What Baby Boomers Need to Know About Hepatitis C

Posted on May 19, 2012 by dianeatwood

Courtesy CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) just issued a draft recommendation that all baby boomers born between 1945 and 1965 get a one-time blood test for Hepatitis C. That’s because they are five times more likely to be infected than other adults and account for more than three-quarters of all cases of the infection in this country.

Hepatitis C is a viral infection in the liver and is transmitted through direct contact with contaminated blood. There are vaccines available for hepatitis A and B, which are also caused by viruses, but none is available yet for hepatitis C.

It usually takes decades after being exposed to the hepatitis C virus before liver damage develops. According to the CDC, “more than 15,000 Americans, most of them baby boomers, die each year from hepatitis C-related illnesses, such as cirrhosis and liver cancer, and deaths have been increasing steadily for over a decade and are projected to grow significantly in coming years.”

The CDC states that many baby boomers were infected with the virus in their teens and twenties. Some may have been exposed to it in a healthcare setting before universal precautions and widespread screening of the blood supply began in the early 90s. Others may have been infected from behaviors such as sharing needles when injecting drugs.

The current guidelines for who should be tested for hepatitis C are based on the following risk factors:

  • Anyone who has ever injected illegal drugs
  • Recipients of blood transfusions or solid organ transplants before July 1992, or clotting factor concentrates made before 1987
  • Patients who have ever received long-term hemodialysis treatment
  • Persons with known exposures to hepatitis C, such as:
    • Health care workers after needle sticks involving blood from a patient with hepatitis C
    • Recipients of blood/organs from a donor who later tested positive for hepatitis C
  • People living with HIV
  • People with signs or symptoms of liver disease (e.g., abnormal liver enzyme tests)
  • Children born to mothers who have hepatitis C

The CDC proposes adding to the list:

  • Anyone born from 1945 through 1965

The American Gastroenterological Association recently conducted an online survey of 1,006 baby boomers not previously diagnosed with hepatitis C. The findings showed that almost three-quarters (74 percent) have never been tested or are unsure if they have been tested for hepatitis C and 80 percent do not consider themselves at any risk for having the disease.

Ira M. Jacobson, MD, AGAF, chief of gastroenterology and hepatology at Cornell University, says, “Many baby boomers have a potentially dangerous ‘it’s not me’ mentality about hepatitis C, and this survey underscores how poorly most people in that generation understand that risk factors do apply to them.”

Diagnosis of hepatitis C is often missed because about 80 percent of people who are infected don’t develop any symptoms. If symptoms of infection do appear they include:

  • fever
  • fatigue
  • decreased appetite
  • nausea
  • vomiting
  • abdominal pain
  • dark urine
  • grey-colored feces
  • joint pain
  • jaundice

About 60 to 70 percent of people who carry the virus develop chronic liver disease — 5 to 20 percent develop cirrhosis, which is scarring of the liver. One to 5 percent die from cirrhosis or liver cancer.

The CDC estimates that if baby boomers would get the one-time blood test, more than 800,000 news cases could be identified and appropriately treated.  Currently, many patients with chronic hepatitis C are treated with a combination of medications to remove the virus from the blood and reduce the risks associated with long-term infection. If chronic infection causes liver disease it may be necessary to have a liver transplant.

You should consider being tested for hepatitis C or at least have a conversation with your health care provider if you think you might have been exposed at any time during your life, fall into one of the high risk categories, or were born 1945 and 1965.

Posted in Aging, Men's and Women's Health, Prevention | Leave a comment

I’d Like Water With Those Fries

Posted on May 15, 2012 by dianeatwood

Want your kids to eat their vegetables? Serve them with water.

That’s the advice of T. Bettina Cornwell of the University of Oregon and Anna McAlister of Michigan State University. The two researchers were involved in two separate studies about food and drink choices. Their findings were just published in the journal Appetite.

The first study was a survey of 60 young adults, aged 19-23 to see what food-drink combinations they preferred. The majority said when they’re drinking soda, they’d much rather be eating salty, calorie-dense foods than vegetables.

In the second study, a group of 75 children ages 3 to 5 were tested on two separate occasions. One day they were served a sweet drink and offered carrots and red bell peppers and the next they were offered the same vegetables, but with water.

As I’m sure you’ve already figured out, the kids were more likely to eat the vegetables when they drank water, not soda.

You might be thinking “DUH” because, of course, you wouldn’t dream of serving your children soda with their supper. The point, according to Cornwell, is that children learn at an early age to associate “sweet, high-calorie drinks such as colas with salty and fatty high-calorie containing foods like french fries.”

“Our taste preferences are heavily influenced by repeated exposure to particular foods and drinks,” she says. “This begins early through exposure to meals served at home and by meal combinations offered by many restaurants. Our simple recommendation is to serve water with all meals. Restaurants easily could use water as their default drink in kids’ meal combos and charge extra for other drink alternatives.”

Serving water, says McAlister, could be a simple and effective dietary change to help address the nation’s growing obesity problem, which has seen increasing number of diabetes cases in young adults and a rise in health-care costs in general.

Once considered rare, obesity in children is now one of the most widespread medical problems in the country. According to the National Institutes of Health, “Statistics show about 17 percent of American children ages 2 to 19, or 1 in 6, are obese.”

Obese children are at risk of developing not only diabetes but also high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and kidney disease, not to mention a host of long-term health issues.

There are a lot of reasons why children become obese, including:

  • Genetics. Obesity tends to run in families
  • Diet. Too much fast food, processed snacks, and sugary drinks
  • Physical inactivity. Spending a lot of time in front of television or at computer.

