Swedish Medical Center
When hearing aids aren’t enough: Cochlear implants offer clarity
No one really knows exactly how, when or why Marcia Robertson experienced hearing loss. Her physician doesn’t think it was congenital because her speech is normal, she says. But Robertson, 52, has been hearing impaired most of her life, and only within the past few years has experienced the world...
Swedish ‘Lou Gehrig’s’ patient becomes first recipient of breathing technology
A surgical team at Swedish Medical Center recently implanted a cutting-edge, pacemaker-like device that expands breathing capacity into a “Lou Gehrig’s Disease” patient, potentially improving and extending his life. It was the first such procedure on a Lou Gehrig’s patient in Colorado.
Caring for the caregiver: Focusing on self helps everyone in long run
Sharon Gordon works full-time and handles most household tasks since her husband, Mac, 57, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, in November 2012. Their son works full time and their daughter is in college, but they help out when they can.
Replacing parts: Joint surgery can bring back life’s pleasures
Ask Jim Rice how bad the pain in his hip was, and he finds no need for contemplation. “It was a 10,” he replies instantly. Yet the tough Colorado outdoorsman is also quick to add that it wasn’t so much the pain, but what the pain took away, that pushed him through his orthopedic surgeon’s door.
Making life “golden” again: Brain-stimulating surgery gives some patients back their quality of life
Movement disorders can steal people’s quality of life, often at a gradual pace, leaving their retirement years far from “golden.” As these diseases progress, jobs are lost, hobbies forgotten, and relationships strained. Parkinson’s disease and Essential Tremor are just two of many such...
George Karl: Coach gains insight on health, life from cancer scare
Being the sixth-winningest coach in NBA history, with more than 1,100 victories, can bring a smile to George Karl’s face. But the former Nuggets coach considers his two most significant triumphs his wins over cancer: first, prostate and then throat cancer.
Common skin issues can temporarily mar baby-soft skin
Although the little ones won’t shun social events or suffer blows to their self-esteem, acne and rashes, often in private places, can plague newborns from the start. Because rashes can signal more serious problems, Dr. Michael Contreras, a dermatologist with AboutSkin Dermatology at Sky Ridge and...
Robot aids surgeons, patients in everything from cancer treatment to weight loss
When Patty Fredericks stood amid the pack of runners lined up for the Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon on the first day of fall this year, her fellow competitors pushing in around her on that brisk Denver morning had no idea what it took for her to get there. It was more than dealing with race...
Lifting the fog on breast-cancer screening and risks
Like a campfire ember that refuses to fade, the mammogram debate has smoldered since doctors first began using the X-rays as a breast-cancer screening tool in the 1970s. They save lives. They don’t. They result in too many false positives that freak women out. Throw in expert statements that...