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Cruise the Baltic this summer
with the staff of the Diabetes Care
Centers. You’ll learn about the
latest in diabetes management from
doctors, nurses, nutritionists and
diabetes educators, while enjoying
all the family activities of a luxury
vacation at sea.
The Costa Atlantica departs
Copenhagen on June 26 and returns
there July 3 after visiting ports in
Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia
and Estonia.
For more information, mail to:
• To treat mosquitobites, dab a cloth or a cotton ball in vinegar and placeover the bite.
• To prevent fungi ina dog’s ears after a
bath, make a solution of half vinegar and half waterand place some drops in the ears.
• To keep the fish tank free of calcium deposits,rub the marks with a cloth soaked in vinegar andrinse with clean water.
• To alleviate sunburns, rub your skin with a little vinegar.
• To prevent clothes from fading, soak the clothesin pure vinegar for 10 minutes before washing.
• To clean calcium or hard water spots fromchromed bathtubs, soak a cloth with vinegar, placeover the surface to be cleaned, then rinse with clean water.
• To clean the dishwasher and washing machineonce a month, pour a cup of vinegar into themachine, and run the full cycle. The same treatmentcan be applied to the coffee maker or to an iron,among other appliances, but reduce the amount of vinegar.
• To eliminate cooking odors, boil water with vinegar in a pan.
• To keep flowers fresh, add two spoonfuls of vinegar and three spoonfuls of sugar for each liter of water.
Baptist Hospital of Miami8900 North Kendall Drive • Miami, Florida 33176 - U.S.A.Tel.: 786.596.2373 • Fax: 786.596.5979
South Miami Hospital6200 SW 73rd Street • Miami, Florida 33143 - U.S.A.Tel.: 786.662.5004 • Fax: 786.662.5179
Doctors Hospital5000 University Drive • Coral Gables, Florida 33146 - U.S.A.Tel.: 305.666.6650 • Fax: 305.669.1396
www.baptisthealth.net • [email protected]
Editor and Writer: Vivian GudeArt Director: Carlos Arriaga GeddesAssistant Editor: Victoria GómezCopyright C 2004Baptist Health South FloridaAll Rights Reserved
The latestweaponagainst cancer
Winter 2004
MedicalMinutes
Baptist HealthInternational Center of Miami
A drasticsolution
VINEGAR...NOT JUST FOR
SALADDRESSING!
Learning about diabetes...
at sea
In early January, South Miami Hospital became the firsthospital in South Florida, and one of only a few in thecountry, to begin treating cancer patients with a newtechnology called tomotherapy. Combining the accuracy
of intensity modulated radiation therapy with the image-guided benefits of a built-in CTscanner, tomotherapydelivers precise radiation to tumors while minimizing damage to surrounding tissues.
“This is the most important thing taking place right now,and the latest treatment against cancer,” said StevenOlszewski, M.D., medical director of the hospital’sRadiation Treatment Center, where the new $2.8 millionunit is located.
There are two main reasons for Dr. Olszewski’s enthusiasm for tomotherapy: “One, it’s the first time we
have the capability to image and treat the cancer in thesame machine, and, secondly, we can use it throughoutthe entire body without having to move the patient,” hesaid. An important benefit to patients is the considerablyshortened time of each radiation session.
“Tomotherapy lets us lock into the exact shape and sizeof a tumor to deliver hundreds of pencil-thin beams ofradiation from every direction. In the past, we had to relyon markers that we placed surgically on the patient’s skinto guide us in establishing the precise location of the cancer in the body. Now, with this new equipment, we cancheck the dosage and design a session of radiation whilefollowing its effect on the tumor and the surroundingorgans and tissues. Also, while in the past we treatedwith little beams of radiation for a total of 5,000, today,with this machine, we can shoot with up to 25,000!”
Tomotherapy can be used against a wide variety ofcancers, including prostate, breast, lung, brain, neck andhead, bone and soft tissue, lymphomas and multiplemyelomas. It also can destroy certain kinds of tumors in a single session.
Sometimes it takes a traumatic event to motivate a person totake action. That’s what happened to Kathleen Watson,a clerkin Grand Cayman’s Legislative Asembly,when one of her sisters died. “She weighed almost 800 pounds,and it was a horribleexperience for the whole family… having to bury her,”she said.“Seeing how much she suffered in life scared the whole family,andI think that experience is what made us wake up.”
