Download pdf - 1-800-4BAYLOR January 2010 Her Heart - BSWHealth · I f you have osteoarthritis in your knees and hips, you may find, as time goes by, that you can no longer control your pain, and

1-800-4BAYLOR January 2010

Visit BaylorHealth.com for informative videos, interactive quizzes, online event registration, and much more.

5 pains you should never ignore!page 2

Joint replacement surgery gets you back on your feetpage 3

In a heart emergency, count on Baylor Irvingpage 4

Could cherries help ease the pain of arthritis?page 5

As Becky Drake learned, the signs of a heart attack can be subtle for women page 6

HerHeart

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Sore shoulders. Aching hips. Throbbing knees. Just a few of life’s little reminders that your age is catching up with you, right? Maybe not. Many of those aches and pains you’re

living with may be signs of an underlying, treatable condition. And ignoring that pain may only make the situation worse.

Trouble SpotsR. Mills Roberts, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon on the medi-cal staff at Baylor Medical Center at Irving, says that swelling, unrelenting joint pain especially at night, and feeling a joint catch or give way are concerns. Here are some of the trouble spots he commonly hears about.

1. ShoulderS. A lot of people think a sore shoul-der stems from tendinitis or arthritis, but it could also be a rotator cuff injury. If pain continues for more than two weeks, he sug-gests getting it checked out. In many cases, anti-inflammatory medications, steroids and physical ther-apy can help.

2. hipS. If bursitis is causing your hip pain, anti-inflammatory medications, injections and physical therapy may be able to help. Some injections also help with arthritis pain.

3. KneeS. For arthritis pain, joint injections can help cushion, lubricate and protect knee joints. Physical therapy can help with knee pain, too.

4. Feet. For foot pain, your doctor will want to check for a stress fracture, which often heals with a walking boot and rest if it’s caught early.

5. heelS. Heel pain is a common problem that shouldn’t be ignored. Plantar fasciitis—an irritation on the bottom of the heel—is often the cause. Stretching, shoe inserts and steroid injections can help. Untreated heel pain can lead you to change the way you walk, triggering knee, hip or back pain.

Two to TolerateTwo types of pain you can probably tolerate without treatment:

1. ArthritiS pAin that strikes multiple joints might be triggered by the weather, activity or your diet, so watching your diet—avoiding red meat and fatty foods can help ease joint pain—will help you know what to expect.

2. MuScle SoreneSS after exercise is normal. l By Stephanie Thurrott

Five Aches and pains …… you should never ignore and two you can

pinpoint the painIf you need help determining whether or not your pain is serious and needs to be treated, see your doctor. To find an orthopaedic physician on the medical staff at Baylor Irving, please call 1-800-4BAYlor or visit Finddrright.com.

2 BaylorHealth January 2010 l For a physician referral, visit FindDrRight.com Cover photograph by Tadd Myers; hair and makeup by Dane Nelson

Baylor Medical center at irving 1901 N. MacArthur Blvd. Irving, TX 75061 • 972-579-8100

Baylor health center at irving coppell 400 W. Interstate 635 at MacArthur Blvd. Irving, TX 75063 • 972-785-5500

president: Cindy Schamp

Marketing director: Grant Farrimond

Main Switchboard: 972-579-8100

patient information: 972-579-4358

physician referral: 1-800-4BAYLOR (1-800-422-9567)

irving cancer center: 972-579-4300

irving Women’s pavilion of health: 972-579-8240

irving imaging centers (Mammography): 2001 N. MacArthur Blvd., Suite 250 972-254-1616 440 W. Interstate Hwy. 635, Suite 120A 972-785-5650 2740 N. State Hwy. 360, Suite 200 972-579-4480

24-hour emergency department: 972-579-8110

human resources Job line: 972-579-8750

Baylor health care System Mission: Founded as a Christian ministry of healing, Baylor Health Care System exists to serve all people through exemplary health care, education, research and community service.

