Gestational diabetes is dia-betes that is found for the firsttime when a woman is preg-nant. If you had gestational dia-betes when you were pregnant,you and your child from thatpregnancy have a lifelong riskfor developing diabetes, a seri-ous disease that can lead tohealth problems such as heartdisease, blindness, kidney dis-ease and amputations. Thegood news is there are steps youcan take to prevent or delay dia-betes and lower that risk foryourself and your child.

"Women with a history ofgestational diabetes can lowertheir chances for developing dia-betes by taking steps to reachand maintain a healthy weight,making healthy food choices,and being active," according toJudith Fradkin, M.D., of theNational Institute of Diabetesand Digestive and KidneyDiseases. "Keeping a healthylifestyle as a family is good foreveryone."

KEEP UP HEALTHY HABITS -EVEN AFTER THE BABY IS BORN.

Many women who have ges-tational diabetes see a dietitianor a diabetes educator to guidethem in developing healthyhabits during pregnancy. Butwhat many women don't realizeis that it's just as important tokeep up with those healthyhabits even after the baby isborn.

If you are a woman who hadgestational diabetes, it is impor-tant to get tested for diabetes 6to 12 weeks after your baby isborn, and at least every threeyears after that.

It is also important to reachand maintain a healthy weightby making healthy food choices,such as following an eating planlower in fat and calories andhigh in fiber, and being activefor at least 30 minutes, 5 days aweek. Even if women do notreach their "goal" weight,research shows that maintain-ing a healthy lifestyle can helpreduce risk.

Busy Mom? Build physicalactivity into your day one stepat a time.

Physical activity is an impor-tant part of maintaining ahealthy weight and preventingtype 2 diabetes. Set a goal to

be active at least 30 minutes, 5days per week. If you have notbeen active, start slowly, build-ing up to your goal. Take smallsteps to include physical activityin your day-to-day routine.

BUSY MOMS CAN USE THESETIPS TO GET STARTED:

* Park your car farther awayfrom the store, movie theater,your office, etc.

* Get your friends and familyinvolved. Set a regular walkingdate, such as after dinner. Or dosomething that all ages canenjoy-shoot hoops, take a bikeride, or just dance around thehouse.

* Take a walk during yourlunch break or push the baby'sstroller around the mall.

* Don't just watch the kids atthe playground... play withthem.

* Deliver a message to a co-worker in person instead of bye-mail, and take the stairsinstead of the elevator.

* Exhausted from a busy dayand just want to plop on thecouch in front of the TV? Usethe commercial breaks tostretch, take a quick walkaround your home, do some sit-ups, or march in place.

For more information, visitthe National DiabetesEducation Program (NDEP) at

www.YourDiabetesInfo.org/GDM.

BY JAMES WALSHStar Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT)

MINNEAPOLIS — Dr. PierceVatterott and his team of nursesand technicians worked smoothlyand efficiently in the chillycatheter lab at St. Paul's UnitedHospital. It was complex andpotentially risky work, removingfour leads — wires that connect adefibrillator to the heart _ from an84-year-old man.

But Vatterott and his team areexperienced hands and they had anew tool, to boot, a laser sheaththat more quickly and easily cutsthrough scar tissue to free thewires.

Millions of people need defibril-lators and pacemakers to keepthem alive. The wires that lead tothose devices sometimes need tobe replaced because of age ordefect. But one wrong move whenextracting a lead can leave a pieceof the wire behind or, worse, perfo-rate the heart or blood vessel. Soanything that makes lead extrac-tion safer is a good thing,Vatterott said.

"It has helped," he said of theGlideLight, made by ColoradoSprings, Colo.-based Spectraneticsand recently approved by the U.S.Food and Drug Administration. "Ithas definitely helped."

Potentially dangerous prob-lems in the past five years withleads made by Medtronic Inc. and,most recently, St. Jude MedicalInc., have left tens of thousands ofpeople facing difficult choices. Dothey thread new leads throughthe same vein to the heart, butleave the old ones _ disconnected _in place? Or do they pull them outentirely?

Sometimes, the congestion oftoo many wires in the vein canblock blood flow. One lead rubbingagainst another also can causeinappropriate shocking. If a leadbecomes infected, it has to comeout.

"The extraction of leads thathave been implanted in patientsfor years is one of the most com-plex procedures cardiologists per-form," said Dr. Robert Hauser, asenior consulting cardiologist atthe Minneapolis Heart Instituteat Abbott Northwestern Hospital."It should be done only by highly

experienced physicians and theirteams in hospitals equipped foremergency surgery."

Vatterott and his team atUnited Heart and Vascular Clinicat United Hospital fit the bill.They have done about 2,000 leadextractions over the years andwere the first to use the newGlideLight device in Minnesota.The doctor said they are doing oneto two lead extractions each week.GlideLight is also being used atAbbott Northwestern.

"There are studies out therethat show the more (extractions)you do, the less complications youhave," Vatterott said. "So muchdepends on the experience of thedoctor and the team. And it's real-ly the team. Every person in thatroom has saved me or saved thepatient at some point."

Kurt Riebe, 84, and his wife,Lorraine, will celebrate 63 years ofmarriage in August. Lorraine callsit "a nice start."

The North St. Paul, Minn., cou-ple has every intention of cele-brating many anniversaries tocome. So when they learned thatRiebe had an infection around hisdefibrillator-pacemaker, the deci-sion was made to take out thedevice and the four leads that hadbeen implanted and replace them.It would not be easy, Vatterottsaid. Riebe is frail.

But on Monday of last week,the GlideLight made it easier.

Not that a five-hour procedure,with Vatterott and his nursesmonitoring blood pressure, watch-ing multiple monitors, cutting outinfected tissue, cauterizing bloodvessels and snaking wires andsomething that looks like a laser-tipped black soda straw into theheart can be called easy.

It took two hours just to do theprep work to get the leads readyfor removal. As he worked,Vatterott praised his team timeand again, pointing out that eachhas 15 to 20 years of experience.First, they worked to clear the"pocket" where the defibrillatorwas located. Then they disconnect-ed the wires from the device, tem-porarily hooking up Riebe to anexternal pacemaker.

Then, the doctor slid theGlideLight over the first lead,snaking it down the vein intoRiebe's heart. Along the way, the

device made a clicking sound asthe laser cut through the scar tis-sue that blocked its path.

Once clear, the doctor slowlypulled out the lead before remov-ing the sheath.

Then, it was on to the second

lead. Then the third. Then thefourth. During the entire proce-dure, a surgical team was stand-ing by to assist if a complicationarose. One never did.

By the end of the week, Riebewas home and doing well.

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New Device Eases A Tricky Task In Defibrillator Surgery

PHOTOS BY JERRY HOLT/MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE/MCTABOVE: Dr. Pierce Vatterott, left, watched a monitor during the

removal of four defibrillator leads from a patient at UnitedHospital Monday, June 25, 2012 in St. Paul, Minnesota. GlideLight,made by Colorado Springs-based Spectranetics and recentlyapproved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, helps makethe lead extractions easier.

LEFT: United Hospital is using a new medical device thatmakes it easier and safer to remove defibrillator leads Monday,June 25, 2012 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

History of Gestational Diabetes? Healthy HabitsCan Help Prevent Diabetes In Your Future