Even if your child isn’t overweight, the researchers believe their studies suggest that developing a preference for certain tastes and combinations in early childhood may influence choices later in life. “If the drink on the table sets the odds against both adults and children eating their vegetables,” concludes McAlister, “then perhaps it is time to change that drink, and replace it with water.”

And you might also think about the vegetables you’re serving. The recommendation is to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables every day. I came across a CDC survey that looked at the proportion of vegetables served to children 2-19 ages. Nearly half of all the vegetables served were fried potatoes!

I guess if that is the vegetable of choice for your children, at least give them water with those fries!

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May the Band Play on Forever

Posted on April 25, 2012 by dianeatwood


Dick Johnson started playing the trombone in the seventh grade. He wanted to play the French horn. “When I was in the sixth grade,” he says, “we had a music room at the elementary school and they had all the instruments of the orchestra in big pictures and I saw the French horn. The French horn has all these curls and I thought, ‘Oh, man, that would be beautiful.’ So I went home and told my dad I wanted to play the French horn. He said, ‘No, you’re not. You’re going to play the trombone because we’ve got a trombone out at the farm.”

It may not have been love at first sight, but the relationship between Dick and his trombone grew tight and strong and he’s been playing it ever since. Right now he plays in The Alumni Band in Biddeford and the Italian Heritage Center Concert Band in Portland.

I got to sit in on a recent rehearsal at the Italian Heritage Center. What a treat! That’s where I met up with Dick.

“I like playing with other people in a band,” he told me, “because in the trombone section you have first, second, and third trombone, so you have some nice harmonies right within the section. I love the sound of several trombones playing harmony together. It’s just a very rich full sound that I like along with how you fit in with the rest of the band. I just love being in the band.”

Dick Johnson on the trombone

Learning how to play an instrument as a child and sticking with it all these years — I almost forgot to mention, Dick is 80 — has given him many satisfying moments, and it may have also helped stave off some of the effects of aging.

Researchers at Northwestern University recently published a study that showed musicians have fewer age-related memory and hearing losses than non-musicians. They attached electrodes to the heads of 87 people with normal hearing aged 18 to 65. The electrodes measured how long it took for their brains to process a sound signal. The older you get, the more difficult it is. Compared to their non-musician peers, the older study participants who learned music as a child and kept up with it were able to process the sounds just as fast as the younger participants.

Music to a musician’s ears!

Hopefully, Sharman West will reap some cognitive rewards from learning to play an instrument as a child, even though she set it aside for 40 years and only took it up again as a “mature” adult. Like Dick, she also didn’t get to play her instrument of choice. It was her mother who made the decision.

“When I was in the fifth grade, my friend Bernadette was getting a clarinet and I wanted a clarinet. My mother said, ‘No, you will play the glockenspiel!”

A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument with tuned steel bars arranged in two rows, which you can see in the picture of Sharman below.

Sharman counting rests

Recently retired, Sharman is a percussionist in the Alumni and the Italian Heritage Center Bands. Along with her glockenspiel she gets to play “lots of toys, like the triangle and the tambourine and the cymbals.”

Pleased with herself for clanging her cymbals at just the right moment!

You might think playing percussion is easy because there are usually lots and lots of rests, but counting those rests takes lots and lots of concentration and brainpower, says Sharman. “With percussion,” she explains, “you can have 80, 90 rests and then BING! So, you count 80, 90 — BING! And you hope you get it!”

She certainly didn’t miss a beat when I was looking.

Susie Jones may not have to count quite as many rests as Sharman, but as a musician, she has to be a master at focused concentration. She took piano lessons as a child and also has fond memories of playing the ukulele with her father on the front porch in the summertime. Mostly she sang.

It wasn’t until she hit her fifties that Susie took on a new musical challenge. “When I was 55 I decided that I had always wanted to play a trumpet and I’d better do it now. I started taking some lessons and then I started playing in bands. I play in a lot of groups now, it’s pretty much taken over my life.”

Learning how to play an instrument is generally more difficult for an adult than a child, says Nina Oatley, who is the band’s conductor and also teaches clarinet and saxophone. The biggest stumbling block? Adults think too much! “I try to get my older students to do less thinking,” she says, “and more hearing and allowing the music to just flow.”

So, even though playing an instrument may help your cognitive abilities, it can also help you to get out of that brain of yours as well!

Susie Jones and her euphonium

Apparently, Susie didn’t have any trouble learning because she took up yet another instrument. After three years on the trumpet she started playing the euphonium, which is an octave below a trumpet and an octave above a tuba. She says, “I just loved the sound because it’s lower brass and I love the lower brass.”

Have you noticed how much love and happiness there seems to be among these band players?

Sharman says, “There’s a lightness and joy here. It doesn’t matter who you are, you’re here as a musician and that is the common ground. There is no separation. It gives me a full heart.”

In the 16 years Nina has been conducting the Italian Heritage Center Band, she’s witnessed quite a bit of fullness of heart — whether in sadness or in joy, members are always there for each other.

And although I may have given the impression, not everyone in the band is a senior citizen. In fact, several generations are represented, including high school and college students. Age — at either of the spectrum, simply does not matter when you’re making music together.

“It has become a really strong community,” says Nina. “It’s more like a family where I think people feel really supported by members of the group. And they love to visit with each other. When we take a rehearsal break it’s hard to get them to come back sometimes!”

