Monthly archive

During a stroke, every minute counts. Every minute a stroke is left untreated, up to two million brain cells die.

Earlier this year, Lovelace Medical Center set a record-breaking time of administering tPA, a medication used to treat ischemic strokes, within 12 minutes of the patient arriving at the facility.

The 62-year-old patient was experiencing facial droop, left sided weakness and slurred speech, and was transported to Lovelace Medical Center by Albuquerque EMS.

“Talk about getting a second chance,” explained Tina Saenz, 43, when she found out she was pregnant with her miracle baby.

Saenz had previously gone through fertility treatments to get pregnant with her now 15-year-old son. News of her pregnancy was a dream come true: “I never thought I would have kids again. Just being pregnant then was a miracle.”

“Not my child.”

That’s usually the first thought that runs through every parent’s mind at the thought that his or her child would do the worst and use an illegal substance. We start from day-one protecting them and trying to educate them and keep them from anything harmful. However, if asked, most people struggling with substance abuse disorder will tell you they never started out with an intention of hurting themselves, let alone their family.

Parkinson's disease is a brain disorder that effects movement. While everyone with Parkinson's experiences the disease differently, there are common patterns of progression in the disease that are defined in stages. Identifying an individual’s stage can help doctors and caretakers control and improve symptoms:

Stage One

In the earliest stage of Parkinson’s, the person may experience mild symptoms that usually affect one side of the body. This includes tremor and changes in posture, movement (walking) and facial expressions.

I think I am on the tail-end of my midlife crisis. It has been an excruciating few years as I experienced my existential crisis and it will most definitely leave its mark. Recent experience however, has me healing and viewing pain, my mental pain, in a much healthier way. It has helped me so much that I sometimes feel like I am cheating or simply using avoidance as a defense mechanism. The magic cure, at this point in time is simple: be content. When I first heard my inner vessel provide that suggestion, I scoffed. What? No way!

If you enter one of our Lovelace hospitals, you may see some new FACES.

Local high school students are participating in the FACES for the Future program throughout Lovelace hospitals. FACES for the Future works to support underserved, minority students interested in careers in health care, mental and behavioral health, public health and global health.

Most of the time we think of gastrointestinal health as something to pay attention to as we age or when we start seeing problems with our health. However, more and more research is coming out showing that our gastrointestinal health starts in our development, prenatally and throughout our infancy. Babies in utero are going through a complex process as they develop their immune system. For instance, we now know that vernix, the thick, waxy substance covering a baby in the womb, is not just for protection of the skin from soaking in amniotic fluid.

Are you experiencing ear pain, balance problems or chronic allergies? You may need to receive treatment of ears, nose and throat conditions by seeing an otolaryngologist, also known as an ear, nose & throat (ENT) doctor.

Dr. Gregg Schmedes is an ENT in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is affiliated with the National Sinus Institute, a partnered provider of Lovelace Health System.

Keep reading as Dr. Schmedes speaks on the two main reasons for adult ENT visits, allergies and surgeries.

Celebrations, festive decorations and spending time with loved ones are hallmarks of the holiday season. The holidays also present serious risks that can quickly put a damper on your plans. Lovelace Health System encourages New Mexicans to celebrate the season safely.

Director of Nursing and the Emergency Department at Lovelace Medical Center, Glenn Swanson, advises patients and their families to take precaution when getting into the holiday spirit to avoid an unexpected trip to the emergency room.