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After Breaking Her Wrist In A Fall, Hampton Woman Gets Full Mobility of Her Hand and Wrist Back!
Credits Plastics & Reconstructive Surgeon Dr. Rene Recinos For a “Beautiful Job”
In February 2019, LeAnn Strother 65, who is left-handed, fell and broke her left wrist. Because it was a complicated break, she was referred into Dr. Rene Recinos, a plastics and reconstructive surgeon, and hand specialist at the Mason City Clinic for surgery. Most concerning for LeAnn was if this injury would impact all of the things she loves to do with her hands in the future?
LeAnn Strother of Hampton with three of her eight grandchildren.
The forearm consists of two bones, the radius and the ulna; the ulna located on your pinky side and the radius on your thumb side. According to LeAnn, “In my fall my radius had compressed, and it was too short, and I was not going to have good movement of my wrist. So, Dr. Recinos had to shorten my ulna to match my radius length. In the surgery, he used some of the bone from my ulna to graft into my radius.”
“After surgery my wrist was in a cast for six weeks, and I had to keep my arm raised and immobile much of that time because of swelling issues. Later I wasn’t able to move my wrist and fingers and had to work hard to get mobility and strength back, but I faithfully did the exercises Dr. Recinos said were important.”
After breaking her wrist in a fall, LeAnn gets full mobility of her hand and wrist back.
“I went to the hand therapist, Deb, at the Mason City Clinic who is awesome. Then I did occupational therapy at Franklin General Hospital in Hampton, and my occupational therapist there, Diana, was great too.”
“When I went back for my six-month checkup, Dr. Recinos was very pleased. He said that I had better mobility than he had hoped for.”
“Dr. Recinos was so kind and caring, and he explained things very well. I now have all my mobility back, no pain, and barely any scars - he did such a beautiful job.”
“Now I have been able to get back to doing all of the things I love to do including working part time at the library, writing a publication for my church, cooking in my kitchen, and keeping up with my eight grand kids.”
LeAnn returns to activities she loves.
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How to Keep Your Heart Healthy In Cold Weather
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People With Heart Disease Are At A Much Higher Risk for Heart Attacks & Heart Failure During Cold Weather.
Here Are Some Lifesaving Tips!
Being in a cold environment causes our bodies to make certain physiological adjustments in order to preserve our core body temperatures. However, the cold temperatures affect the heart of people with heart disease differently. "Clamped vessels in addition to increased heart rate and blood pressure in people with heart disease can be very risky; triggering a life-threatening cardiac
event", said Youssef Nasr, MD, a board-certified cardiologist at the Mason City Clinic. “We encourage people with heart disease to limit all over-exertions in cold weather.”
Shoveling snow can trigger a cardiac emergency in a person with heart disease.
5 Life-Saving Tips!
- Limit your cold exposure. Limit the time you spend out in the cold weather, and if you go out, dress warmly, in several layers, cover your head and hands, and wear warm socks and shoes.
- Don’t exert yourself too much. Shoveling snow for a person with heart disease can trigger a cardiac emergency including angina, heart attacks, heart failure, and sudden death. If you are going to shovel snow, do it when there’s an inch or less on the ground, use a smaller shovel, and push (rather than lift) the snow. Never shovel wet, heavy, or deep snow.
- Don’t let yourself become overheated. Dressing warmly and then engaging in physical activity can lead to overheating. Overheating, in turn, causes blood vessels to suddenly dilate—which can lead to hypotension (low blood pressure) in a person with heart disease. If you have heart disease, consider this sweating to be a danger sign. Stop what you are doing and get
indoors.
- Get a flu shot. Winter also raises your chances of getting the flu due to low humidity brought on by cold weather and indoor heating. The flu is potentially dangerous in anyone with heart disease.
- Avoid alcohol before going outdoors. It expands blood vessels in the skin, making you feel warmer while actually drawing heat away from your vital organs.
Cold weather increases risk of heart attack and heart failure
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Should You be Tested for Sleep Apnea?
Testing For Obstructive Sleep Apnea Is Important First Step
- Do you keep your husband or wife up all night because you snore loudly?
- Are you tired all day long?
- Have you found yourself falling asleep in meetings at work or even in the car at a stoplight?
- Do you have frequent morning headaches, or wake up with a sore throat?
You may have Obstructive Sleep Apnea which is a potentially dangerous, sleep breathing disorder causing people to stop breathing during sleep, sometimes dozens or even hundreds of times each night. When you sleep, your throat muscles relax and can block your airway leaving you gasping for breath. It is a common condition — more than 18 million Americans have
obstructive sleep apnea. But if it is not diagnosed and treated, it can cause serious complications for your health.
Undiagnosed or untreated obstructive sleep apnea can lead to serious complications such as heart attack, heart rhythm issues, hypertension, diabetes, and cognitive and behavioral disorders. It is
estimated that 80% (4 out of 5) of all moderate to severe cases of obstructive sleep apnea go undiagnosed.
Vishram Jalukar, MD, ENT & Sleep Physician at the Mason City Clinic says “There are many ways that we can treat people with obstructive sleep apnea depending on the severity of their case - from lifestyle changes and oral appliances to the CPAP machine and even surgery, but the first step is to test and diagnose it.”
If you would like to make an appointment with one of our sleep specialists Dr. Vishram Jakular, MD or Dr. Philip Lee, MD in the ENT dept. at the Mason City Clinic, please call 641-494-5380.
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When Is Snoring Just Snoring - And When Is It A Sign Of Something More Serious, Like Sleep Apnea?
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To Your Health,
Mason City Clinic
PH: 641-494-5200
https://www.mcclinic.com
250 S. Crescent Drive
Mason City, IA 50401
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