Italian Heritage Center Concert Band in rehearsal

Whether or not we’re willing to admit it, feeling the love is important to us humans, especially as we get older. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, depression among people aged 65 and older is extremely common and often doesn’t get treated because people thinks it’s just a normal part of aging. It’s not. Unfortunately, many elderly people live alone and don’t have a strong support network, which is a factor that may contribute to depression.

Social interaction is a huge benefit of playing in the band, says Ted Manduca, who is closing in on 81. “It gives you a reason to get out of the house. Many people spend so much time on the computer now they become hermits and they lose the social interaction.”

Ted Manduca and his blue trombone

Ted seems like a pretty outgoing guy who enjoys being around people. He also has a sense of humor. When I asked him to describe what it’s like to “get in the zone” when he’s playing his trombone, without skipping a beat, he replied, “Well it’s not as good as sex, but it’s not bad!”

When he stopped grinning, he added, “Sometimes when you’re playing, if something comes off just right, there’s a magic moment that occurs.”

By the way, Ted also has his own 18-piece band — the Ted Manduca Band — and they are always available, if you happen to have an upcoming event.

An upcoming event for The Italian Heritage Center Concert Band is a Movie Madness concert Sunday, May 6 at 2pm at the Italian Heritage Center.

I highly recommend you go hear them play because they’re wonderful and because listening to music that you enjoy can be just as beneficial to your health and wellness as playing it. See you at the concert!

Posted in Aging, Men's and Women's Health, Mental Health | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Does Sunscreen Prevent Malignant Melanoma?

Posted on April 13, 2012 by dianeatwood

Does sunscreen prevent malignant melanoma? The short answer is not necessarily. Two reasons why:

1. People slather it on and then bake in the sun twice as long they should.

2. Some sunscreens are not broad-spectrum. In other words they protect against UVB rays but not UVA rays, which may also cause skin cancer — including malignant melanoma, which can be deadly.

Last year the FDA issued new sunscreen guidelines for manufacturers.

  • In order to claim that a sunscreen protects against skin cancer, it must be at least SPF-15 and must protect against UVB and UVA. If the claim can’t be made, a warning must be added to the label: “This product has not been shown to prevent skin cancer or premature skin aging.”
  • No sunscreen is really waterproof so only the term water-resistant can be used and only if studies prove that the product retains its value after being exposed to water.
  • The term sunblock can no longer be used, because no sunscreen can completely block the sun.

Even if you choose the right kind of sunscreen, you also have to use common sense. Here are some recommendations from the American Board of Family Medicine:

How to use sunscreen

  1. Don’t put on sunscreen and then stay in the sun so long you get a sunburn.
  2. If your skin starts to get red or feel uncomfortable, don’t just reapply sunscreen, cover up or get in the shade.
  3. Wear protective clothing, a hat, and sunglasses along with sunscreen.

The goal isn’t to avoid getting any sun exposure at all — in fact, sunlight is an important source of Vitamin D. The recommendation is that we get from five to 30 minutes of sun exposure between 10 am and 3 pm at least twice a week to our face, arms, or back.

What you want to avoid is sunburn because sunburns increase your risk of developing malignant melanoma.

Did you know malignant melanoma is now the most common cancer among people 25 to 29 years old? The Mayo Clinic just published research that showed the incidence of malignant melanoma has increased more than sixfold in the past 40 years. Multiple studies have shown a strong connection between sunburns during childhood and adolescence and malignant melanoma.

Dr. Frederick Aronson, a cancer specialist at Maine Center for Cancer Medicine in Scarborough says, “Most of the ultraviolet radiation that causes melanoma is delivered to the individual at risk before age 20. There are migration studies that show if you grow up in a high sun region and move to a lower sun region in your 20s, your melanoma risk is as if you lived in the high sun region all your life and vice versa. If you live in a low sun region and move to a high sun region in your 20s your melanoma risk remains relatively low.”

The National Cancer Institute lists a number of melanoma risk factors we should be aware of:

Malignant melanoma risk factors related to sunlight

  • Fair-skinned with blue or green eyes, or red or blond hair
  • Live in a sunny climate or at a high altitude
  • High exposure to strong sunlight
  • Have had one or more blistering sunburns during childhood
  • Use tanning beds

Non-sunlight related risk factors

  • Close relatives with a history of melanoma
  • Come in contact with cancer-causing chemicals such as arsenic, coal tar, and creosote
  • Certain types of moles (atypical dysplastic) or multiple birthmarks
  • Weakened immune system due to disease or medication

Mike Cushman and granddaughter Keira

Mike Cushman, who lives in South Portland, was diagnosed with advanced malignant melanoma in 2010. He has a story to share about the importance of catching it early. “I had a suspicious mole on the back of my head under my hair,” he recently described to me. “My daughter spotted it and suggested my doctor check it out. The biopsy came back benign. Late July I felt a lump in that same area. In early August it was removed for biopsy and came back malignant melanoma. I cannot trace the melanoma to my family. I seem to be the only one. As a child growing up in the 50s and 60s I probably had my share of sunburns.”

Surgery is the most effective treatment for malignant melanoma. Depending on a variety of factors, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy are also used to treat melanoma. Each comes with some serious side effects. Several promising new treatments are now being studied in clinical trials, including a targeted therapy that has offered a great deal of hope to Mike. The treatment targets a mutated gene found in about half the people diagnosed with metastatic malignant melanoma.

