- Women's Health, Heart Care, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAt 44, Lynne Powell never suspected a heart attack was coming. For many who know her, it was an astounding wake-up call. The Severna Park mother of two had been a fitness instructor for 15 years. Her blood pressure and cholesterol were normal. Yet one morning she woke with pain in her jaw and a bit of tightness in her chest. She went about her routine and saw her children off to school, but something didn’t feel right. Powell went online to research her symptoms. Surprised to find they met the criteria for heart attacks in women, she called a friend, who insisted that she call 911. “It wasn’t the typical heart attack victim,” Powell says. “And I didn’t want to be overreacting.” But she wasn’t overreacting—she was having a heart attack. “It’s a common misconception that people who are physically very fit cannot develop heart disease,” says Marco Mejia, MD, interventional cardiologist with AAMC, who treated Powell that day. According to Dr. Mejia, women tend to delay treatment because their symptoms can differ from classic male heart attack signs. Women may feel unusually fatigued or have shortness of breath or a general feeling of being unwell. Powell’s ambulance team performed an electrocardiogram, and when she arrived at the AAMC emergency department, she was rushed to the cardiac catheterization lab for an emergency coronary angiogram. The imaging allowed Dr. Mejia to see that her arteries were narrowed across a broad area with no localized blockage to clear, so he determined that medication was the best treatment. The rapid response and quick diagnosis is part of a program called C-PORT, which AAMC adopted nearly 10 years ago. It requires a specialized team of physicians, nurses, and radiologic technologists who are on call 24 hours a day to rapidly evaluate and diagnose cardiac patients. “The C-PORT program saves lives,” Dr. Mejia says. “It also improves outcomes by minimizing damage to the heart, which, in turn, improves long-term health.” Dr. Mejia attributes the program’s success to the collaboration of emergency medical services in the field, the AAMC emergency department staff, the catheterization lab, and interventional cardiologists. Their quick diagnosis and rapid response made all the difference for Powell. Eight weeks after her heart attack, Powell returned to fitness instruction and recently added Zumba to her repertoire. “A heart attack was never a consideration for our family,” says her husband, Mark. “It has continued to be a reminder of how fragile and precious our lives are.” A personal story When I had the heart attack, there wasn’t enough information out there about the symptoms of a women’s heart attack. The symptoms are so different from men’s and I decided to get involved in educating in the community because it’s so important. Heart attack is the number one killer of women. I joined AAMC’s philanthropy council for the Heart and Vascular Institute about two years ago. We’re raising money to build a new heart station in the hospital. The current station was designed years ago, but it’s grown a lot in the last ten years. More than 200,000 patients get cardiac care and testing through the heart and vascular unit. So, they want to make the heart station bigger and improve the infrastructure, and consolidate it all in one place. My husband joined the philanthropy council with me, and now he’s on the Foundation Board of the Hospital. He’s someone who believes in paying it forward. He feels that if you have opportunities and resources that you can share with other people then he wants to do that. Obviously, the hospital saved my life, so it’s important to us.
- Men's Health, Women's Health, Uncategorized, Wellness, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogDaniel Fluharty, a weight loss surgery patient, describes his experience and life after surgery. My name is Daniel Fluharty, and I teach both high school and college, and I adore teaching. Growing up I was always fat so—no matter what—I was fat in my head. I was never good enough. If someone were laughing [I assumed] they were laughing at me because of my weight. Even though it had nothing to do with me—they could be telling a joke to a friend—I saw it as me. As a teacher, if kids were talking, they were talking about me. My highest weight was approximately 342 pounds. One of the health issues that I really had to deal with was high blood pressure and some of the medication caused weight gain. I was also pre-diabetic. My family has a very strong history of diabetes and I was close to a heart attack or stroke. I have used weight watchers. I’ve done lean cuisine meals. I’ve been a member of TOPS—Taking Off Pounds Sensibly. When I realized that I needed to do something for myself—I just couldn’t deal with dieting—I thought maybe I should look into gastric bypass. Right now, my weight is approximately 200 pounds. The moment the surgeon who did the surgery said to me, ‘Dan you are at the healthiest you have ever been, you are at the weight your body should be at for your age and your height’— that was it. There’s such a major change. I’m more confident than I was. There are things I’ll do now that I wouldn’t have done before. I have gone cave tubing. I have rock climbed. I’m going to go hot air ballooning. I’ve got a sky diving opportunity. I am as far from being diabetic as you can get. I haven’t had a real headache in seven years. I am a firm supporter in gastric bypass. If I could have, I would have done it years ago. I recommend it, but I’m not going to say I encourage it, because you need to find out first if diets work. But if you feel that you’re ready for it, go talk to the physician. See what you need to do to be eligible and then go for it. Watch the video of Daniel’s interview on our YouTube Channel.
