Nearly 30 years of dealing with diabetes has not been an easy task, but your physician, ask questions, and be honest with your diabetes care team. …
yo u r care connection
Diabetes isnt keeping Mickey Koetting from enjoying her favorite hobby of knitting
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Nearly 30 years of dealing with diabetes has not been an easy task, but Mickey Koetting does most everything in life non-diabetics do: job, family, and community service It was a little scary for me when I was first diagnosed, Mickey says I didnt think Id get used to the shots She learned in short order, however, that the shots were the easiest part of having diabetes The hard part was adapting to a diabetic lifestyle, she says It was out of the norm 30 years ago I always had to carry a container of salad dressing, and Tab was the only soda you could fi nd There were no sugar-free foods then, nor sugar substitutes for sweetener–except saccharin–which tasted awful Much more is known now about diet, exercise, and diabetes control Its a lot easier At the time Mickey was diagnosed, there were no home glucose monitors, and sugars were checked with a urine test And these tests werent done daily or with a great deal of accuracy, she says The first monitor I had was about the size of an
old cassette recorder There was no carrying it in your purse Today the options are so much greater for those of us with diabetes
Mickey monitors the considerable diabetic research being done and keeps abreast of the latest findings For example, she quickly replaced those insulin syringes with an insulin pump as soon as it came on the scene The pump consists of a reservoir filled with insulin, a small, battery-operated pump, and a computer chip that allows the user to control exactly how much insulin the pump delivers Its all contained in a plastic case about the size of a beeper The pump has just become a part of me, she says It does all the calculating for me, and really takes the guesswork out of eating Soon theres going to be an inhaled form of insulin The research never stops For Mickey and the 21 million Americans like her, diabetes is a daily challenge, but she remains optimistic and shares her struggles with others who have the condition Diabetes is an individual disease, and must be treated as such, she says My advice to others is to follow your treatment plan, be open with your physician, ask questions, and be honest with your diabetes care team Things are getting better
all the time I have very high hopes that a cure for diabetes will be found To learn more about insulin pumps and other methods to control diabetes, call the community health management department at 883-7743
Our commitment is to provide high-quality ser vice and personable care to all we ser ve while continually seeking to improve the health and well-being of our community
Motivation to Move– What You Dont Know about Exercise
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This just in: according to Robert Sweetgall, exercise doesnt have to be vigorous and make you sweat to be beneficial Robert will be the featured speaker at several free events on November 15 sponsored by Ste Genevieve County Memorial Hospital
Weve always been told it takes 60 minutes a day of no-pain, no-gain exercise to get in shape, says Robert In reality, if we just got off the couch wed be on the road to improvement According to Robert, exercise can be no pain, all gain Im not into extreme exercise Just do something–anything, he adds People dont appreciate their health until they lose it Everybodys got something more important to do, but the good news is that it doesnt take a lot of time to improve your health Even five
minute walks around the office building at lunch are helpful
Overall Benefits
It helps you think better, it helps social relationships, it helps your emotions and stress levels, and it can even clear spiritual goals and understanding, he says Not only will exercising add years to your life, but it will also add life to your years Best of all, no one is left out My exercise programs are for everyone, not just the athletic elite, he says Grandmas, the working class, school children, corporate leaders–everybody The worse shape youre in, the better your progress Robert recommends wearing a pedometer and journal-keeping as excellent ways to track your physical activity and hold yourself accountable
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Robert believes exercise does much more than help you lose weight
Roberts enthusiasm for walking and exercise is inspirational Mark your calendars to hear him speak on November 15 Business Persons Breakfast 7 am–Motivation to Move: fitting 6,000 footsteps into a wild Ste Genevieve day location: Ste Genevieve Community Center The School Programs 9:30 am–Motivation to Move: Walking Wellness school assembly and Frisbee exercise demonstration location: Ste Genevieve High
School gym Healthcare Provider Lunch and Learn 12:30 pm–Motivation to Move: Walking off weight and stress location: Ste Genevieve County Memorial Hospital Lunch provided 4th Annual Diabetes Health Fair 11 am4 pm–Motivation to Move 24 pm: the easiest physical activities program you will ever do to reduce weight, blood sugars, blood pressure, and pain location: Ste Genevieve Community Center A luncheon will begin at 12 pm Community Evening Seminar 6 pm–Motivation to Move: the five best physical activities to reduce weight, stress, flatten your stomach, eliminate low back pain, and take up less space on planet Earth location: Ste Genevieve Community Center For more information about Robert Sweetgall, visit wwwcreativewalkingcom To learn more about Ste Genevieve County Memorials upcoming Diabetes Health Fair, call 883-7743 RSVPs are required for the breakfast, Lunch and Learn, and the Health Fair luncheon by November 6 See you there