“I am on a GlaxoSmithKline Phase 1 Clinical Trial BRF113220. It is a combination of a Braf and MEK protein inhibitor. It is a targeted therapy. I have a Braf mutation in the cancer cells, which allowed me to be a candidate for a trial. I am doing very well. I have been on this treatment for 15 months. My CT-Scans continue to show stable tumor size and no new tumors. That is always good news.”

Dr. Aronson says targeted therapies are hopefully, “the future of cancer treatment in the universe, where we don’t rely on the immune system to fight the cancer, but we identify a mutation in the cancer cell that is driving the cancer cell to proliferate and survive and cause trouble in your body. We specifically design in the laboratory a small molecule that can target that particular mutant process and cripple it. Because it’s specific to the tumor cell the side effects from the treatment are much less.”

The new approach to treating cancer holds a great deal of promise, but the real keys to treating malignant melanoma are preventing it in the first place and learning how to identify it as early as possible. The first signs are often changes in an existing mole, but it can also show up as a new mole.

Signs of melanoma in a mole

  • Asymmetrical shape — one half doesn’t match the other
  • Borders are irregular — ragged or blurry edges or pigment that spreads into surrounding skin
  • Color is not even — usually shades of brown, black, and tan, but sometimes white gray, red, pink or blue
  • Diameter — usually bigger than a pea, but can start tiny and get bigger
  • Evolving appearance — a change that happens in just weeks or months.

What malignant melanoma might look like

Courtesy National Cancer Institute

Courtesy National Cancer Institute.


Mike says at his age he chooses not to dwell on sunburns he got when he was younger. “I cannot go back and undo the past. What I would have done differently is talk to my doctor about follow up care with a dermatologist. I am very thankful that my daughter brought to my attention the suspicious mole on the back of my head. My two daughters now have a family history of melanoma and they see a dermatologist at regular intervals. Believe me, I ask them if they have been going to their appointments.”

Mike recently wrote an essay about his cancer experience for My Generation Magazine.

If you’ve been meaning to get screened for any suspicious moles or are worried about one in particular, you’re in luck because three FREE SKIN SCREENINGS are being held in southern Maine in May from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm:

Wednesday, May 16
Maine Medical Center Cancer Institute
100 Campus Drive
Scarborough

Monday, May 21
SMMC Saco Health Center
13 Industrial Park Road
Saco

Tuesday, May 22
Mercy Oncology-Hematology Center
Fore River Medical Building
195 Fore River Parkway, Suite 360
Portland

You need an appointment. Call 1-877-831-2129 to schedule. Space is limited and patients who have never been screened by a dermatologist will be given priority.

If you have an extra five minutes take a look at this video about melanoma. I thought it was pretty clever.

Posted in Men's and Women's Health, Prevention | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Kawasaki. Not the Motorcycle

Posted on April 4, 2012 by dianeatwood

Ann Hutchins' grandson Garrett Stevens

Everywhere I go I run into someone who tells me a story that catches my interest. Ann Hutchins, for instance. We were seated together at the Go Red For Women Luncheon last month when she told me about her grandson Garrett. He’d been very, very sick recently with Kawasaki Disease.

“What on Earth is Kawasaki Disease?” you ask. Precisely what I said to Ann.

I found out that Kawasaki Disease is a fairly uncommon illness that causes inflammation in the blood vessels. Every year in this country, it’s diagnosed in somewhere between 9 and 19 per 100,000 children under the age of five. Ann’s grandson recovered, but it was a scary situation. She put me in touch with her daughter Caitlin Stevens, who filled me in on the details.

“I had never even heard of Kawasaki Disease,” Caitlin told me, “until Garrett got it.” Their story began on a Friday night about three months ago, when Garrett was just nine months old. “He wasn’t acting himself,” described Caitlin. “He wouldn’t sleep and he was crabby. On Saturday he had a real high fever, so we took him to the ER. They did blood work, a chest x-ray, and a couple of other tests. They checked him for a urinary tract infection and they said they thought he just had an ear infection and gave us some antibiotics and sent us home. He was just miserable, and the next morning we noticed a rash and we took his temperature. It was 104, so we decided to bring him back to the ER.”

Back in the ER at York Hospital, the doctors ran more tests and tried unsuccessfully to get his fever down. They decided to admit him. “From there on, he did nothing but get worse. The rash just exploded. He got red as a cooked lobster and had a 105 temperature. Nothing they did could get it down and he wouldn’t eat or drink anything. ”

Garrett’s pediatrician consulted with pediatricians at Maine Medical Center. Some of his symptoms pointed to Kawasaki Disease.

Signs and Symptoms of Kawasaki Disease

  • Fever, which often is higher than 101.3 F and lasts five or more days
  • Extremely red eyes (conjunctivitis) with no drainage
  • A rash that is often worse in the genital area
  • Red, dry, cracked lips and an extremely red, swollen tongue (“strawberry” tongue)
  • Swollen, red skin on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet
  • Swollen lymph nodes, especially in the neck
  • Irritability

The decision was made to transfer Garrett to The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital, where he would be assessed by a team of specialists. On the ambulance ride to Portland, Caitlin observed that he was getting worse. “His lips and tongue were very, very red and dry. The rash spread to his whole body and it was raised. One thing after another just kept happening.”

Among the team of doctors was a pediatric cardiologist. I contacted Dr. Adrian Moran, a pediatric cardiologist with Pediatric Cardiology Associates, to ask him about the connection between Kawasaki Disease and the heart. He confirmed that Kawasaki Disease is a condition that causes inflammation in the walls of the arteries throughout the body. If it isn’t treated, it can permanently damage the coronary arteries, which deliver blood to the heart. “Ultimately it is a cardiac condition,” he explained, “but it is an acquired condition of childhood, not a congenital condition that you are born with.”

