plenty of water, fruits, and nutritional bars in the car to help me on this long drive. It’s all healthy. I never would have done that before. I would have just gone for the fast food junk. When I started in February I was at 223, and I’m now down to 180. I’ve hit a plateau, but that’s OK. I’ve learned with the program that you’ll hit these places where you get stuck. I’ve hit a couple before and I just keep going. Then all of a sudden it breaks loose and the scale starts to move again. Your body needs to adjust. Staying steady is better than focusing on the scale. I’ve never been much of an exerciser, but I always knew I felt better when I had the weight off. So now, I make sure I do the exercise. I even joined a boot camp after the Mayo Clinic workshop was over. With the things I’ve learned I’m still able to treat myself. Someone recently made me a blackberry pie, and that’s my favorite. So I didn’t deprive myself. I made a different choice. I took a small slice instead of what before would have been a quarter of a pie, and I told myself that I would exercise for an additional 20 minutes or so to make up for it. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. I eat everything I want but in small portions and keep doing my exercises. None of this has been easy. It’s been a long, challenging journey, but it’s gotten me 43 pounds closer to my goal weight. It’s not over for me because I still have my goal in sight, but I’m hoping the changes I’m making will allow me to live longer and have more energy to enjoy my two small nephews.This is a life style change and it feels so good.
- Cancer Care, Men's Health, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAs someone who spent an entire career explaining sensitive and sometimes complicated information to the American public, clear communication has always been important to Marlin Fitzwater. The 69-year-old Deale resident spent a decade as the White House press secretary under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. It is not surprising, then, that when talking about his cancer treatment, he said, “next to a smiling face, a good explanation is crucial to overcoming the fear.” Last year, Marlin learned that the cancer for which he had undergone a radical prostatectomy in 1997 had returned. He was afraid, and unsure of his options. But, he sought out the most advanced medical treatment in an environment that made him feel comfortable and eased his fears. “I have at least three hospitals that are within 35 to 40 miles of my home,” he said, adding that he had hoped to find what he was looking for at AAMC. “I wanted a hospital that was local, that was mine, that I could get to regularly, and where I knew the area and knew the people,” he said. After visiting a variety of hospitals, Marlin was pleased to learn about the DeCesaris Cancer Institute and that it could offer him a state-of-the-art, non-invasive procedure to treat his prostate cancer. “They helped me overcome my fears right off the bat,” he said, “They took time to explain things in ways I could understand.” Marlin recalls asking his doctor how the radiation treatment worked. He said his doctor took out a pen and began to draw an illustration showing him where the cancer was and how Novallis TX radiosurgery would deliver highly precise radiation treatments, targeting only the cancer cells and leaving the surrounding healthy tissue intact. “I walked away and I thought, this is really terrific, they explained to me exactly how this stuff works.” According to Marlin, how it worked was simple from a patient perspective. His daily treatments lasted a mere 15 minutes or so. There was no pain, and the open nature of the equipment alleviated his concerns about claustrophobia. He said the best part, of course, was learning that the cancer was gone. Within a few months of his treatment, Marlin was heading out for his annual winter trip to Florida and making plans for the publication of his latest book, a collection of short stories. “You are always telling yourself, this works, and I hope it works, but seeing that it works, is a great kind of relief.”
- Men's Health, Women's Health, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogCathy Sanders is the kind of person who rarely goes to the doctor and never expected to have to go to the hospital. But all that changed in March when her daughter came home from school and found her barely conscious. The 51-year-old Arnold resident was in critical condition and suffering from a very rare disease in which the body’s blood vessels leak fluid, causing swelling, fluid in the lungs and extremely low, unstable blood pressure. What I have is called systemic capillary leak syndrome or SCLS. It’s very rare: I’m the 151st person in the world to get this diagnosis. I was so lucky, that not only did Dr. Patel figure out what it was, but Dr. Morganti was able to do the surgery I needed. The whole team was just excellent. After about 24 hours in the hospital I’d received 34 liters of IV fluid, which was keeping me alive, but my blood pressure wouldn’t stabilize. I was getting compartment syndrome which is when fluid builds up so severely that it cuts off circulation to the muscles. I needed surgery, which involved cutting through the skin and connective tissue to allow all those fluids out and release the pressure before there was severe tissue damage. I was in very bad shape. My heart rate was dangerously low, I had metabolic acidosis, and was going into respiratory failure. In spite of all this, Dr. Morganti and the two anesthesiologists were able to intubate me and keep me alive and do the surgery. Meanwhile, no one knew what was wrong with me. There were four different critical care doctors all consulting to figure out what was going on. Dr. Patel was actually driving home after work when it hit him. He called Dr. Kirk Druey at NIH, who is one of the few people in the world studying this disease, and he confirmed the diagnosis. It’s incredible that I was able to wake up after that surgery and be told “here’s what’s been happening to you.” Of the four stories I’ve read about SCLS cases, one woman in Louisiana had attacks for ten years and had seen 70 specialists before being diagnosed. The three others were not able to get the surgery I had, and spent months in ICU, burn units, and rehab to relearn how to walk with the permanent tissue damage. That didn’t happen to me because of the incredible staff at the hospital. I spent 15 days at AAMC, and had a few weeks of physical therapy at home. About two months after it all happened I was able to work again, and now, it’s just a matter of building up my strength. I have a small massage therapy practice, and it meant a lot to me to get back to work and see my clients again.
- Community, News & Press Releases, Patient & Family Advisors, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAs one of the founding members of the Patient and Family Advisory Council, Karen Goldman has spent the past four and a half years helping to keep the patient perspective front and center at AAMC. For the past two years, she’s been co-chair of the council, and is passing the baton to allow new leadership. While she will remain on the council, she’s taken this opportunity to reflect on why she became involved and what the experience has meant to her. The main reason I became involved with AAMC is because they saved my husband’s life in 2004. I live one mile from the hospital so it’s been the hospital of choice by geography, but then my husband had a massive coronary and ended up in the ER. In addition to the medical treatment which was lifesaving, the staff just never gave up. He coded twice— so this was a dramatic situation— and the impact of that, for me, was just profound. I was the director of patient relations at another hospital system so I understood the significance of that kind of dedication. I saw how well the interventional cardiologist Dr. Mejia and other medical staff at cared for him. That whole experience made it very real and I saw that they were really there for us when we needed them. AAMC became not only hospital of choice by geography, but it is our hospital of choice because of their excellence. And that’s when I decided to get involved. I just wanted to help the hospital in my community be even better and I felt that I had skills to help them do that. With experience as a family member and as a hospital social worker, I was one of initial founders of the council. Then, just last year, I had a heart attack and I now have the experience of a patient as well. All of this really drove home the meaning of patient-family centered care. On the advisory council we emphasize the term “patient-family centered care” and ensure education for the whole staff to make sure it’s hard-wired throughout the hospital. Whether a staff member is working in the cafeteria, whether they’re helping to achieve a sterile environment by cleaning rooms, whether it’s surgeons, or bedside staff, everyone is involved in helping patients to feel welcomed and to make sure patients are honored and their feelings are heard. Being a part of the patient family advisory council has been a very powerful thing for me—being able to give back in ways that impact patients and family members and help take the hospital to such a high level of care. I like to say I have seen the hospital go from great to even greater.
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