Inspire Spring 2018 by Clementine Healthcare Marketing

SPRING 2018 | Volume 4, Issue 2

A Healthier You

St. Thomas More Hospital

IN GOOD

HANDS The right treatment can put an end to hand, wrist, and finger pain. Page 4

Karen Cato is able to stick to her knitting after joint replacement surgery in her hands.

WOMEN'S SCREENINGS BY AGE Page 3

FASTER SURGERY RECOVERY Page 6

KANGAROO CARE FOR BABY Page 7

PHOTO BY STEVE BIGLEY

inspiring health

HOW HEALTHY

ARE YOU? WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE: This measurement can tell you if you carry excess body fat around your midsection. If you’re a woman whose waist is bigger than 35 inches or a man with one greater than 40 inches, it could signal an increased risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. TIME TO WALK 1 MILE: To assess your cardiovascular fitness, warm up and then see how fast you can walk a mile. Ratings are based on age and gender, but for women 40-49, 14-14:45 is average; for men the same age, around 15-16 minutes is average. ABILITY TO TOUCH YOUR TOES: This simple sit-andreach test can give you a read on your overall flexibility. But if you’re over 40, according to a study in the American Journal of Physiology, it can also assess the flexibility of your arteries. Stiff arteries are associated with increased risks of stroke and heart attack.

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Lloyd or another primary care provider, call 719-285-2700.

With the arrival of spring’s warmer weather, people are getting outside, getting active, and getting hurt. What are some tips for enjoying outdoor activities without ending up in the emergency room?

“The No. 1 injury we see is people in ATV accidents who weren’t wearing helmets and goggles,” and suffer head and eye injuries, says Nancy Bartkowiak, RN, trauma coordinator at St. Thomas More Hospital.

Nancy Bartkowiak, RN

Bartkowiak’s top six tips for avoiding a visit to the emergency room are: Wear a helmet. They’re essential for riding a bike, motorcycle, ATV, or Segway. Stay hydrated. Coffee and sodas don’t do it. Water’s best. Pace yourself, especially early in the season if you’ve been inactive all winter. Tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back. Take a first aid kit. Include something to clean a wound, and gauze or a tourniquet. Wear appropriate shoes. If you’re hiking, that means sturdy, closed footwear. “You’d be surprised how many people visiting and walking around the Royal Gorge wear flip-flops.” She and her colleagues treat flip-flop wearers for sprained ankles, lacerations, and even snake bites.

Save the date FOR THE SAFETY JAM

For the second year, St. Thomas More Hospital is a partner in sponsoring Safety Jam Fremont County. This year’s event will be Saturday, June 2, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at Rudd Park near Cañon City High School. In addition to educational events and information booths, St. Thomas More Hospital will give away bike helmets in all sizes. For more information, please call Nancy Bartkowiak, RN, at 719-285-2345.

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PHOTOS: ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/SILSAKSOM, /RYANJLANE, /FLOORTJE, /SHAPECHARGE

AN ANNUAL PHYSICAL AND REGULAR SCREENINGS are essential to understand your risk for specific conditions and give you a bigpicture perspective on your health. But there are also a few at-home measures that can give you a glimpse into your overall health, says Aaron Lloyd, MD, a family medicine physician with St. Thomas More Physician Group. Dr. Aaron Lloyd

SCREEN TIME

MORE CONVENIENT CARE

A decade-by-decade guide for women’s health screenings LET’S FACE IT, LADIES, routine health screenings don’t always fit our routine. But it’s important not to let time, finances, or fear sabotage our commitment to taking care of our health. St. Thomas More Hospital obstetrician/gynecologist John Heavrin, MD, says screening tests are important for healthy women at all ages. He recommends the following:

20s 3

Make time in your 20s to begin cholesterol and blood pressure checks, and repeat them every three to five years. Also, schedule a Pap test every three years beginning at 21 and chlamydia screening for sexually active women up to age 25.

40s 50s PHOTOS: ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/FATCAMERA, /IVONNEW, /GRANDRIVER, /TOM MERTON, /RIDOFRANZ

The 40s are full of questions about mammograms. Forty is not an automatic start age, but it is time to discuss pros and cons with your provider. Also consider annual blood pressure screening, cholesterol screening every five years, diabetes every three years, and vision every two to four years.

70s

Age 50 brings a not-so-nifty rite of passage: colonoscopy. If there are no signs of colorectal cancer, you can wait 10 years to repeat. It’s also the only screening test that can actually prevent cancer because nodules that could become cancer are removed during the procedure. At 50, annual mammograms are a must. At 55, if you’re a current smoker or former smoker who smoked the equivalent of a pack a day for 30 years (or two packs for 15 years), begin lowdose CT screening for lung cancer.

Thirty-somethings are in the thick of careers and kids. Lucky for you, there’s just one big screening to remember: At 30, begin getting a Pap test with HPV testing. If both results are normal, you don’t need another for five years.

60s

At 65, start bone density (DXA) screening for osteoporosis and stop Paps if your recent test history is normal.