While Garrett had a growing number of signs and symptoms related to Kawasaki Disease, the team wanted to make sure of the diagnosis. Because there is no specific diagnostic test available, a variety of factors had to be taken into consideration. “The diagnosis is a clinical one,” outlined Dr. Moran. “Lab testing is supportive, but not diagnostic. Other common infections can mimic it, as can certain rheumatologic conditions. Close cardiac follow up is critical with serial echocardiograms — to ensure that the coronary arteries and/or aorta do not dilate.” (Rheumatologic conditions include arthritis and other diseases of the joints, muscles and bones.)

Other infections and conditions were ruled out and an echocardiogram showed that Garrett’s coronary arteries were enlarged. On Wednesday evening, five days after his first symptoms, the doctors agreed that it was Kawasaki Disease and began treating him with high-dose gamma globulin (IVIG) and aspirin.

The next morning Garrett’s fever was down to 101 and continued to go down throughout the day. The rash started going away within a few hours. “It was pink instead of red and didn’t cover his whole body,” reported Caitlin. “Within a few days the rash was gone. It took a couple weeks for the swelling in the lymph node to go away totally. He started eating and drinking again Thursday afternoon.” Garrett had to stay in the hospital a few more days to make sure his fever didn’t spike again and that he didn’t need a second treatment. It didn’t and he didn’t.

He’s had two follow-up echocardiograms show his coronary arteries are back to normal. Today, you’d never know little Garrett had been so sick, says his grateful mother, noticing that, “It’s amazing how fast life goes back to normal. You remember it and everything, but looking back on it, it’s like, oh my goodness that was so scary. How did we make it through?”

If he hadn’t been treated, Garrett probably would have gotten better on his own in about 12 days, but with possible damage to his heart. According to the American Heart Association, cardiac complications develop in 15 to 25 percent of children who are not treated within ten days of the onset of the illness. With treatment, there is still a 1 to 5 percent risk.

No one knows what causes Kawasaki Disease. Dr. Moran says there have been many theories over the years, including a link to carpet cleaning. “In reality, the cause is likely a combination of genetic susceptibility triggered by an environmental insult, such as a viral infection.” If you’d like to learn more about Kawasaki Disease, you’ll find a lot of information on the Kawasaki Disease Foundation Website.

We all love happy endings and so, I give you one for Garrett’s story. He turns one on Sunday, April 8. What a celebration that will be! Happy Birthday Garrett!

Bring on the birthday cake!

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Shalom House Art Program

Posted on March 28, 2012 by dianeatwood

Moonlit Stars by Annette Bryce Shalom House Art Program

Shalom is a Hebrew word that means peace. It is also the name of an organization in Portland, Maine that has brought peace of mind to thousands of people affected by mental illness.

Shalom House.

A man had watched his brother struggle with mental illness and move from one family member’s home to another and then to mental hospitals and finally to shelters. His dream was to create a safe, caring place that would allow individuals like his brother to live within the community. That dream became a reality when Shalom House opened on High Street in 1972.

In the beginning there was only the one house with 15 beds but today, 40 years later, Shalom House owns and operates at least two dozen properties in Cumberland and York Counties. It offers temporary and long-term supported and independent housing. In addition, it provides a wide array of support services such as community integration, skills and peer support. According to Executive Director Mary Haynes-Rodgers, “From the beginning, Shalom House made its mission of providing both mental health and housing services the hallmark of what makes us different. It is the focus on both of these services that allows us to ensure our consumers have the opportunity to live and thrive in our community while continuing in their own recovery.”

The first time I visited Shalom House’s administrative offices I was surprised and delighted to see something else that was thriving —a big beautiful Papier-mâché giraffe perched behind the reception desk.

I looked around and realized there was art everywhere!

Tenney Swift Shalom House Art Program Facilitator

It turns out that along with housing and support services, Shalom operates a robust art program in a large mixed media studio. The program began in 1994 and is led today by Tenney Swift.

A Maine College of Art graduate, Tenney spent six years facilitating an art program for adults with developmental disabilities. In 2007 Shalom House approached her about running its program. When she met some of the people at Shalom and got a look at the studio space, she jumped at the opportunity.

The program is open to anyone with a diagnosed mental illness — anyone, not just Shalom House clients. There is a modest tuition that adds up to a couple of dollars a class, but scholarships are available. And even if you don’t consider yourself an artist, who knows what you are capable of creating!

Kristin Cartwright hard at work on the lion's mane

Kristin Cartwright has been attending the program since 2009. Right now she’s working on a magnificent-looking lion she hopes will eventually find a home at The Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital. Kristin suffers from major depression and has a strong tendency to isolate herself. She tries to get to the program from her home in Saco at least once a week — she considers it that important. “It’s a social connection,” she explained to me. “Because of my tendency to isolate, I don’t really have friends outside of the art class. Here I have people to talk to, I’m not alone. It was a big step to come in the first place. I had a support team that encouraged me to get here. I enjoy it. I enjoy doing crafts, creating things, and drawing. It’s not just painting and drawing, it’s working with metal and pottery and wire.”

“I want people to understand that this is a facilitated working studio space,” says Tenney. “I am the facilitator. I don’t stand up and lecture. I want the pressure off, so people are more inclined to come in. You can jump into a group project at any time and you can work on your own projects, too. For some people, it’s almost like coming in and directing their own therapy. They might choose a project that helps quiet their own symptoms. In a way, you’re in the driver’s seat with your own art therapy.”

