Memorial HealthWatch Winter 2008
Testimonials
Michelle
Immediately after undergoing a double stem cell transplant in Seattle four years ago, Michele contracted graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD). “My skin broke out in a rash and sores and was burning all over,” she says. “I was on a lot of immunosuppressive drugs, trying to get rid of the GVHD.” After having spent seven months in Seattle while her family was in Broward, Michele didn’t want to leave them again to undergo the treatment out of town. “I was so happy when Memorial got the photopheresis machine,” she says. My doctor put me on it right away.” Michele began photopheresis in January, 2007. She is now taking fewer medications, being weaned off others, and her skin has improved. I’m doing it twice a month now, but soon my visits will be monthly,” she says.
Sian
Sian degenerative disc disease and accompanying sciatica in both legs had caused her to be confined to a bed for more than two years. One of her husband’s coworkers referred the couple to Marshall Stauber, MD, an orthopedic surgeon on the medical staff of Memorial Regional Hospital, Memorial Regional Hospital South and Memorial Hospital West. Dr. Stauber told Sian about a brand-new surgical procedure that entailed installing a stainless steel satellite ball in the disc base where her spine had degenerated completely. Dr. Stauber performed the operation on a Tuesday; by Thursday she was back home. It’s been a little more than a year since the surgery. “It was a miracle for me,” she says. “I am totally off pain meds. I’m down to two blood pressure pills a day from thirteen. I’m back to work part-time, and I’m doing Pilates and working with a stability ball.”
Josephine
For years, Josie couldn’t get a decent eight hours of sleep. “I was always tired and I would wake up several times during the night,” she says. But when she began experiencing memory loss, she became concerned enough to visit her doctor. Josie’s primary care physician referred her to Damon Salzman, MD, a neurologist on the medical staff of Memorial Regional Hospital, Memorial Regional Hospital South, Memorial Hospital West, Memorial Hospital Miramar and Memorial Hospital Pembroke, who specializes in sleep disorders. After she spent the night at the sleep clinic at Memorial Hospital Miramar, it was determined that Josie’s sleep apnea could be treated with the use of a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure), a breathing machine that helps keep airways open and works as a humidifier. Only a month after beginning treatment, Josie saw positive changes. Josie continues to work with Dr. Salzman to improve her memory. “He is so nice, and everyone at Memorial is so professional.”