Visit Baylorhealth.com or call 1-800-4BAYlor for information about

Baylor Medical center at irving services, upcoming events, physician referrals, career opportunities and more.

BaylorHealth is published six times a year by McMurry. © 2010 Baylor Health Care System.

The material in BaylorHealth is not intended for diagnosing or prescribing. Consult your physician before undertaking any form of medical treatment or adopting any exercise program or dietary guidelines.

Physicians are members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Health Care System’s subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and are neither employees nor agents of those medical centers, Baylor Medical Center at Irving, Baylor Health Center at Irving Coppell or Baylor Health Care System.

Photographs may include models or actors and may not represent actual patients.

If you are receiving multiple copies, need to change your mailing address or do not wish to receive this publication, please send your mailing label(s) and the updated information to Robin Vogel, Baylor Health Care System, Marketing Department, 2001 Bryan St., Suite 750, Dallas, TX 75201, or e-mail the information to [email protected].


If you have osteoarthritis in your knees and hips, you may find, as time goes by, that you can no longer control

your pain, and the difficulty walking can take a toll on the activities you enjoy. That’s when you might want to consider knee or hip replacement.

Your doctor will evaluate your condi-tion, examine X-rays of your joint and decide whether joint replacement is right for you.

If you decide to have a joint replaced, the first step will be a pre-op class, where physical therapists and nurses explain what the process will be like. You’ll also be screened for MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), and if you test positive for the germ, you’ll follow a pro-tocol to try to eliminate it and decrease the likelihood of a surgical infection.

You’ll have all your paperwork done ahead of time, so on the day of surgery you won’t have to worry about those details. Your doctor will perform the operation, and most people who have a hip or knee replaced typically go home the third day after surgery.

“We try to get patients up and walking, bearing their weight, on the day of sur-gery for patients who have surgery in the morning, and the next day for patients who have surgery later in the day,” says Robert Bayless, M.D., an orthopaedic surgeon on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Irving. “The quicker patients are up and out of bed, the less likely they are to have complications such as blood clots and stiffness.”

While in the hospital, everyone who has had joint replacement has both individual and group physical therapy. “The group physical therapy helps build camaraderie and competition,” says Dr. Bayless. “When one patient sees another mov-ing their joint better or walking farther, it inspires them to do the same.”

After three days in the hospital, the most active patients will be able to go home and have outpa-tient rehab. Most people will go home and have physical therapists and nurses visit their house. Those patients who are not ready to go home, typically the frail elderly, can be admitted to the hospital’s rehab unit for a week, or longer if needed. l By Stephanie Thurrott

Walk This WayJoint replacement can get you moving without pain

Take the Next StepTo find out more about Baylor Irving’s orthopaedic pro-grams, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit BaylorHealth.com/IrvingOrtho.

Visit us at BaylorHealth.com l January 2010 BaylorHealth 3


Most people think of heart attacks as something that hap-pens to people in their 50s, 60s and beyond. And often, that’s the case. But if you just don’t feel right, it’s impor-

tant to seek help. Just ask Paul Engele.Engele, of Lewisville, was only 39 years old and fi nishing up a

game of basketball with friends when he had some trouble breath-ing. “No matter how hard I’d breathe, I just couldn’t catch my breath,” he says. And he felt tired, so exhausted, in fact, that he wanted to rest in his car before driving home. But he didn’t have any classic heart attack symptoms such as arm, shoulder or chest pain.

Concerned, his friends called an ambulance, and when they arrived, the paramedics started treatment for a suspected heart attack and transported him to Baylor Medical Center at Irving. As he arrived at the hospital, he started to experience jaw and shoulder pain, and tests showed signs of a heart attack.

Doctors discovered that two of his arteries were almost completely blocked, and they quickly threaded stents through a small groin incision to the sites to clear the blockage and get blood fl owing again.

