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HOUSTON DAILY JOURNAL
Perry Hospital's Surgery Center uses new
technology in cancer detection
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Dr. Horatio V. Cabasares, surgeon and member of the
medical staff of Perry Hospital, and Nichole McGlamry,
Nurse Manager for Perry Hospital’s Surgery Center,
review the Neoprobe and its components.
Is it normal aging or something more serious?
When an aging parent
begins to exhibit odd behav
ior, it’s natural for their
adult children to wonder
whether normal aging is
the cause or whether it is
something more serious like
Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s
disease. But other often
treatable conditions can
also affect physical and cog
nitive abilities, and may be
the culprit instead of old
age.
An aging parent is losing
weight, seems weaker and
is a bit more confused lately.
It could be due to aging, but
these symptoms can also be
attributed to other medical
causes, such as:
• Depression
• A reaction or side effect
from a drug or a problem
with drug interactions
• Anemia
• A vitamin deficiency
• Dehydration
• A concussion or injury
from a fall
• Increased alcohol use
• A metabolic disorder
caused by a poorly function
ing kidney, liver or thyroid
• Diminished vision or
hearing ability
• An illness such as the
flu, bronchitis, West Nile
virus or urinary tract infec
tion
• Poorly fitting dentures
or the need for dental treat
ment
• An undiagnosed or poor
ly managed chronic condi
tion such as diabetes or high
blood pressure
But how does an adult
child know when an aging
parent’s forgetfulness or
unsteady gait is age-relat
ed or something more? For
example, some minor mem
ory changes that do not
impair daily activities or
quality of life - like taking
longer to recall a person’s
name or finding the right
word - can be normal with
age. But not remembering
the road to take to the gro
cery store, not being aware
of a memory lapse or not
being able to recall recent
events can be signs of other,
more serious problems.
According to Dr. Javed
H. Fazal, a board certified
internist specializing in geri
atric medicine and a mem
ber of the medical staffs of
Houston Medical Center
and Perry Hospital, adult
children should discuss their
concerns with their parent
and encourage him or her to
visit a doctor. “Even insom
nia and frequent urination
warrant a trip to the doctor
because these problems are
often not age-related,” he
explains. “They may insist
their fine, but you need to
insist otherwise if you notice
them exhibiting any unusu
al behavior. Make plans to
go with your parent to the
doctor’s office so you can
help explain their symptoms
such as when they began
or worsened or what impact
they have had or are having
on your mom’s or dad’s daily
life.”
Dr. Fazal says any of the
following symptoms are
warning signs to look for:
• Physical unsteadiness
• Muscle weakness
• Weight loss or gain
• Bruising
• Confusion
• Increased memory prob
lems
• Social withdrawal
• Insomnia
• Incontinence
• Increased urination or
other urinary problems
• A struggle to perform
tasks like taking medication,
paying bills or following a
recipe
• Poor judgment
• Uncharacteristic behav
ior like irritability, worry,
anger, agitation or suspicion
By taking action now,
Dr. Fazal says, steps can be
taken to help prevent fur
ther disability in the aging
parent and to help them
learn to recognize when he
or she may need living assis
M , , ySliki
pain management
A Team Approach to Pain
Treatment For A Better
Quality of Life.
Unfortunately, many people experience great
difficulties dealina with chronic pain -pain that persists
for a long length of time and can cause stress and
disruption in their lives. The good news is that severe
chronic pain can be treated successfully, assuring
comfort for a better quality of life.
The Houston Pain Treatment Center, an
established and long standing service of Houston
Medical Center, offers a team of Board Certified
Anesthesiologists each with more than 20 years of
experience in evaluating and treating patients for .
chronic pain.
We specialize in an array of procedures including
epidural steroid injections, facet and sacroiliac Joint
injections, radiofrequency ablations, selective nerve
root blocks and sympathetic nerve blocks.
If you are suffering from chronic pain, talk to your
doctor today about pain management and treatment.
All insurance plans, including Medicare, Medicaid
and T.iCare, are accepted.
HERE'S TO YOUR HEALTH
In the fight against cancer,
Perry Hospital’s Surgery
Center is using a new weap
on to more accurately diag
nose and detect the spread
of the disease.
The Neoprobe, an electron
ic device that detects and
measures gamma radiation,
is used in surgical proce
dures called Intraoperative
Lymphatic Mapping (ILM)
or sentinel lymph node
biopsy, a minimally invasive
technique for evaluating the
potential spread of cancer
to lymph node tissues and
organs. “The Neoprobe rec
ognizes isotopes injected
into masses such as a breast
mass,” explains Nichole
McGlamry, RN, BSN, Nurse
Manager for Perry Hospital’s
Surgical Center. “It allows
the surgeon to better map
out the mass and determine
its margins for a clearer,
more concise diagnosis.”
During an ILM procedure,
a radioactive tracing agent is
tance. “If it is simply ‘old
age,’ adult children can still
do a lot to help their parents
improve their functioning
and enjoyment of life,” he
says.
Adult children can help
their parents:
• Get proper nutrition.
Make sure older adults’ diets
are balanced in protein, fat
and carbohydrates to main
tain a healthy, safe weight
and get the nutrients they
need. Help them plan menus
that include plenty of fruits,
vegetables and whole grains
and adequate amounts of
lean meat, poultry and fish.
