Calendar of Events for May 2016

Register for events listed below by calling 540-316-3588 or by going to fauquierhealth.org and clicking on "events," unless otherwise noted.

Thursday, May 5

Families Overcoming Drug Addiction (F.O.D.A)

Meets the first and third Thursday of the month

When: 6:30 p.m.

Where: Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room

Details: This is a support group for families who care for, or who have lost a member due to drug addiction. If you have any questions, please contact Caroline Folker at 540-316-9221 or by email at MyFODAfamily@gmail.com

Friday, May 6

Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Where: Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room

When: 7 p.m.

Register: Contact Linda Miller at 703-895-2167

Monday, May 9

Cancer Support Group

Where: Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room

When: 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Register: Call Richard Shrout at 540-316-CARE (2273)

Breastfeeding Made Simple

Where: Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center

When: 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Cost: $25

Register: 540-316-3588

Breastfeeding Support Group

Meets every Monday

Where: Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center

When: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Register: 540-316-3588

Thursday, May 12

Community Lecture

Where: Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room

When: 7 p.m.

Details: “Nutrient Density,” with Beth Potter, certified dietitian

Register: 540-316-3588

Saturday, May 14

Safe Sitter Babysitter Training

Where: Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room

When: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Cost: $60

Register: 540-316-3588

Junior Chef Program

Where: Fauquier Hospital Bistro on the Hill restaurant

When: 9 a.m. to 12 noon

Cost: $45

Register: 540-316-3588

Monday, May 16

Look Good…Feel Better

Where: Fauquier Health Chestnut Room

When: 10 a.m.

Register: 540-316-3588

Details: This class helps cancer patients manage appearance-related side effects.

Bereavement Support Group

Where: Fauquier Health Chestnut Room

When: 1 p.m.

Register: Contact Roxanne Woodward at 703-957-1800

Breastfeeding Support Group

Meets every Monday

Where: Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center

When: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Register: 540-316-3588

Thursday, May 19

Baby Care Essentials

Where: Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center

When: 6 to 8:30 p.m.

Cost: $25

Register: 540-316-3588 

Families Overcoming Drug Addiction (F.O.D.A)

Meets the first and third Thursday of the month

When: 6:30 p.m.

Where: Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room

Details: This is a support group for families who care for, or who have lost a member due to drug addiction. If you have any questions, please contact Caroline Folker at 540-316-9221 or by email at MyFODAfamily@gmail.com

Friday, May 20 and 21

Your Childbirth Experience

Where: Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center

When: Friday, 6 to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Details: Weekend class

Cost: $120

Register: 540-316-3588

Saturday, May 21

First Aid/CPR/AED (Adult/ Infant and Child)

American Heart Association

Where: Fauquier Health Medical Office Building

When: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Cost: $85

Register: 540-316-3588

Monday, May 23

Breastfeeding Support Group

Meets every Monday

Where: Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center

When: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Register: 540-316-3588

Wednesday, May 25

Alzheimer’s and Dementia-Related Illness Support Group

Where: The Villa at Suffield Meadows

When: 4 to 5:30 p.m.

Register: 540-316-3800

Thursday, May 26

Community Lecture

Where: Fauquier Health Sycamore Room

When: 7 p.m.

Details: “Managing Your Diabetes,” with Geraldine Stile-Killian, nurse practitioner

Register: 540-316-3588

Friday, May 27

Massage for Couples

Where: Fauquier Health Wellness Center

When: 6 to 8 p.m.

Cost: $55 per couple

Register: 540-316-2640

Monday, May 30

Breastfeeding Support Group

Meets every Monday

Where: Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center

When: 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.

Register: 540-316-3588

Wednesday, June 1

Breastfeeding Made Simple

Where: Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center

When: 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Cost: $25

Register: 540-316-3588

Friday, June 3

Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Where: Fauquier Health Chestnut Room

When: 7 p.m.

Register: Contact Linda Miller at 703-895-2167

May 5 is World Hand Hygiene Day

May 5 is the World Health Organization's World Hand Hygiene Day. Hand hygiene (washing with soap and water or using hand sanitizer) is the most effective way to prevent the spread of infections. Because it is the number one way to stop the spread of germs, it is important to clean your hands often. Remember: CLEAN HANDS COUNT for safe healthcare!

When should I wash my hands?
Many illnesses can be prevented with regular hand hygiene using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer. Clean your hands often, and request that others do the same.

• Before eating 
• Before, during, and after preparing food 
• After using the bathroom 
• After coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose, or caring for someone who is ill 
• After taking out the garbage 
• After petting animals 
• When visiting someone who is sick 
• Whenever your hands look or feel dirty 

How do I wash my hands correctly?
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

1. Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap. 
2. Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails. 
3. Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from beginning to end twice. 
4. Rinse your hands well under clean, running water. 
5. Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them, and use a paper towel to turn off the faucet, and then throw it away. 

How do I clean my hands without soap or water?
If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. Alcohol-based hand sanitizers can quickly reduce the number of germs on hands in some situations, but sanitizers do not eliminate all types of germs.

• Apply the product to the palm of one hand. 
• Rub your hands together. 
• Rub the product over all surfaces of your hands and fingers until your hands are dry. 

I didn’t see my healthcare provider or visitors wash their hands. Now what?
Scary but true: It has been estimated that fewer than half of healthcare workers clean their hands as often as they are supposed to. Germs on healthcare workers’ hands can transmit dangerous infections to patients. Did you see your healthcare providers or visitors wash their hands? If not, ask politely them to wash again (e.g., “Do you mind cleaning your hands again before the exam?”). Please speak up for your care. Don’t be shy. After all, we’re talking about your health.