The lion, which is made out of wire and paper and wallpaper paste, is supposed to be a group project, but Kristin has been doing most of the work. It makes her feel good to create something that someone appreciates.

Like Kristin, Joe Walker says attending the art program has been a wonderful outlet and a place to talk with other people. Joe is a recovering alcoholic who also suffers from depression. On top of that, a year and a half ago he developed spinal meningitis and wasn’t expected to live. He was in a coma, and when he came out of it was paralyzed from the neck down. He’s come a long way, but still walks with a cane. Shalom House and the art program are helping him heal on many levels.

Joe Walker working on a sketch for me!

“I’m not sure how well I would have done without everything Shalom House has given me, in particular my counselor,” Joe told me. “I was an alcoholic for a long period of time and I was one of those alcoholics who lost everything. I had never learned to manage profound depression properly and I was just a big huge mess when I got sober. My attitude is I’ve got a big long bridge to get across and I just couldn’t do it alone. Shalom House has helped me.”

An architect by trade, Joe started doodling at support group meetings and people began to encourage him to do something with them. Someone else encouraged him to join Shalom House’s Art Program. “Tenney has been incredible,” he says . “It’s amazing. I’ve never given myself credit for being good at anything, and I’m starting to develop a sense of self worth for the first time in my life. I realized that I’m good at what I do.”

Tenney couldn’t be more delighted to hear what the program means to Kristin and Joe. “My number one focus is getting people to feel confident putting their own artwork out there and to also feel confident pricing their own artwork and becoming independent. And I want them to enjoy it here and keep coming back.”

“People who live with mental illness are often defined by their disability rather than their ability, “says Shalom’s Development Director Jill Silander. “The art program strives to break down barriers and to help remove the stigma that can separate those with mental illness from the community at large.”

Last year more than 70 people participated in the program. Their artwork is not only on display at Shalom, it is also loaned to other agencies and area businesses, shown at various art shows, turned into art cards and calendars, and used in various Shalom House publications.

If you’d like to participate in the Shalom House Art Program, help support it in any way, or just get more information, contact Shalom House at (207) 874-1080 or send an email. And before I sign off, here are two of Joe’s drawings — the one on the bottom is the quick sketch he did for me. Signed, so I’ll have proof I knew him when. Thank you, Joe!

And thank you Shalom House Art Program.

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Brain Injury Voices: Paying It Forward

Posted on March 20, 2012 by dianeatwood

Nine people sit around the table. They were all chatting when I entered the room and stopped to acknowledge and welcome me as I sat down. I look at them as a group and then as individuals. I notice nothing unusual. I tell you this because looking like ordinary people, while mostly a good thing, can be frustrating to this particular group. You see, each of them has sustained a brain injury, either because of an accident or a non-traumatic event such as a stroke. They don’t look injured, but they are.

Their personal journeys to recovery have been convoluted and challenging, and to this day they must all use various strategies to manage lingering issues, like extreme mental fatigue, sensitivity to noise or light, loss of balance, inability to speak clearly, and problems with memory and organizational skills. But outwardly they look fine and most people don’t understand what they’re up against.

These people at the table are members of Brain Injury Voices. They belong to the brain injury support group at New England Rehabilitation Hospital of Portland and formed Brain Injury Voices a few years ago because they wanted to use their “knowledge and experiences to pay it forward.” Co-facilitator Carole Starr, who was injured in a car accident, says their mission is three-fold: “We provide education, advocacy, and support.”

Group photo of Brain Injury Voices in Maine

L-R Rorie Lee, Herb Williams, Marc Hebert, Maryanne Tubbs, Beverley Bryant, Carole Starr, Paula Sparks, Judi Klingensmith, and Hilary Zayed

The list of services Brain Injury Voices offers is rather astonishing.

  • Provide peer visits for inpatient brain injury survivors
  • Provide peer support for outpatient brain injury survivors
  • Connect with inpatient and outpatient brain injury clinical teams
  • Participate in provider and community-based organizations
  • Offer information on brain injury to various government, professional and educational organizations
  • Develop brain injury workshops
  • Participate on brain injury panels
  • Offer organizational/educational/professional keynote presentations
  • Mentor new members of brain injury support groups
  • Seek out guest speakers for brain injury support groups when needed
  • Attend service trainings in member’s interest/expertise
  • Use technology to connect with other brain injury survivors

Why do they devote themselves to all these tasks when they have more than enough to cope with already? Maryanne Tubbs, who suffered a stroke, says, “We are a repository of information. By coming together we are a powerful group. And by helping others, it helps us get out of own injuries.”

“We all have different passions, different strengths and gifts to give,” adds Judi Klingensmith, who suffered the first of several head injuries at the age of 12, and her most recent three years ago when she fell on the ice.

“A brain injury can restrict your life,” concludes Carole. “It can make your life seem small. Being part of Brain Injury Voices has expanded my life.”

A year of many accomplishments
Last year the group spent hundreds of hours providing peer mentoring to other people with brain injuries. Kathy Kroll, a recreational therapist at New England Rehab, says from the hospital’s point of view, Brain Injury Voices is a huge benefit. “Therapists can show great empathy to patients, but they’ve lived it and can say, ‘I understand.’ The hospital recognizes and embraces the group. Without Brain Injury Voices we wouldn’t give the quality of care that we do. They are part of our treatment team.”