First one of her sisters was told that her only option was agastric bypass if she wanted to remain alive. She was advisedto see Juan Carlos Verdeja,M.D.,a surgeon at South MiamiHospital who specializes in the procedure.
“When we saw her success,I was convinced,”said Ms.Watson,who was also referred to Dr. Verdeja. “I am predisposed toward obesity,”she said. “Both my fatherand my mother are obese,and my siblings are all obese. Then,in 1996,I was given aggressive chemotherapy,using steroids;after that my weight increased from 200 to 310 pounds in 10months.”
Like many obese people,Ms. Watson,a 36-year-old motherof children ages 16 and 17,had tried everything to lose weight,without any success.
“It came to a point where I could not stand up or walkbecause of the pain in my back and in my legs. I would goshopping with my daughter and had to sit down and wait forher while she shopped. I really believe it was the chemotherapythat made me lose control of my weight.”
When she first saw Dr. Verdeja,she weighed 375 pounds,butshe hoped to achieve the same results her sister had.
Gastric bypass surgery consists of “sealing”the stomach toreduce it to the size of a small pouch,and then connect it direct-ly to the small intestine,which will later be connected again tothe large intestine for the excretory functions. The procedure isnot reversible and requires absolute discipline for the rest of theperson’s life to make sure the body receives the necessarynutrients. It is a drastic solution,but sometimes the only onefor patients who are morbidly overweight and risk an array ofserious health problems.
“To follow through with it,certain requirements have to bemet,”Dr. Verdeja said. “Among these,the patient has to havemade every possible effort to lose weight,without success,or
to 20 years indicate that the majority of patients keep theweight loss within 5 to 10 percent of the lowest weightachieved,”he said. “Which means that in 15 or 20 years,theywill see an increase of between 5 and 10 percent over theweight achieved,but they will remain basically thin.”That ismusic to Ms. Watson’s ears.
“What makes me the happiest is that I can move andbreathe,”she said. “Now I am not panting when I go from oneoffice to the next. I am full of energy. My production at workhas doubled. The only thing I regret is not having it done along time ago! I love life,I love my family,my children; I wantto see them grow. I want to see my grandchildren and,if possi-ble,my great-grandchildren. That’s why I want to take goodcare of myself,to see them!”
The stately Biltmore Hotel inCoral Gables will be the site ofthe 24th annualEchocardiography SymposiumFebruary 4-5. Organized byBaptist Cardiac & VascularInstitute and featuring facultyfrom prestigious medical institutions, the symposiumwill showcase the latest technologies in the field ofechocardiography, including an overview of what can beexpected in the future. The Biltmore’s golf and tennis facilities and its centrallocation in beautiful Coral Gables, not far from thevibrant Coconut Grove area, make the hotel a popularvacation and business destination, so make your reser-vation today. Call 800-727-1926 – and be sure to identifyyourself as a symposium attendee to obtain the reducedrate of $289 per day.
For more information about the symposium mail to: [email protected]; for more information about the hotel, visit:www.biltmorehotel.com
24th. ECHOCARDIOGRAPHYSYMPOSIUM
not been able to keep the weight off. Another requirement isthat the patient should have a body mass index (BMI,a ratiobetween weight and height) of 40. But,”he adds,“everybodyhas to seek counseling before the operation,and the patient’sfamily doctor must agree to the surgery and state that thepatient is otherwise healthy.”
For Ms. Watson,a woman with a lot of discipline,the operationwas a success. A year after the surgery,she has lost 230 pounds,or 80 percent of the target weight. And the best part is that itdoesn’t seem as if it has cost her a great deal of effort.
“Not on a personal level,because I am a person who follows
the rules,and so Ifollow my doctor’sindications,”shesays,smiling. “Idrink a lot of waterand try to eat five orsix small meals aday. I think the most difficult part is the daily exercise,becauseI have a very demanding job.”
For Dr. Verdeja,Ms. Watson is an ideal patient for promotingthe surgery among those who need it.
“She is an excellent patient and has done everything sheshould,”he said. “Part of her success has been in following herdoctor’s instructions exactly and doing the necessary researchin order to maintain her nutrition. In spite of being on an islandfar away from here,she has kept in touch with us.”
Best of all is that Ms. Watson is likely to maintain herweight,according to Dr. Verdeja. “Studies performed over 15
TWO INONE
Kathleen Watson hoy, casi en su meta de peso.Detrás, antes de someterse aldesvío gástrico.
Técnica deldesvío gástrico
When the option islosing weight orlosing your life
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