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Growing up, Lisa Goetze always detested gym class. "I never liked to sweat. I believed running was pointless unless you were being chased by someone with a knife." In fact, running was never an option for Ms. Goetze. For her, the mere act of walking was a battle. Throughout her life Ms. Goetze had struggled with morbid obesity. Her world as an adult consisted of commuting from home to work, and work to home. Venturing anywhere beyond those places was rare and extremely difficult because at 550 pounds she could only stand for a limited amount of time. In 2000, Ms Goetze underwent gastric bypass surgery—a decision that changed her life, and more importantly, her attitude regarding healthy living and remaining active. Today, she is a 32-year-old full-time business professional and part-time personal trainer in Bergen County, New Jersey. After a very long and difficulty journey, she has learned to appreciate a full routine—and a little sweat in her life. Never Let Them See You Sweat: A Patient Puts an End to Facial Sweating with ETSA 31-year-old attorney from West Orange, New Jersey, who asked that his name not be mentioned in this article, thought he had an anxiety problem when he would sweat excessively in the courtroom. "I thought it was just me, that it was a simple case of suffering from lack of self-confidence or nerves," he says. But there was one problem with that assumption—he was not feeling nervous; he was feeling perfectly confident. So, why was sweat trickling down his forehead every time he had an audience? The attorney began a personal journey to get to the bottom of a case that had remained a mystery for years. Getting a Grip on Palmar Hyperhidrosis
Most people haven't heard of hyperhidrosis and, once they do, they'd probably never guess what the word means: excessive sweating. About 1% of adults suffer from hyperhidrosis, even though many of them don't even realize it. However, there is one dead give-away—sweat, and lots of it. A 27-year-old graphic designer, who asked that her name not be mentioned in this article, knows the symptoms of hyperhidrosis all too well. For all of her life she has suffered from palmar hyperhidrosis, or sweaty palms. The most common manifestation of the condition, palmar hyperhidrosis is also the most challenging for patients because it is extremely difficult to control. Like many people with palmar hyperhidrosis, the designer also suffered from plantar hyperhidrosis, or sweaty feet. In recent years, she had noticed that the condition had spread to her armpits (axillary hyperhidrosis) as well. "As far back as I can remember, I've always had sweaty hands," she says. "They were always wet and cold, and just left me feeling uncomfortable. They would sweat from morning to tonight, for no reason at all; nothing would trigger it, not even temperature. Even in the freezing cold of winter, they were sweaty." PATIENT PROFILE: My Experience in a Clinical Trial
When occupational therapist John Smith turned 50, his primary care physician recommended that he have a colonoscopy. Much to his surprise, the results showed stage I colon cancer. Knowing he needed to undergo surgery, Mr. Smith came to Columbia for a second opinion and to learn more about laparoscopic colorectal surgery. During his visit, Mr. Smith learned that Columbia surgeon-investigators were conducting a clinical trial that could help boost the immune system around the time of surgery. The trial was randomized, meaning that Mr. Smith would not know whether he received the treatment or a placebo. He chose to participate because he realized that the trial could benefit other people one day and because it shifted his focus to the positive—toward boosting his immune system. Robert Minaert Learns a Lesson in Self-Healing from the Integrative Medicine Program"I had never even heard of qigong before I encountered the Integrative Medicine Program at Columbia. Now, I take a qigong class once a week and I love it," says 57-year-old Robert Minaert. Mr. Minaert, a resident of Hyattsville, Maryland, made the trip from Maryland to New York to have mitral valve surgery partially because of the Integrative Medicine Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center. "When I did research on what hospitals in close proximity to me could provide top-notch doctors, there were various options—but Columbia was the only place that came up which utilized complementary and alternative medicine," explains Mr. Minaert. David Pressler Paints a Three-Dimensional Picture of the Human Heart
David Pressler, a resident of Fairfield, Connecticut, refuses to take his heart for granted. "The heart, as I learned from my personal experience, is a muscle that needs to be exercised and oxygenated on a regular basis. We go through life never thinking about our heart until we have a problem—then often it's too late. Some of us, like myself, are very fortunate to get a second chance," says Mr. Pressler. An artist, photographer, designer, and marketing communications consultant, Mr. Pressler was diagnosed with mitral valve regurgitation in January 2003. Mitral valve regurgitation is a common and potentially serious heart condition that can lead to arrhythmias or congestive heart failure. The mitral valve is a one-way valve that connects the left atrium and the left ventricle of the heart. With mitral valve regurgitation, the valve does not seal completely and blood leaks back into the left atrium. This reverse flow (regurgitation) can cause the heart to enlarge and the lungs to fill with fluid. Signs and symptoms may include an audible heart murmur, shortness of breath, and heart palpitations. Travis Batey's LVAD Keeps his Heart and Hope Alive
