Monthly archive

Lovelace general surgery team gets retiree on the path to recovery

Taos resident Dennis Salazar was just a young boy when he first rode a horse on his family’s ranch.

“My dad always had horses for us to ride,” said Dennis. “I think I got on my first horse when I was 4, maybe 5-years-old.”

Now 55, Salazar has ridden horses for many years as a member of the Taos County Sheriff’s Posse, an organization that puts on rodeos, rides in parades and sometimes helps the New Mexico State Police with search & rescue operations.

Surgery, occupational therapy helps patient give hugs to grandson

Sometimes accidents just happen.

For Ruth Ann Potter, 70, it didn’t matter whether Poncho, her big, black Labrador was to blame. What mattered most was that she had quick access to excellent medical care for her injuries.

“About three years ago my husband Doug and I were walking Poncho through our neighborhood in Rio Rancho,” Ruth Ann recalled, “when a rat ran in front of our garage door. Poncho took off and I started running and falling after him, as his leash was wrapped around my left arm.”

Lovelace surgeon discovers reason for patient’s long-time pain

When Daniel Shaw, a 62-year-old science teacher at Albuquerque’s Bosque School, leads his students into the desert to collect data on North American porcupines, he often talks about the power of information: what did you observe; what did you find; what conclusions can you draw from the data?

When Daniel and his doctors discussed his long-time gastrointestinal problems, they used the same kind of questions: what are his symptoms; what treatments have worked; and what can be done in the future to alleviate his pain and side effects?

Nutrition Month Tips to Stay Healthy All Year Long

March is National Nutrition Month, and Lovelace Medical Group hospitalist Dr. Harkesh Arora has tips for you and your family on how to live a healthy life all year long!

Emergency C-section delivers firstborn to Santa Fe family

When Beth Kaczmarek and her husband Bryan Craig moved back to her hometown of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Beth planned on delivering their baby in the same hospital where she was born. Their daughter Eloise, however, had other plans.

“We were living in Napa County, California when we decided to start a family,” said Beth, 38. “We had moved back to the States after living abroad and I was in the midst of a big editorial project.”

6 Questions about heartburn, hernias & GERD

According to the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), more than one-third of adults in the U.S. experience heartburn at least once a month.

Heartburn is a burning sensation in the chest that occurs when stomach acids travel back up the esophagus. Some patients may also experience a bitter or sour taste in the throat and mouth. Symptoms of heartburn may get worse after eating or when lying down.

Lovelace Women’s teamwork helps deliver triplet girls

When “delivery day” finally arrived for Ashley and Enrique Lucero, residents of Rio Rancho, Ashley walked into the hospital and introduced herself to the receptionist. “Oh,” she said, “you must be the triplet mom!”

Prostate cancer patient looks forward to more competitions

Slowing down is rarely an option for Dean Buzbee.

A 68-year-old living in Albuquerque, Dean has been a stellar, endurance athlete for more than 43 years, competing in cycling, running races and triathlons. He also had a successful career conducting mental competency evaluations at universities for 30 years, before retiring in 2004.

He started riding a bike in college as a psychology major. With more free time after graduate school, he took up bicycle racing as a hobby and started entering competitions.

Firstborn son doing well after arriving 18 weeks early

When Annayisa and Michael Sanchez found out that they were pregnant with their first child, they were excited to start preparing for the baby’s arrival. The Rio Rancho residents put together a new baby bed, placed it in the nursery and decorated the room with bright colors and children’s books.

A normal gestation period for a baby is roughly 40 weeks, which meant that their baby’s due date was at the end of November. However, halfway through her second trimester, Annayisa started showing signs of concern.

Michele gets back in step with healthy lifestyle after hip surgery

If there’s someone who knows how to recover from hip replacement surgery and keep up with her fitness routine, it’s Michele Lewis.

The 60-year grandmother of three has spent the past 20 years as the Director of marketing and admissions at a skilled nursing facility in Albuquerque that offers short-term rehabilitation and other services.

An avid walker before her surgery, Michele regularly walked two miles throughout her neighborhood before work. She walked even longer distances on the weekend.

Los Alamos patient flown to Lovelace Medical Center for life-saving surgery

When Kate Klose woke up at her Los Alamos home after sleeping 12 hours straight, she didn’t expect the pounding headache or understand the severe pain in her gut.

The 69-year-old retired filmmaker, educator and musician had just returned with her husband from a two-week vacation to visit family in Long Island and upstate New York.

Orthopedic team-based care helps patient through multiple surgeries

When Margaret Kirkes visited Lovelace Medical Group about her sore knee, little did she know she would soon meet nearly the entire staff for multiple bouts of orthopedic care.

“I can trace my knee problems back to when I was 12 and fell during skating night at my junior high school,” said Margaret, an Albuquerque widow who said her age is “on the far side of 80.”

Photography, hiking and honeymoon on the horizon for double hip replacement patient

For business furniture salesman Anthony Jager, getting in and out of his car many times a day was a common occurrence. He was often traveling to universities, government offices and hospitals to introduce them to the cubicles, adjustable desks and other items he sold from his company’s product line.

So when he found it increasingly painful and difficult to get out of his car, he knew he needed to see a doctor.

Back-to-school physical is important for your child’s good health

Your child’s health is one of your main priorities, especially in light of changes caused by recent COVID-19 disruptions. That’s why it’s important to start the new school year off right with a visit to your child’s primary care provider for a physical.

Most children need an annual well-child visit with their provider from ages 3 to 21. When your child starts attending school, these visits are usually scheduled for late summer and become “back-to-school” physicals.

Tens of millions of Americans may have AFIB and not know it

If your heart’s aflutter, a poet may say the tremulous excitement you feel is because you are in love. Your doctor, however, will say your heart’s flutter could be a sign of a serious condition: atrial fibrillation.

According to the American Heart Association, atrial fibrillation (also called AFib or AF) is a quivering or irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia) that can lead to blood clots, stroke, heart failure and other heart-related complications.

Knee replacements increase Betty White’s joy of traveling

When 88-year-old Betty White realized her arthritic knees were ‘cramping her style,’ she decided to have knee replacement surgery at Lovelace Medical Center.

Where do you go: Hospital Emergency Room or Urgent Care?

Where should you go when you are ill or injured? The emergency room or urgent care center? How serious is your case? Read more so you can make the right choice.

Technology speeds recovery from gallbladder removal surgery

At first, Patricia Magnes thought the intense pain she was experiencing was a heart attack, but soon found out that she would need a cholecystectomy to remove her gallbladder.

A 71-year-old self-professed ‘gym rat,’ Patricia stays active by going to the gym two to three times a week. “I'll take an occasional class,” she said, “but I do mostly cardio on the elliptical or Stairmaster and strength training with a personal trainer – stuff to keep me alive, I hope.”

5 questions about breastfeeding

Expecting and new mothers often have many questions about the best ways to breastfeed their newborn, so we asked Natalie Swart BS, IBCLC, CLE and Susan Shafer BSN, IBCLC, international board certified lactation consultants for Lovelace Women’s Hospital, to share some of their answers to these common questions.

Strenuous activities cause traffic jam in the Carpal Tunnel

When John, a resident of Los Lunas, New Mexico, started losing his ability to grip things with his right hand, he knew it was time to do something.

A 72-year-old retired facilities manager, John had competed in racquetball tournaments for nearly 40 years. Sometimes he played 9-10 hours of racquetball a week.

But unlike tennis, which allows for longer strokes with your entire arm, racquetball games require quicker strokes in tight places that put a lot of stress on your wrist.

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