Nationally recognized physical fitness expert Robert 
Sweetgall, often called the real Forrest Gump, has walked seven times across America and is the only person to walk all 50 states 11,208 miles in 365 consecutive days
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Getting the
Upper Hand on Diabetes
Though medical researchers have made great strides in diabetes treatment, education is still one of the most critical aspects of successful diabetes management
When youre faced with a diagnosis of diabetes, you have to make a lifelong commitment to staying healthy and avoiding complications With the Diabetes Self-Management program at Ste Genevieve County Memorial Hospital, you can learn to live life to the fullest in spite of the disease By educating patients on controlling blood sugar, nutrition for diabetes, and avoiding complications, we see marked improvements in their health, says Sharon Grass, RN, CS, the family nurse practitioner who laid the groundwork for the current Diabetes Self-Management program at Ste Genevieve County Memorial Hospital With this knowledge comes skill, confidence, and behavioral changes–all of which contribute to an enhanced quality of life The Diabetes Self-Management program staff counsels patients who have Type I, Type II, gestational, or pre-diabetes
Sharon Grass, RN, CS, FNP
The information taught in these sessions will help those with diabetes learn how to reduce the risk of
common diabetes-related health conditions, such as heart disease, vascular disease, and stroke In addition to individual teaching, the program offers free support group sessions several times each year With the right level of education, patients learn they can outsmart their diabetes and lead full, healthy lives, Sharon says Its an empowering program that can influence their health for the rest of their lives For more information about living with diabetes, call community health management at 883-7743 and ask about our Diabetes SelfManagement program Visit our Web site at wwwstegenevievehospital org/diabeteshtm for signs and symptoms of diabetes
Wally Bauman receives an evaluation with the Continuous Glucose Monitoring System from Mary Thompson, RN at Ste Genevieve County Memorial Hospital
The diabetic educators at Ste Genevieve County Memorial Hospital use an arsenal of tools to help patients manage their disease One such tool is the Continuous Glucose Monitoring System CGMS, that records 288 blood sugar readings per day and stores up to three days of data Mary Thompson, RN, says the CGMS system is a powerful evaluation tool that can change the way physicians evaluate and treat
diabetes The main advantage of continuous glucose monitoring is that it can capture dangerously low overnight blood glucose levels that often go undetected, reveal high blood sugar levels after meals, show early morning spikes in blood sugar, evaluate how diet and exercise affect blood sugars, or evaluate how the
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blood sugar reacts to treatment change, says Mary We can see what happens to glucose levels on a minute-to-minute basis and evaluate trends during normal daily activities The CGMS is easily worn by a patient and does not interfere with a patients daily routine It measures the level of glucose in the tissue every 10 seconds and sends the information via a wire to a pager-sized device called a monitor that you attach to a belt or the waistline of your pants The system automatically records an average glucose value every five minutes for up to 72 hours Having the complete patient picture makes a night and day difference in assessing and managing glucose levels, says Mary For more information on continuous glucose monitoring, call the community health management department at Ste Genevieve County Memorial Hospital at 883-7743
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ReSource Medical Directory
Extraordinary Medicine–Compassionate Care
Adult Primary Care
Sharon Grass, RN, CS, FNP 883-7650
Obstetrics/Gynecology
Christine Cernik, MD Shanon Forseter, MD 883-5715 Lu Ann Miller, MSN, RN, CS, FNP 883-7759
Dale Kraenzle, RN, CS, ANP 883-7424 Mary Ann McCullough, RN, CS, ANP 883-2782
Occupational Medicine
Orthopaedics
Counseling
Richard Pearson, MD 883-7772
Vickie Bruckerhoff, MSW, LCSW 883-4464
Pediatrics
Family Practice
Dan Frissell, MD 883-2782
Gail Craft, RN, CS, FNP 883-4455 Shilpa Desai, MD 883-4455, 517-0999 Bhargav Kanani, MD 883-4455, 517-0999
Donald Balacuit, DO 483-9492
General Surgery
Pulmonary Medicine
Susan ODonnell, MD 883-7424
Joseph Sharlow, MD 883-5717 David M Steele, MD 547-8390
Save the Date
Mark your calendar for December 9 Santa Claus is coming The 2006 Chamber of Commerces Santas Holiday Bash, held annually at the Community Center, will include visits and pictures with Santa, crafts, games, and moreall for free Winter is a great time to start a fitness program New classes are forming soon For information on any of our programs, just call 883-5244
or visit us online at wwwsgcccom
Internal Medicine
Briccio Cadiz III, MD 883-7650 Susan ODonnell, MD 883-7424 Niranjana Raju, MD 883-7474
Community Information
Visit our Web site today at wwwstegenevievehospitalorg to access health information and hospital news, programs, and job listings Our site is informative and–best of all–easy to use Ste Genevieve County Memorial Hospital is now tobacco free We thank all employees, patients, visitors, and volunteers for refraining from smoking anywhere on hospital property We also thank you for your cooperation in creating an even healthier environment for the patients and communities we serve
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Sainte Genevieve, MO
Us highways 61 32 pO Box 468 ste Genevieve, MO 63670 wwwstegenevievehospitalorg
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