They also delivered several presentations, including two at an October Maine Brain Injury Conference — one on Grief and Loss and the other on Work and Travel. They wrote to members of Congress in support of brain injury rehabilitation services. They sent a package of art and writing supplies to Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. And they were fashion models at the Jazzy Johnny’s Fashion Show.

Their mission is to educate, advocate, and support. I think they should add inspire. That’s certainly what they do to me — as a group and as individuals. Want a little more inspiration? Hilary Zayed was injured when she fell off her horse. Look at her artwork. Beverley Bryant was in a car accident and then had a stroke. She’s written two books. All the members have stories to tell about their personal journeys to recovery.

Review the list of services Brain Injury Voices provides at no cost and consider inviting members to do what they do best — educate, advocate, support, and inspire.

For more information about Brain Injury Voices contact:
Carole Starr, co-facilitator
braininjuryvoices@maine.rr.com
(207) 200-4210

Posted in Men's and Women's Health, Mental Health | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Nona Gets Personal About Colon Cancer

Posted on March 14, 2012 by dianeatwood

A year ago I wrote an article about Nona Wills for Maine Women Magazine. I ran into Nona yesterday and we both agreed I should get permission from the editor to run it again on Catching Health. You see, Nona has an important story to tell about colon cancer and how getting a colonoscopy could save your life. She has gained a bit of notoriety sharing her story — she was part of a major ad campaign for the Maine Colorectal Cancer Control Program. The campaign included a blown up picture of Nona on the back of Metro buses. She told me yesterday that friends would call her up and exclaim, “Nona, I just saw you up on Munjoy Hill or on Congress Street! I guess it’s quite fitting that my face was on the rear end of a bus!” I’m happy to report that Nona is doing very well and that we got permission from Maine Women Magazine to “recycle” her story. So, without further ado, here’s Nona!

Nona Wills

Nona Wills got an unusual 50th birthday present three years ago from her family doctor — an appointment for her first-ever colonoscopy. It was a gift that saved her life. The colonoscopy revealed that Nona had colon cancer. “I had no family history or other risk factors,” says Nona. “It just came out of the blue.”

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women, after lung and breast cancer. In the entire population in Maine, it is the second leading cause of all cancer deaths. While men and women share many risk factors, some are unique to women.

Colorectal cancer risks factors for women include:

  • Menopause
  • History of breast cancer
  • History of uterine cancer

Risk factors shared by women and men include:

  • Age
  • Family history of colon cancer or polyps
  • Sedentary lifestyle
  • High fat or low fiber diet

Regular screenings, like the colonoscopy Nona had, are recommended for people age 50 and older. That’s because colorectal cancer is most common after 50, and the risk increases with age.

However, according to the National Women’s Health Report Card, the screening rates for colorectal cancer among women lag far behind screening for both breast and cervical cancers.

Here in Maine, screening rates are especially low among people who don’t have health insurance or don’t have regular access to a health care provider.

In an effort to reduce the number of people who are diagnosed with, or die from colorectal cancer, the Maine CDC provides no-cost screenings for Mainers who either don’t have insurance or do, but their benefits don’t cover colonoscopies.

Getting a colonoscopy may not be anyone’s idea of fun, but if it means detecting cancer in its earliest stages or finding and removing a polyp that could become cancer, wouldn’t it be worth it?

When I had my first colonoscopy, the gastroenterologist found one of those pre-cancerous polyps. He practically jumped up and down with joy. “This is the reason we do these procedures, Diane,” he exclaimed. “That polyp could easily have turned into cancer and you might never have known until it was too late.”

The thing about colorectal cancer is that usually, there are no symptoms in the early, more treatable stages. If there are, they may be easily mistaken for other problems.

Possible symptoms in women include:

  • Rectal bleeding
  • Blood in the stool (red, black, or very dark)
  • Change in bowel movements, especially in shape of the stool
  • Discomfort or urge to move bowels when there is no need
  • Cramping in lower abdomen or frequent gas pains
  • Unexplained weight loss
  • Extreme fatigue

In hindsight, Nona realized she had some of those symptoms in the weeks before her colonoscopy.

“At my doctor’s visit, I got weighed. I’d lost eight pounds, but I hadn’t done anything different. I was also having some bowel issues. I wasn’t constipated, I just had difficulty going. My stools got skinny – what they call ‘pencil stools’- and they had an odd consistency and color. I wasn’t all that worried, though.”

When she got the diagnosis, Nona’s attitude was, “Give me a list and tell me what I need to do.” A few weeks later, she had surgery to remove her cancer and a foot of her colon. Because the cancer had spread to nearby lymph nodes, she also had many weeks of chemotherapy.

About a year after she finished her chemo, she heard about ScreenME, a new initiative of the Maine Colorectal Cancer Control Program, which spreads the word about colorectal cancer screening by sharing personal stories in TV and radio ads, posters, and on the ScreenME web site. Nona knew right away she wanted to participate. “I’m a classic case of why it’s important to have a colonoscopy. People need to hear my story. I’m lucky because I lived to tell the tale.”

It’s possible that because of Nona, someone else may also live to tell their story. She is scheduled for a checkup in a couple weeks. Let’s say “thank you” by wishing her well.

If you would like to find out if you or a loved one is eligible for a colonoscopy at no cost, call the Colon Screening Hotline at 1-877-320-6800.

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DVT: Are You at Risk?