- Men's Health, Women's Health, Wellness, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogAnnapolis resident Doug Jones had been a muscular young man, but just as his doctor had predicted, his weight crept up steadily with age leading to complications such as diabetes and high cholesterol. Doug was at high risk for heart a heart attack until weight loss surgery helped him regain control of his health. I went from 160 pounds to 388 pounds, and I was absolutely out of breath. Absolutely tired. I would think how far do I have to walk? Can I take a car to go two blocks? That sort of thing. My feet hurt. My ankles hurt. And then they had a thing on 60 minutes a report on the benefits of weight loss surgery for diabetics and after I saw it, I said, we ought to look into that because it sounds like it’s perfect for me. The day I got out of the hospital I never had another problem with diabetes and every day I would lose an average of two to three pounds. My cholesterol is better than it’s ever been. I guess the best way to say it is: I have 13 grandchildren and before I had this operation, I didn’t know how long I’d be around with them or how much I could enjoy them. Since I’ve had the operation I’ve felt like I cheated because I’ve tried to go on every diet there was. This went so easily that I literally feel like I’m cheating. I feel like a million dollars, and I think I look like I feel. There are no ifs, ands, or buts! If you want to know would I do it again? In a heartbeat. Watch the full video of Doug’s interview on our YouTube Channel.
- Women's Health, Pediatrics, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWhen Katie Voelcker thinks about her life before she had quadruplets, she remembers reading books, tending to housework, and spontaneous trips to the park with her 4-year-old son, Tyler. “Now,” says Katie, who lives with husband Allen in Chestertown, Md., “things are a little more hectic.” Their lives went from easygoing to warp speed last fall when doctors and nurses at AAMC helped Katie deliver quadruplets—two boys, Daniel and William, and two girls, Allison and Alexis. “The C-section procedure went very well. It was uncomplicated,” says Anthony Moorman, MD, one of the OB-GYNs who delivered the babies. Katie delivered the children at 32 weeks and 4 days. She had been hospitalized for two weeks before delivery. As is standard procedure in premature, high-risk births, the quadruplets remained in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) under observation for several weeks before being sent home. Fast-forward to fall 2013, the Voelcker babies keep their parents on their toes. They are crawling, working on pulling themselves up to a standing position, eating solids, and refining their communication skills. Do you go places? “We went to Wal-Mart the other day,” Katie sighs and smiles. “We have a minivan. It’s a tight squeeze, so we are looking at getting a bigger passenger van. I don’t want to, but we may have no choice!” Most of the time, Katie is happy and overwhelmed at the same time. But she has her moments. “Some days when it’s just me and the kids, I kind of shut down.” Who has been helpful along the way? “Allen is my best friend and partner in this crazy life of ours. I couldn’t keep going without his support and love,” Katie says. “My mother-in-law, Edwina, lives in Pasadena and has been here for us since the later part of my pregnancy. My mom came in from Utah and was here for two months. People from our church also have been a big help too. They send us meals; come over to lend a hand with anything we need; and take our oldest, Tyler, out to play.” There is also an online community of quad moms Katie regularly checks in with. “It helps to see there are other people who are going through it at the same time. It makes it feel normal. I don’t feel so different.” How do you make time for yourself? “It’s harder. I look forward to going to the grocery store, taking a shower, nap time, and bed time,” says Katie. “From 7:30 to 10pm is my time when I relax.” There is an especially caring teenager from church named Nikki who loves babies and happily babysits all five children so Katie and Allen can go on date nights. “I call her my little lifesaver. She knows the routine as well as I do,” Katie says. Do you have advice for other moms? “Don’t be afraid to ask for help,” Katie says. “That was the hardest thing for me. Believe it or not, there are good people out there who not only can help but want to help. You just have to ask.” AAMC is the Safe, Smart Place for you and your baby. Get acquainted with the space by taking a video tour here.
- Community, Giving, Heart Care, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWhen Steve Baluyot first started donating platelets in 1991, he was in the Navy stationed at Portsmouth Naval Hospital in Virginia. Now, as a medical technologist in AAMC’s blood bank, Steve prepares donated units of blood and blood components for patients who need it. “I give platelets every two months—more often if we’re really low,” Steve says. Platelets are small cells in the blood that help control bleeding. They are a lifeline for many, especially cancer and leukemia patients. Platelet donation is similar to whole blood donation except it involves apheresis, a specialized process that extracts only platelets from the blood. The whole process takes about two hours. Because of patient confidentiality, Steve never knows who is getting his platelets. But due to his role in the blood bank, he is acutely aware of when the supply is low and a patient may be in critical need of a platelet transfusion. Is it worth the time commitment? “Absolutely,” says the Arnold resident, who is married and has three teenage sons. “I do it because I see the direct impact I’m having. I know I am really helping someone.”
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