Upcoming Events
- 20th Annual Community Cancer Awareness Day: Screening for Colon Cancer
SA, Mar 16, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Join our panel of colon cancer experts for this presentation on colon cancer screening guidelines - it just might save your life.
For more information, please call 760-834-3798 or email us at CAreservations@EisenhowerHealth.org
The Connection Between Diabetes and Stroke
M, Mar 18, 1 to 2:30 p.m.
Kathy Cash, RN, and Marielena Cid, MSN, RN, CDCES, PHN
To register online, visit EisenhowerHealth.org/Calendar.Bariatric Surgery Information
TU, Mar 19, 8 to 9:30 a.m.
Jorge A. Almodovar, MD, Board Certified in General Surgery
To register online, visit EisenhowerHealth.org/Calendar, or call 760-834-3796.Blood Drive
TU, Mar 19, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
To register online, visit EisenhowerHealth.org/Calendar, or call 800-879-4484.Diabetes and Healthy Eating
TU, Mar 19, 2 to 3 p.m.
Marielena Cid, MSN, RN, CDCES, PHN
To register online, visit EisenhowerHealth.org/Calendar.Current and Innovative Strategies for the Treatment of Common Shoulder and Elbow Injuries
TU, Mar 19, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
David Savin, MD, Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery
To register online, visit EisenhowerHealth.org/Calendar.Abnormal Uterine Bleeding and Menopause
TH, Mar 21, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m.
Christopher Hicks, MD, Board Certified in Gynecology
To register online, visit EisenhowerHealth.org/Calendar.The Benefits of Eating Locally
W, Mar 27, 10 to 11 a.m.
Johanna Roberts, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
To register online, visit EisenhowerHealth.org/Calendar.Anorectal and Colorectal Cancer Screenings: A Panel Discussion
W, Mar 27, 4 to 5 p.m.
Jorge Rodriguez, MD, Board Certified in Internal Medicine; Donald Gardenier, NP; and David Russo, Founder, Cheeky Charity
To register online, visit EisenhowerHealth.org/Calendar.Bariatric Surgery Information
W, Mar 27, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Bobby Bhasker-Rao, MD, Board Certified in General Surgery
To register online, visit EisenhowerHealth.org/Calendar, or call 760-834-3796.
Reverse shoulder replacement
“It’s really pretty remarkable.”Annie Milner, 68, is not one to sit still. She hikes, plays golf, tennis and pickleball. As a young girl, she began swimming, eventually becoming an All American swimmer at UCLA. Other activities she enjoyed in the past include backpacking, skiing and horseback riding. Currently, she’s wrapping up a one-year term as president of Ironwood Country Club. And she is the principal caretaker of her husband, who has multiple sclerosis.
But about ten years ago, the range of motion in her right shoulder began to diminish due to an old injury, limiting her ability to do many of the things she wanted and needed to do.
“I’d had an accident while camping in my late teens and my shoulder came totally out of its socket,” Milner relates. “I was able to shake it back in, and when I saw a doctor, they recommended that I not have surgery because the technique wasn’t very refined at the time.
“Over the years, it would continue to come out of the socket — if I was playing tennis, for example, or if I didn’t tuck and roll when I fell while skiing,” she continues. “With these recurring injuries, my shoulder mobility became less and less. I didn’t have extreme pain, but I couldn’t lift my right arm very high. My golf swing was altered, I couldn’t serve a tennis ball, and I couldn’t brush my hair or reach an overhead shelf.
Putting His Heart Into It
A cardiologist perfects his swim skillsBoard Certified Cardiologist James Fitts, MD, listens to a lot of heartbeats in the course of a busy week. But when he’s doing laps in the Palm Desert Aquatic Center pool, Eisenhower’s Section Chief of Cardiology is only focused on his own heartbeat.
For nearly nine years, Dr. Fitts has been perfecting his freestyle stroke with Masters Swim Coach Ben Hobbins. As of this writing, Dr. Fitts was training for his thirtieth triathlon, the Iron Man 70.3 in Indian Wells/La Quinta in December 2023. This arduous event includes a 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike ride, and a 13.1 mile run.
Dr. Fitts comes from what he calls “a genetic pool of runners.” In fourth grade, he could complete a 10K. He ran all through high school, college, medical school, and his internship and residency, participating in many marathons along the way. While working at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire, Dr. Fitts took up biking. As his rides through the picturesque New England countryside grew more frequent, he realized he was just “one sport away from being able to compete in triathlons.”
More Time to Enjoy Life
SBRT offers new treatment option for prostate cancer“A positive mindset goes a long way to improving your health,” says La Quinta resident Bob Hickam, a philosophy he has lived by since boyhood.
He says he was “gifted” with a sunny perspective — something Hickam needed in August 2022 when he learned during a routine physical that his PSA (prostate-specific antigen) level was elevated.
He hadn’t felt any symptoms, but followed up on his doctor’s recommendation and saw a urologist in Kirkland, Washington, where he was visiting family. A second test echoed the first — his PSA level was 6.9.
In the past, a PSA level of 4 or less was considered normal. But some men with a PSA below 4 have prostate cancer and others with readings between 4 to 10 do not, according to the National Cancer Institute. If a PSA level exceeds 10, the chance of cancer is more than 50%.
Five Things You Can Do Right Now
Enjoy Desert Temps
Take advantage of the desert’s cooler temps and walk as often as possible in the cool, crisp air. Don sturdy shoes and don’t forget to wear a reflective vest if walking in the evening.Stay Safe
Don’t drink and drive or let others drink and drive. Bring a non-drinking, designated driver when going out, or schedule a rideshare service to pick you up and take you home.