Engele was able to go home the next day and went back to work in a week or two. With quick treatment, his heart didn’t suff er any permanent damage, so once he healed he could go back to his exercise routine and basketball games. Because his fam-ily history puts him at high risk for heart disease (both his father and grandfather had heart attacks), he needs medication to help control his blood pressure and cholesterol levels, along with the healthy lifestyle he was already following.

Steven Deutsch, EMS captain at the Irving Fire Department, stresses the importance of calling 911 at the fi rst suspicion of a heart attack. “Paramedics are able to quickly assess the patient, do an EKG, start an IV, and administer oxygen and nitroglycerin,” he says. With the ability to do the same type of EKG done in the emer-gency department and the skill to interpret the EKG, the paramed-ics can contact the cardiac catheterization lab at the hospital so the team is ready when you arrive. “Baylor Irving’s emergency room and cath lab do a remarkably good job of taking care of these patients,” Deutsch says. ● By Stephanie Thurrott

Heart Emergency? When you need care, Baylor Irving is there

Fast Help for Your HeartIn a heart emergency, always dial 911. For a referral to a cardiolo-gist on the medical staff at Baylor Irving, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit BaylorHealth.com/IrvingHeart.

With the ability to do the same type of EKG done in the emergency department and the skill to interpret the EKG, the paramedics can contact the cardiac catheterization lab at the hospital so the team is ready when you arrive.

4 BaylorHealth January 2010 ● For the career of a lifetime, go to BaylorHealth.com


Not all medical research involves new techniques or medications. In the case of recent research conducted by Baylor Research Institute (BRI), what was once con-

sidered folklore may soon be accepted as fact.Researchers at BRI have been studying whether tart, or

Montmorency, cherries in pill form might help relieve osteo-arthritis (OA) pain. The most common form of arthritis, OA causes pain in the hands, feet, spine, hips and knees.

“I’ve had patients tell me their mother or grandmother said that cherries are good for arthritis, and another rheuma-tologist asked me if I’d had any experience with cherry pills, which some of his patients were using,” says John J. Cush, M.D., director of clinical rheumatology at BRI. “Many people

try natural remedies that often don’t work, so we decided to formally study this.”

A total of 20 patients with OA of the knee were enrolled in a 12-week study in 2008. The study involved commercially available pills containing the equivalent of about 100 tart cherries. Every part of the cherry—including the pulp, rind and stem—is used to make a paste that’s put into capsules.

According to Dr. Cush, between 50 per-cent and 60 percent of patients experienced relief by taking just one pill a day. “They reported less pain and it seemed to be work-ing,” he says.

Following this pilot study, BRI research-ers began a randomized trial in 2009 to validate their initial findings. Thirty patients were enrolled in the study, which will be completed in early 2010. One-third received a placebo—a capsule without any active ingredients—and the other two-thirds took the cherry pills.

“If the results show that the patients who took the cherry pills did get better, this will be the first study to demonstrate that this particular natural product might have some positive impact,” Dr. Cush says.

Having more specific information about whether these supplements can relieve OA

pain would help doctors better advise patients in how to take natural products, he adds.

“We’ll be able to determine if this supplement could be safely combined with treatments we currently use for osteoarthritis,” Dr. Cush explains. “And it may offer people a natural option for managing their condition.” l By Amy Lynn Smith

Cherry Picking (for Arthritis Relief) People with osteoarthritis may find sweet relief from pain thanks to Baylor researchers

Fruitful ResearchFor information about clinical trials at Baylor Research Institute, call 1-800-4BAYLOR or visit BaylorHealth.com/AdvancingMedicine.

Between 50 percent and 60 percent of patients experienced relief by taking just one pill a day.

Visit us at BaylorHealth.com l January 2010 BaylorHealth 5Illustration by Richard Mia

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6 BaylorHealth January 2010 ● Sick? Click. Visit BaylorHealth.com6 BaylorHealth January 2010 ● Sick? Click. Visit BaylorHealth.com Photograph by Tadd Myers, hair and makeup by Dane Nelson

TThere are some things in life that you’re supposed to just know. Like when you fi nd “the one” and when it’s time to let grown children spread their wings.