Additional resources
APIC consumer alert—Holiday hand hygiene
APIC: Infection Prevention and You—Clean Hands Stop Germs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—“Clean Hands Count”
World Health Organization—Clean hands protect against infection
World Health Organization—SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands 

New Neurologist Begins Seeing Patients

Dr. Rana Kayal

Rana Kayal, M.D., has joined Fauquier Health Neurology. Fauquier Health CEO Rodger Baker says, “We have been without a practitioner for several months, and we are delighted to have Dr. Kayal fill this position. This specialty is so important for our community.”

Dr. Kayal says she is enjoying her work so far, helping patients understand their symptoms and working with them to manage their diseases. Dr. Kayal says the most common ailments she sees are headache, back pain/sciatica and neuropathy. Neuropathy stems from a problem with the nerves in the body, for instance:
• Sensory nerves (the nerves that control sensation), causing tingling, pain, numbness or weakness in the feet and hands
• Motor nerves (the nerves that allow power and movement), causing weakness in the feet and hands
• Autonomic nerves (the nerves that control the systems of the body, like the gut and bladder), causing changes in the heart rate and blood pressure or sweating

Neurology was a natural choice for Dr. Kayal. “I was fascinated with the complexity of neurologic problems, where you have to put all the pieces of the puzzle together to get to the diagnosis.”

She has a particular interest in neuromuscular medicine, including diseases of the nerves and muscles. “I did my fellowship in neurophysiology with a focus on electromyography (EMG) — the
test that studies the muscles and nerves.”

Dr. Kayal admits that there is much in neurology that is still unknown. There are devastating diseases — like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects
nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord — that are still incurable.

She is optimistic, though, when she sees the effectiveness of new treatments for multiple sclerosis or the promising results from deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease and epilepsy.

Happy to be settling in at Fauquier, Dr. Kayal says, “I was impressed with how the professionals I’ve met are happy working at Fauquier Health. Other private practices I visited were interested in the volume of patients seen and wanted to shorten the time allocated to patients’ visits. I can see that Fauquier Health is more interested in putting patients first.”

Multidisciplinary Team Works Together to Tackle Cancer

This article appeared in the spring, 2016 issue of Fauquier Hospital's newsletter, Healthy Happenings.

Olga Malroy

When Olga Malroy discovered a lump in her breast in September 2015, she made an appointment at Fauquier Hospital for a diagnostic mammogram — even though she lives in Manassas. “I used to live in Warrenton, was familiar with Fauquier Hospital and had had a mammogram there three years earlier,” she says. “I was comfortable there.”

Two surgeries later, she is glad she chose Fauquier Hospital. The mammogram showed an abnormality, and she had an ultrasound that same day.

“I saw the picture,” says Olga. “I’m a doctor, and I knew it didn’t look good.” Olga had been a physician in her native Ukraine, trained in internal medicine.

The likelihood of being diagnosed with breast cancer was difficult enough, but as a 45-year-old single mother with two children and no health insurance, Olga knew she couldn’t pay for the tests or
treatment she needed. Fortunately, as soon as the results of the mammography came through, Olga was given the name of Richard Shrout, R.N., M.S.N., the oncology nurse navigator for Fauquier Health. He immediately introduced Olga to the folks at Fauquier Health Financial Services.

Richard says, “My job is to see that patients get the tests and treatments they need as quickly as possible and to remove any barriers to care. Olga's biggest barrier was financial. It has been my privilege to work with her. She is so bright, asks lots of great questions, and is very strong and determined.”

Fast Diagnosis, Fact Action
The biopsy showed two malignancies, and after talking with oncologist Syed Salman Ali, M.D., and surgeon Kip Dorsey, M.D., Olga opted for a mastectomy and breast reconstruction.

During the November 4 surgery, the team removed two sentinel lymph nodes, and they proved positive for cancer cells.

Olga says, “I was very glad I opted for the mastectomy instead of a lumpectomy, because the positive lymph nodes showed that the cancer had begun to spread. The doctors also found a third tumor, too small to be detected by a mammogram.”

During that first surgery, plastic surgeon Timothy Mountcastle, M.D., put in what’s called an expander. He explains, “It saves the skin so that we can put in an implant later. The breast
reconstruction is a multistep process.”

The Road to Recovery
It wasn’t until November 19 that Olga got good news. A PET-CT scan showed that the cancer had not metastasized. On November 24, a second surgery confirmed that the 17 axillary lymph nodes that had been removed “all came back negative — no cancer in those cells,” says Dr. Ali.

Olga’s last genomic test showed that she would benefit from chemotherapy, says Dr. Ali.

Olga had been studying to become a sonographer, but she has had to put school on hold for a while. “I was taking two classes but had to drop one,” she says. “I did not want to do the chemo. It will take four months. I had everything scheduled, planned out. Now I’ve lost a year of my life.”

Throughout her cancer journey, Olga has had to make difficult decisions. As a doctor herself, she has been more able  than most patients to research her options. She has relied on the input of her health team as well. “Everyone has been so supportive, respectful and professional,” she says. Olga could elect to have chemotherapy treatments closer to her home, but she wants to have her treatments at Fauquier Hospital.

Dr. Mountcastle says, “It’s great that here at Fauquier Hospital we have a multidisciplinary team of cancer, reconstructive, chemo and radiation doctors to assist patients with the treatment of every aspect of breast cancer.”