- 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.”
- Cancer Care, Senior Care, Wellness, Uncategorized, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogRobert Smith was a healthy 62-year old runner when he first found the lump on the left side of his neck. Stage 4 head and neck cancer took him completely by surprise. A little more than a year later, after surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, the Annapolis attorney is cancer free and putting his life back together. He looks back on the whirlwind year he spent in treatment, thankful that he had a nurse navigator to guide him through the complicated process, and the Oncology Survivorship Rehabilitation Program to support him as he continues his road to recovery. My wife, Sherrie and I were, in a word “terrified.” We had no idea what we were about to encounter, who to go to for help, and most importantly what resources are available to treat the various symptoms and side effects that arise during and after treatment. It all works because of the nurse navigators and what they do. They’re like the air traffic controllers at the airport that direct everything. From setting up appointments, dealing with insurance companies, and even arranging for medical equipment to be delivered to your house. My nurse navigator Jackie Shanahan was indispensable during the entire treatment and follow-up process and worked with my wife and me all the way. She scheduled all appointments with doctors and the infusion center for hydration, she put us in touch with the right people, answered our questions honestly, and walked us through everything, including helping us learn to take care of the feeding tube, suggesting shakes and even ordering the suction machine when I needed it. If we needed anything at all, all we had to do was call. She got us medicine and doctor’s slips for blood tests. She did the paperwork for medical insurance purposes. She helped us understand and obtain the resources that were available at each stage of the process. I had some swallowing, talking, and eating issues, and Jackie referred me to a speech therapist to work on my speech and learn to eat solid food again. She also made an appointment for a lymphedema therapist at the hospital who helped me with swelling and stiffness in my face and neck. During this time, I was one of the first people in the Oncology Survivorship Rehabilitation Program that’s just starting, and it was a huge resource. Following active treatment is when patients need the most care to sort out how to handle the various symptoms and get back their daily lives. The nurses there sent me to see a nutritionist for my weight issues. I was given a booklet with contact information for my entire medical team and a summary of my diagnosis, surgery and treatment. They gave me monitoring guidelines, recommendations for risk factors and possible side effects I might still encounter. They have everything covered and they pledged to be available whenever I have a need. We have a hidden jewel just a couple miles away from my home, with the most amazing medical care right in our own back yard. What they do is not paid by medical insurance, but they are so essential to the whole program. The costs of nurse navigators are absorbed by the hospital, and I just don’t know how it would work without them. Treating cancer takes a village, and that’s what I’ve got, a medical village, and I know who to contact and what is available to me. I have not been left at home alone in the dark.
- Men's Health, Women's Health, Heart Care, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogWhen Robert Youngblood and his wife, Beatrice walked into the hospital on July 29th, they were excited to see their granddaughter and her brand new baby girl. The 79-year-old Glendale resident had no inkling that he was just minutes away from a major heart attack, but he’s thankful he was here when it happened. We went down to the hospital to see our new great granddaughter, Paris Francesca. Grandma was holding her, and she handed her over to me. About 45 seconds later, I broke out into a cold sweat. I recognized it right away. I just handed the baby over to my wife, and I guess I said I wasn’t feeling right. The next thing I knew I was stretched out on the floor. Everybody else just took over, and it seemed like half of Anne Arundel Medical Center was in the maternity ward where I was. At first, I didn’t feel any pain, but by the time they got me to the emergency room, my pain was getting close to a ten out of ten. It was really starting to hurt. The doctors and nurses were there doing all the necessary things, and they ended up putting a stent in. Everything was just handled so quickly and it was like military precision. It is a top notch plus organization. After that, when I was in a room, I was treated well by everyone—even the nurses that come in to stick your finger and check your blood all night. I nicknamed them vampires, but I smile when I say it. Even they were truly great. Robert’s wife, Beatrice agrees. Although it was a horrible thing to go through, she says it couldn’t have happened at a better place. I can only say that if anyone were to ask me where should they go if they need a hospital, Anne Arundel would be my first choice. Absolutely. The picture is still in my mind, how a deluge of nurses came into the room, and then the doctors came. The next thing I knew they were wheeling him down the hall, and they were making sure family was following—making sure we were all there and taking care of us, too. We stood out in the hall while they were in the emergency room with him, and my son said, ‘look at the staff, look how everybody is here.’ They were calm and just doing what needed to get done. It was calming for us. I’ve noticed, even when you walk in the door, everyone smiles. I’ve yet to have someone that’s not spoken to me, even staff members walking down the hall, they will smile.
- Cancer Care, Women's Health, Pediatrics, Uncategorized, Patient StoriesGeneral Page Tier 3BlogElma Courtenay was treated for Breast Cancer at the DeCesaris Cancer Institute. She says just knowing she was in the best hands possible helped her focus her energy on getting well. “You know you hear the word cancer, and the first word that pops into your head is death. When I was given the diagnosis, my mind was a complete blank. Then Dr. Tafra said something that made all the difference. When she first saw me, she said, “We’re going to get you down to a healthy weight.” Those were the words of life and hope. I thought, ‘that could take a long time,’ and, immediately, I knew I was going to live. And I held on to those words every single day. I was given chemo to treat the breast tumor so I could have the surgery. My nurse navigator was so amazing. I had never heard of a nurse navigator before, but it was such a godsend. They walk you through everything so you’re focusing on healing yourself and not worrying about who you have to make appointments with. Just knowing that she was always there at a moment’s notice to return my call immediately was amazing. It just made everything so literally stress-free because the one worry I did not have in my life at the time was my medical attention and care. I sensed and I knew that I was in the best of care possible and the rest was up to me. I really focused on keeping everything positive; not listening to news, and even being very selective of the music I was listening to. I changed my thought process, and I welcomed the medication. I saw it as the airstrike coming into my body to get rid of the bad army. I cut out all processed food, all sugar, all carbs. I ate very natural organic foods. I dropped 25 pounds. It sounds strange but I felt healthier. And the tumor shrank beyond my doctor’s expectations. When I was first diagnosed, a lumpectomy was not on the table. It was going to be a mastectomy. But the tumor shrank enough for a lumpectomy. Then, after the surgery, during my radiation treatment, my husband who is in the Marine Corps, was transferred to Texas. But with the care and compassion that I received there at the Breast Center, I could not just stop right in the middle. I realized I was surrounded by compassionate people that really wanted to see me go through it with the least worries and stress. So I told my husband, “Go ahead and go. I am in very good hands.” And I was. Now that all my tests have come back negative, I’m getting ready to join him. And I am so, so thankful for the wonderful, wonderful care I got at Anne Arundel Medical Center. Being in a place where I could get the quality of care, the attention that they give to their patients made a big difference in my recovery.”
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