Knowing when you’re having a heart attack, however, is another story, especially for women. It’s often not even on their radar.

“When I had my fi rst heart attack at age 38, I had no signs,” says Becky Drake, now 43, a resident of Greenville. After all, she had little reason to suspect it. In addition to thinking she was too young for a heart attack, she says, “I’ve always taken care of myself. I’m not overweight, and I work out.”

Drake is one of 41 million women in the U.S. living with some form of cardiovascular disease, according to the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease. And yet many are still unaware that it is the No. 1 killer of women.

“A lot of women are concerned only about breast cancer,” says Vidyasagar Chodimella, M.D., FACC, FCCP, a cardiologist on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Carrollton.

“The chances of developing breast cancer are one in nine, but the chances of developing heart disease are one in two.”

Subtle (and Not so Subtle) SymptomsDrake’s second heart attack, in May 2009, was

more obvious. “I broke out in a sweat, and I hit the fl oor,” she describes. “I had pain all

down my right side and back.”While her symptoms the second time were much more dramatic,

they still weren’t the typical chest pain commonly associ-

ated with heart attacks in men. Women, who may

or may not have chest

A Tale of Think women aren’t at risk for heart disease? Meet two women

who know otherwise2Hearts

Watch It!Becky Drake (left) was taken by surprise when she had a heart attack

at age 38. Hear about her experience fi rsthand

at BaylorHealth.com/MyStory.

By Shelley Flannery

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pain, are more likely to experience other symptoms of a heart attack, including shortness of breath; pain in the shoulders, neck, back, arms or jaw; upper abdominal pain or indigestion; nausea or vomiting; sweating; dizziness; and extreme fatigue.

“Women tend to have more atypicalsymptoms compared to men,” says Phillip J. Hecht, M.D., FACC, a cardiologist on the medical staff at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine. “And women often ignore the symptoms because they don’t know they’re at risk.”

Sharon Neff , 68, learned this lesson the hard way. “About a year before I retired, my left arm started hurting every once in a while,” she says. “I thought it was carpal tunnel and that it would go away, but it didn’t.”

Then, one night in January 2006, Neff awoke with bad indigestion. “I woke up my husband and said, ‘Something’s wrong. We need to go to the hospital.’ ”

To her surprise, “it was a full-blown heart attack,” she says. “It was an eye-opener for me. My heart attack was totally diff erent than my husband’s. He had chest pain that went right through to his back.”

The Sooner the BetterThe longer that blood fl ow is blocked during a heart attack, the more dam-age is done, so it is essential to seek treatment quickly. Experts advise calling 911 right away rather than driving to the hospital.

Drake wasn’t able to wait. “We live way out in the country, so I told my husband he needed to take me halfway to meet the ambu-lance or I was going to die,” she says, speaking from experience as a fl ight medic with Hunt County Emergency Medical Services.

It’s not enough to just get treatment fast; it also has to be the right treatment. “I woke up in the [local] ER, and I told the doctor I needed to go to Baylor and their cath lab,” Drake says. A cath lab is where doctors perform angioplasty, a procedure in which a tiny balloon is inserted into an artery and used to open up a blockage and restore blood fl ow.

Spreading the LoveBoth Drake and Neff were treated with stents—metal tubes used to prop open arteries. Today, both women are doing well and they’re spreading a message about women and heart disease.

“I now know that women have different symptoms than men,” Neff says. “You need to pay attention to your body.” And if you think you might be having a heart attack, call 911.

Drake agrees, and adds, “If you have a genetic history [of heart disease], you need to go and get it checked out right away. There are preventive things you can do.” ●

CELEBRATING WOMENThis past October, Baylor Health Care System Foundation hosted its 10th annual Celebrating Women luncheon. More than 1,300 guests were on hand at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas to hear featured speaker Kelly Corrigan. Tom Thumb was the presenting sponsor of Celebrating Women and chair-persons were Randi Halsell, a breast cancer survivor, and Karen Halsell, M.D. The event raised more than $1.8 million to benefi t research, community outreach, and expanded technology for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer throughout Baylor Health Care System.