Some guidelines suggest stopping mammograms at 74. But with increasing life spans, it’s a good idea to discuss options with your doctor.

A new definition of high blood pressure means that nearly half of all U.S. adults have hypertension. And nearly half of these are women. Birth control pills raise blood pressure risk in some women; so does menopause. STMHOSPITAL.ORG SPRING 2018

A new, state-of-the-art medical office building, offering one-stop health care has opened on the St. Thomas More Hospital campus. The building is located at 1338 Phay Avenue, Building D, and houses these physician clinics: PRIMARY CARE Aaron Lloyd, MD Steven Olson, MD Valerie Schauer, NP Laura Wells, FNP-C 719-285-2700 PEDIATRIC HEALTH SERVICES Ananya Lusero, MD Amanda Nedzinski, DO Melissa Byram, MD Ashley Huynh, DNP, RN, FNP-BC 719-285-2091 ORTHOPEDIC SERVICES Keith Minihane, MD Jacob Patterson, MD Lee McFadden, MD Eve N. Schoenefeld, PA-C 719-285-2646 OB/GYN SERVICES John Heavrin, MD Mollie Miller, DO 719-285-2735 GENERAL SURGERY Vincent Yu, MD 719-285-2760

To learn more about the services offered by St. Thomas More, go online to stmhospital.org and click on “Medical Services.” All clinics are accepting new patients and accept most health insurances, including UnitedHealthcare, Tricare, Blue Cross, Humana, Kaiser, Medicaid, and Medicare.

Thumbs Up When hands and fingers hurt, surgery can ease the pain

ACHY KNEES AND HIPS MAY GET MORE ATTENTION, and most of the replacement surgeries. But Karen Cato can tell you that osteoarthritis in the thumb is not only painful, but painfully debilitating. The condition — its technical name is thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) arthritis — forced the retired court reporter to put down her knitting needles. “I was in a lot of pain,” Cato says, so she tried arthritis creams and corticosteroid injections, but they didn’t ease the pain. St. Thomas More Hospital orthopedic surgeon Keith Minihane, MD, says he typically recommends conservative therapies, including topical agents, home exercises, injections, and stabilizing braces, before surgery.

Dr. Keith Minihane

But when those didn’t help and X-rays revealed advanced osteoarthritis, which had caused the cushioning cartilage between her thumb and wrist joints to deteriorate, Cato was ready for surgery.

TREATMENT OPTIONS There are several surgical options for CMC arthritis, including: Joint fusion. Bones in the affected joint are permanently fused. The surgery relieves pain, but the joint loses flexibility. Osteotomy. The bones in the affected joint are repositioned to help correct malformations. Trapeziectomy. The trapezium bone in the thumb is removed. Joint replacement (arthroplasty). The affected joint is removed and replaced with a graft from a tendon located in the forearm.

SUCCESSFUL SURGERY Minihane performed joint replacement surgery on Cato’s left hand in August 2016. She was so pleased with the results that she handed over her right thumb for replacement four months later. The surgery is usually done on an outpatient basis, and recovery in four months is typical, Minihane says. While the surgery slightly changes the structure of the hand at the base of the thumb, Cato reports almost no visible scarring.

Karen Cato

TO SCHEDULE an appointment with Dr. Minihane, call 719-285-2646.

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PHOTOS BY STEVE BIGLEY

I lost a little grip strength but at 73, I don’t mind that much.” More important, Cato says, she’s back to knitting.

HANDY TREATMENTS

PHOTO: ©ISTOCKPHOTO.COM/BAONA

Aches and pains in the hands, wrists, and fingers can have many causes, and many treatment options.

WHAT IS IT?

WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS?

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

WHAT CAN YOUR DOCTOR DO?

Carpal tunnel

A compressed nerve in the carpal tunnel, a passageway on the palm side of your wrist.

• Numbness, tingling, burning, or pain in the fingers or thumb • Occasional shocklike sensations that radiate • Pain or tingling that travels up toward the shoulder • Weakness and clumsiness in the hand

• Try medications like ibuprofen and naproxen to relieve pain and inflammation • Modify your work site and activities to lessen repetitive motion

•P rescribe exercises or physical therapy •P rovide steroid injections •P erform surgery to relieve pressure on the affected nerve

Thumb CMC arthritis

Wear and tear on the joint that links your thumb and wrist, called the carpometacarpal (CMC), which causes cartilage to deteriorate.

• Pain, swelling, stiffness at the base of the thumb or around the joint • Pain or weakness when pinching or gripping small objects • Decreased range of motion • Enlarged or bony appearance of the joint at the base of your thumb

• Wear a splint on your wrist or thumb • Apply ice or heat • Try antiinflammatory medications and pain relievers such as ibuprofen and naproxen

•R ecommend exercises to strengthen the muscles around the thumb • Prescribe pain relief medications • Provide corticosteroid injections • Perform surgery

Trigger finger (stenosing tenosynovitis)

A finger or thumb sticks in a bent position, and may bend or straighten with a snap; caused by inflammation in the sheath around the tendon in the affected finger.