Posted on March 12, 2012 by dianeatwood

I’d like to introduce you to my sister-in-law Donna Lamer. She’s my husband’s sister, and I can safely say she is my favorite sister-in-law on that side of the family because she is my only one. I’d say it anyway!

russ and donna lamer

Russ and Donna Lamer

Six years ago Donna developed a blood clot in a deep vein in her right leg and ended up in the hospital for a week. The condition is called deep vein thrombosis or DVT. Pieces of the clot or thrombus, as it is also known, had broken off and traveled up to her lung. Potentially a life-threatening situation.

She had recently been diagnosed with lymphoma and was undergoing aggressive chemotherapy treatments, which put her at high risk of developing blood clots. She didn’t know that though, so when she noticed her calf was swollen she wasn’t too worried. She had no other symptoms, something that is not unusual.

DVT symptoms

  • Pain
  • Tenderness
  • Swelling
  • Discoloration
  • Skin that is warm to the touch

Donna’s oncologist ordered an ultrasound of her leg, which confirmed she had a blood clot. A CT scan showed that pieces of the clot were sprinkled throughout her lungs. In the hospital she had to keep her leg elevated at all times. She also received medication to prevent the clot from growing and breaking off anymore and to prevent new ones from forming. After she left she had to take a blood thinner for six months and wear compression stockings.

Although someone with cancer is at high risk for DVT, it can occur in almost anyone.

DVT risk factors (from preventdvt.org)

  • Congestive heart or respiratory failure
  • Restricted mobility
  • Cancer
  • Obesity
  • Age over 40 years
  • Recent surgery
  • Smoking
  • Prior or family history of venous thromboembolism

Deep vein thrombosis can happen in veins throughout the body, but is most common in the legs. The veins carry blood back up to the heart where it gets pumped into the lungs to pick up oxygen and other nutrients. If you have a clot, the major concerns are that that it will break off and make its way to the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism or to the brain and cause a stroke.

Fortunately, even though she had clots in her lungs, Donna didn’t have an embolism. But, because she’s had one DVT she’s now at even greater risk of developing another. She’s very careful to do what she can to prevent that from happening.

DVT prevention tips (from stoptheclot.org)

  • Lose weight if you are overweight
  • Exercise regularly
  • Avoid long periods of staying still
  • Get up and move around at least every hour if you are traveling on a plane, train, or bus
  • Stop at least every two hours when driving, and get out and move around
  • Point and flex your toes and make circles with your feet if you can’t move around
  • Drink a lot of water and wear loose fitting clothing while traveling
  • Discuss your risks with your doctor
  • Keep heart failure, diabetes, and other health issues as stable as possible

If you’d like to learn more about your DVT risk, Dr. Cindy Asbjornsen, a vein specialist at Vein Healthcare Center in South Portland is offering free DVT screenings on Thursday, March 22 and Saturday, March 24. You have to call (207) 221-7799 to schedule an appointment. The screening takes about 10 minutes.

Now, although we have been discussing her blood clots, I also want to let you know that Donna got through her all her chemo treatments and as you can see from her smiling face at the top of the post, is doing well. We are all grateful.

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A Virtual Art Exhibit for the Cancer Community Center

Posted on March 9, 2012 by dianeatwood
Mixed media of fruit by shelbee mares

"Fruit" by Shelbee Mares

I like this.

photograph of dancer 0143 by Arthur Fink

"Dancer - 0143" by Arthur Fink

And this.

NH Farm by artist Corrine Bongiovanni

"NH Farm Vignette" by Corrine Bongiovanni

And this!

This is just a small sample of the outstanding work I got to enjoy in person at the Cancer Community Center’s Art Preview Party last night.

oil painting by artist judy kane

"Summer Morning in Audubon" by Judy Kane

The Center has hosted an online auction for the past nine years, but it was the first time it also hosted an art preview. Hundreds of items are being auctioned — not just art. Perhaps you’d like a private cooking class for two at the White Barn Inn? How about a week on Cape Cod or a South Africa Photo Safari for Two? Red Sox tickets? You can view all the items at BiddingForGood.com/CCC.

calm water oil painting by artist Anne Ireland

"Calm Water, Montsweag" by Anne Ireland

I found several items I’d like to bid on, but as you can see, I’m partial to the art. The Cancer Community Center hopes to raise $75,000 from the online auction, which will help it continue to provide a long list of free programs and support services for people with cancer and their loved ones. I recently had the honor of interviewing Jani Darak-Druck and Amy Anderson, who both work for and are very committed to the Center. Watch this video produced for Maine Health Connections and you’ll understand why.

For the auction, many of the artists contributed a painting or photograph in honor of someone with cancer. Nick Patten donated a beautiful painting in memory of his brother Mark, who died last April. He found out about the auction from Corrine Bongiovanni, a fellow artist from Maine who coordinated the Art Preview and asked if he’d be willing to contribute something to the auction. ”She contacted me out of the blue within two or three months of my brother’s passing,” he told me. “It was a strange coincidence. I have a friend in the art community here in Portland, Peg Golden. She owns Greenhut Galleries, so I contacted her and asked if she knew about the Cancer Community Center. She wrote back and told me it’s a fantastic organization and they do great work.”

So, Nick not only donated a painting, he also traveled all the way from his home in Hudson Valley, New York to attend the Art Preview.

painting by artist nick patten

"The Conservatory, Troy" by Nick Patten

I hope you’ve enjoyed your tour of Catching Health’s Virtual Art Exhibit for the Cancer Community Center. I certainly had a wonderful time presenting it! And make sure to check out all the items up for bid in the Cancer Community Center’s 9th annual online auction.

Posted in Men's and Women's Health | Tagged | 1 Comment