Travis Batey feels extremely fortunate that he'll reach his 25th birthday this summer. "It's hard to believe I'm actually still here," Travis says. Over a year and a half ago, Travis was diagnosed with end-stage chronic congestive heart failure. The prognosis for his future looked bleak at best. Dependent on a 24-hour IV pump, Travis was virtually homebound. He was always short of breath and the pressure on his heart was becoming more unbearable with each passing day. His condition forced Travis to drop out of college in his sophomore year and to give up on many of the things he enjoyed most in life—like playing golf and going on ski trips. He spent most of his days sitting in a chair. A man-made implantable heart pump known as an LVAD (left ventricular assist device) not only extended the life of Travis' heart, but gave him and his family new hope for the future. The Many Faces Behind a Mission
Dr. Jeffrey Ascherman met eight-year-old Ren Wei Zhang on a humanitarian mission to China in April 2002. Ren Wei was born with a facial cleft, a rare physical malformation. Dr. Ascherman's humanitarian mission marked the beginning of a long and arduous campaign to bring Ren Wei to The Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian for reconstructive surgery. A united team joined the campaign, in the hopes of offering one young boy an opportunity for a better life. Heart Transplants Promise New Lives for Infant Twins
When Sharon Harper found out she was carrying twins, she cried for joy. Born September 10, 2000 after an easy labor, Tiana and Briana arrived four minutes apart, two happy, healthy girls. Three months later, as the Harpers were preparing for Christmas, their lives were turned upside down when Tiana developed a breathing problem, and two days after Christmas, Briana also got very sick. The Harpers were told that the twins had cardiomyopathy, and that heart transplantation was the only hope for them. Maternal-Fetal Medicine and Pediatric Surgery
One thing most parents do not look for during pregnancy is surprise. For Kim and Bob Ageloff of Greenwich, CT, pregnancy was "one surprise after another, from start to finish," Mrs. Ageloff said. The collaborative resources of the Maternal - Fetal - Medicine Program of Sloane Hospital for Women and the Pediatric Surgery Service at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of CUMC turned life-threatening surprises into happy outcomes for the Ageloffs and their twin sons, Will and Josh. Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery for Early-Stage Lung CancerWhen Leah Richter of Englewood, NJ lost her voice during the spring she was referred to an ear-nose-and-throat specialist in Englewood. "He diagnosed a reflux problem and put me on 20 mg of Prilosec. It didn't help." A colleague then suggested that Mrs. Richter see a second ENT specialist, who noticed that her right vocal cord didn't look quite as "good" as the left.
He ordered MRI and CT scans of her neck and lungs.
The CT radiologist saw a lesion in her lung that was suspicious for lung cancer and referred her for a scan at Columbia Kreitchman PET Center.
PET scanning is a new imaging technique used to differentiate benign from malignant tumors.
Sure enough, Mrs. Richter's PET scan showed an abnormal lesion, and a needle biopsy confirmed that the lesion was malignant. Surgery Weighs In as a Cure for Obesity
If you are considering having surgery to treat obesity, the first step is to find a comprehensive program such as the Center for Obesity Surgery at Columbia University Medical Center. The staff includes a nurse practitioner and registered dietitian, both experts in post-surgical weight management, who are readily available to patients.  |
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A small percentage of colon cancers are caused by a rare inherited disease called Lynch Syndrome, or Hereditary Nonpolyposis Colon Cancer (HNPCC).
The syndrome, caused by mutations of several genes, causes carriers to have about an 80% lifetime risk of developing colon cancer, as well as an increased risk of endometrial, ovarian, gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, and other cancers.
For a Broadway performer in her 40's who had the mutation, knowing about her genetic risk gave her the opportunity to choose her path and be proactive about her care.
But not all patients are prepared to undergo genetic testing or to share such information with their families.
As Administrator of Columbia's 
Brooklyn newborn Jordan Trimarchi received a second chance at life, when an anonymous gift of a replacement heart was transplanted into his tiny body by 
The bad news for the lovely young patient was that she was born and raised high in the mountains of Mexico, where medical care was rudimentary at best.
No one there detected the heart defect present since birth: a gaping hole between her aorta and pulmonary artery that allowed blood to flow from one great vessel to the other.
Left untreated, this aortopulmonary window, or "AP window," causes pulmonary hypertension and vascular disease, as well as irreversible heart and lung damage and premature death.
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| ©1999-2007. Columbia University Medical Center, Department of Surgery, New York, NY. |
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