Ensure they get at least
1,500 milligrams of crlcium
per day and consider Laving
them take a multivitamin.
See if they need help cook
ing, driving to the grocery
store or choosing healthy
foods.
• Improve exercise.
Staying physically active can
injected into the site of the
primary tumor. The tracing
agent then follows the drain
age path of the tumor to the
nearest lymph node or nodes,
referred to as the “sentinel
node(s).” A gamma detection
device such as the Neoprobe
is used to detect the path of
the tracing agent. Because
the lymph nodes are con
nected, physicians theorize
that if the sentinel nodes
show no sign of malignancy,
then the nodes farther down
the lymphatic pathway are
likely to be free of the dis
ease as well.
Perry Hospital’s Surgery
Center is using the Neoprobe
in breast biopsies and mas
tectomies to better detect
abnormalities in their earli
est stages. For Dr. Horatio
V Cabasares, a surgeon
specializing in diseases
of the breast and a mem
ber of the medical staff of
Perry Hospital, the ability
to quickly locate and biop
help prevent, and possible
reverse, physical changes
such as loss of lean muscle
mass, lung capacity, flex
ibility, balance, bone den
sity and mental function.
Suggest older adults take
up an aerobic exercise like
walking. They should work
up to 30 minutes of activity
three to five times per week.
Fitness activities that incor
porate weight or resistance
training are especially help
ful for improving strength,
endurance and balance.
• Engage in life.
Maintaining close relation
ships with others and con
tinuing productive activities
helps add meaning and joy
to fife. Suggest opportuni
ties for older adults to social
ize or pursue their passions
and interests. Help them
find activities that provide
mental stimulation, such as
reading, doing puzzles, play
ing an instrument or playing
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E. Douglas Culverhouse, Jr., MD
Medical College of Georgia
Certified, American Board of
Anesthesiologists
James Dawson, MD
Medical College of Georgia
Certified, American Board of
Anesthesiologists
F. Hunt Sanders, MD
Medical College of Georgia
Fellow, American College of
Anesthesiologists
Bobby Thompson, MD
Medical College of Georgia
Certified, American Board of
Anesthesiologists
Roger Williams, MD
Medical College of Georgia
Certified Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine,
American Board of Anesthesiologists
sy sentinel nodes provides
him with the vital informa
tion he needs to determine
if the cancer has spread or
if it is localized to the site
of the primary tumor. “The
accurate detection of lymph
nodes—whether in breast
cancer surgery or melano
ma surgery or any surgery
that requires sampling of
the lymph nodes—is a stan
dard of care in our time,”
he explains. “Accurate detec
tion of lymph nodes is essen
tial in order to prescribe the
right kind of medical and
surgical therapy to a cancer
patient.”
Accordingto Dr. Cabasares,
removing lymph nodes was a
hit and miss technique in
the past. He explains that
surgeons would dissect a
large area of the body hop
ing to find lymph nodes to
sample. The success rate of
this procedure was less than
70 percent, which meant
that a number of cases were
games like chess, checkers
or cards.
• Maintain timely medi
cal care. Help aging adults
make and attend their medi
cal appointments to manage
and prevent chronic con
ditions like diabetes, high
blood pressure, heart disease
and osteoporosis. Make sure
they have regular health
screenings such as breast,
pelvic, colon and rectal
exams as well as immuniza
tions for influenza, tetanus
and pneumococcal disease.
They will also need regular
checkups for vision, hearing
and dental.
Sponsored by Houston
Healthcare, Senior Care is
a special program designed
just for senior adults. It
offers free weekly strength
and flexibility exercise class
es led by certified instructors
as well as monthly health
screenings such as blood
pressure, cholesterol and
Hr
Houston Pain
Treatment Center
at Houston Medical Center
1601 Watson Boulevard
Warner Robins, Georgia 31093
329-3451
FRIDAY, JULY 14, 2006
not accurately sampled. This
procedure later evolved into
the practice of injecting a
blue dye near the tumor site
and following the dye to the
lymph node that absorbed it,
and then removing the node.
“The sampling accuracy rate
improved to 80 percent with
this new procedure,” com
ments Dr. Cabasares. “But
today, the combination of
injecting blue dye and a
radioactive material, which
is detected by the Neoprobe,
increases the sampling accu
racy rate to 99 percent.”
To cancer patients, the
Neoprobe can mean the dif
ference between life and
death. “In addition to sav
ing patients from having
wide and extensive incisions
which can lead tq compli
cations after surgery,” says
Dr. Cabasares, “accurately
detecting cancerous lymph
nodes can save patients’
lives. This is truly a wonder
ful machine.”
glucose checks. Free exer
cise classes and screenings
are offered in Perry, Warner
Robins, and Centerville.
Perry’s Senior Care pro
gram meets at Rozar Park
Recreation Department.
Exercise classes are held
Mondays and Fridays at 10
a.m., and Wednesdays at
9:30 a.m. Perry’s program
also offers a nutritious lunch
for $5 and an educational
speaker on Fridays at 11
a.m.
Warner Robins’ Senior Care
meets for exercise at
Houston County’s YMCA on
Tuesdays and Thursdays at
9 a.m.
Centerville’s Senior Care
meets for exercise at
Centerville City Hall every
Monday, Wednesday and
Friday at 8:30 a.m.
For more information
about Houston Healthcare’s
Senior Care program, please
call 923-9771.
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