• Popping or clicking when finger moves • Tenderness or a bump in the palm at the base of the affected finger • Finger that locks in a bent position, and then pops straight or can’t be straightened

• Try ibuprofen or naproxen for pain relief and to relieve inflammation • Avoid activities that require repetitive gripping

• S plint the finger; recommend exercises; provide steroid injections • Perform a procedure using a needle or surgery to loosen the inflamed tendon

Ganglion cyst

A small, round, or oval noncancerous lump, often on the tendons or joints of wrists or hands.

• Pain, tingling, or muscle weakness

• Try to avoid repetitive motion on the affected joint • Over-the-counter pain relievers

• Immobilize the area with a brace or splint • Drain fluid from the cyst • Remove the cyst surgically

STMHOSPITAL.ORG | SPRING 2018

rapid recovery

QUICK FIX Maybe none, if you’re lucky. But ignoring doctors’ orders and overdoing it too soon could set your recovery back. Everyone wants to recover from surgery and get back to life as fast as possible. But rushing things can be counterproductive.

Joyce Horn, director of surgical services for St. Thomas More Hospital, offers these seven steps to help you get back to your life as quickly and safely as possible after surgery: 1. EAT RIGHT. Lean proteins like chicken and fish, as well as eggs, help wound healing. Vitamin C does, too, so make sure plenty of fruit is on your plate after surgery. Limit processed sugars, which can put energy levels on a roller coaster. 2. KEEP CLEAN. Before you leave for the hospital, wash sheets and towels so they are clean when you return home. Always wash your hands before touching dressings or your wound to prevent infections.

3. FIGHT PAIN — WITH CAUTION. Taking your pain medication as prescribed is meant to help control your pain, but remember that pain is a good thing, too. “Pain tells us that our bodies are not recovered, and we need to rest,” Horn says. In fact, sometimes people return to activity too quickly because they aren’t feeling any pain, thanks to medications. Also, wean off prescription pain medications and use over-the-counter remedies like ibuprofen as you are able. 4. EXERCISE, CAREFULLY. The days of extended bed rest after surgery are over. Your care team likely will help you get up and walk around within 24 hours of surgery. Walking as you’re able and moving after you get home helps keep muscles and joints from stiffening, which will speed recovery. Overdoing it, though, could cause injury and derail recovery. 5. FOLLOW INSTRUCTIONS. This is not the time to indulge your inner rebel. Your care providers’ instructions are based on experience and knowing what’s best in your situation. 6. REST. Sleep is one of nature’s best healers. After surgery, your body needs plenty of it. 7. KNOW WHEN TO GET CARE. If you’re bleeding, can’t keep food down, have trouble breathing, or start running a fever, call your doctor or visit an emergency room.

Joyce Horn, Director of Surgical Services

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Whether you’re recovering from surgery or just trying to stay healthy, sleep is essential. If you have trouble sleeping, talk with your primary care provider. With a physician referral, the St. Thomas More Sleep Disorders Center can help you see if your Zzzs are where they need to be.

Your homework after surgery seemed easy — stay home from work, get plenty of rest, and watch what you eat. But a few days into it, you’re feeling great so you decide to return to work — or working out. What harm is cutting things short going to do?

Following a few simple suggestions can help you get back on your feet — and stay on them — after surgery

INSPIREKids Q

What is

‘KANGAR O PARENTING’? A: “It really is about skin-to-skin contact,” says Ashley Huynh, DNP, RN, family nurse practitioner at St. Thomas More Pediatric Health Services. It was created for premature babies, “but it’s beneficial for all babies,” she says.

Dr. Ashley Huynh

It’s easy to do: Put your baby — wearing just a diaper — on mom’s or dad’s bare chest, cover with a blanket for warmth and privacy, and let baby sleep.

Research shows there are substantial benefits for everyone, including: Promotes bonding Decreases stress on newborns Helps regulate the baby’s heart rate Helps stabilize organ function It’s also a great way for dads to have a bigger role in caring for their child, Huynh says. Kangaroo parenting is done at the St. Thomas More Birth Center, and parents can do it at home. And, while it seems to help with babies’ sleep patterns, it’s not safe to practice kangaroo parenting if you’re planning on sleeping, too. Bed sharing is the single greatest risk in sleep-related infant deaths due to the risk of accidental suffocation, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Skin-to-skin contact between baby and mom (or dad) can promote bonding and benefit baby’s overall health.

Our pediatric team is excited to provide care for the little ones in our community in St. Thomas More’s brand new, state-of-the-art medical office building. Come see us in our new home! To schedule an appointment with a pediatric provider, call 719-285-2091.

STMHOSPITAL.ORG SPRING 2018

NOW OPEN!

Whether you need a blood draw, physical therapy, or well-baby checkup, our physician clinics and other health care services are now available in the St. Thomas More Medical Office Building on the hospital campus.

St. Thomas More Hospital

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