What’s Your Risk?Find out your risk for heart disease with our interactive quiz at BaylorHealth.com/HealthCast and then print out a list of questions to take to your next doctor’s appointment.

TENTH ANNIVERSARY LUNCHEON

Find Dr. Right. Visit FindDrRight.com ● January 2010 BaylorHealth 7

Heart Trouble at Any AgeKathy Gillard was only 37 when a cluster of symp-toms worried her. She had migraines, leg cramps and diffi culty breathing when she exercised. Exercising left her exhausted to the point she was falling asleep at her desk after-ward. Blood work, an EKG and a stress test all came back normal. She postponed a visit to a cardiologist, preferring to wait and see if her symptoms improved.

“A year went by and I thought it was getting worse. I couldn’t take a deep breath—it felt like pressure on my throat,” she says. She described her symp-toms to her cardiologist on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center at Irving, who suspected a small hole in her heart that likely had been there since birth. An echocardiogram and CT scan confi rmed his suspicion. In her heart, a 5-millimeter hole was allowing blood to pass through the organ’s walls instead of traveling through the chambers normally. The oxygenated blood wasn’t reaching her body as it should, and the low oxygen levels were triggering her migraines, leg cramps and fatigue.

Initially, it looked as if Gillard would need open-heart surgery to correct the hole. Otherwise, she’d have to limit her activity, an unpleasant alternative for this avid exerciser. But fortunately in pre-op testing, her doctors discovered that the surgery could be performed less invasively, with surgical tools threaded through a catheter inserted into blood vessels in her groin.

Just weeks later, she was cleared to return to her workout schedule, and now she’s back in her fi tness routine, breathing easy. ● By Stephanie Thurrott

Help Your HeartFor more information about cardiac services at Baylor Irving, visit BaylorHealth.com/IrvingHeart.


Baylor Health Care System 2001 Bryan Street, Suite 750 Marketing Department Dallas, TX 75201

NON-PROFIT ORG.US POSTAGE

PAIDBAYLOR HEALTH

Physicians are members of the medical staff at one of Baylor Health Care System’s subsidiary, community or affiliated medical centers and are neither employees nor agents of those medical centers, Baylor Medical Center at Irving or Baylor Health Care System. ©2008 Baylor Health Care System BMCIrv_415 BHM CE 11.09

For Women, For LiFe Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010

7:00 aM - noon

THE ONE DAY THAT Is ALL ABOUT YOU…Saturday, Jan. 30, 2010.

For Women, For LifeTM offers women time to focus on their health. So plan on inviting other women you would like to share a day

with – your mother, daughter, or friends – and come enjoy this special day at Baylor. Attendees will receive screenings, and

assessments, “women’s health” questions answered by physicians, and a continental breakfast. There is no cost for the event, but

attendance is limited and registration is required. To register for this popular annual event for women, contact 1.800.4BayLOr or

register online at www.BaylorHealth.com/Irving.

you’ll enjoy:

> Free Screening and assessments: Blood Pressure - Bone Density - Healthy Cooking / Living - Cholesterol* (total cholesterol,

HDL, LDL, risk ratio, triglycerides) - Glucose* - Sleep Apnea - Lung Function - Body Fat Analysis

*For the most accurate reading, do not eat or drink anything after midnight before the screening. You may take your regular medications as directed with water.

> “ Coffee with a doctor” – a panel of Baylor Irving physicians will answer “women’s health” questions during two convenient sessions.

LOCatIOn: Irving Medical Office Building II Conference Center

2021 North MacArthur Blvd., Irving, Texas 75061

(located on the campus of Baylor Medical Center at Irving)

tImeS: 7:00 am – nOOn > Check-in, breakfast, screenings

8:30 am – 10:00 am > Health presentations
