Checkup

Making Rounds

Wireless Internet and CarePages Available at St. Luke's

St. Luke's Hospital now offers high-speed wireless Internet access to its patients and guests. Fact sheets explaining how to log on with this free service are available at all nursing stations in the hospital. Once online, guests can use a free, new service called CarePages, which allows private Web pages to be created to help family and friends communicate during an illness. You can find more information about that service at www.carepages.com/mayoclinic. Plans are in the works to provide free wireless Internet service at the clinic by the time the new hospital opens in early 2008.

RITA Foundation donation

Dr. Elizabeth DePeri

A donation from the RITA(Research Is The Answer) Foundation, a Jacksonville-based organization that raises money and awareness for cancer diseases, has made it possible for Mayo Clinic to acquire two digital mammography machines. The new machines are the latest in mammography technology and support the last component of the transition of Jacksonville's Radiology Department from film to digital image capture and storage. "RITA has been very supportive of Mayo as well as other health care centers in Jacksonville," says Mayo Clinic radiologist Dr. Elizabeth DePeri. "Their efforts are helping Jacksonville institutions move toward the most updated technologies to better serve our patients and will afford us new opportunities for imaging research." The digital machines have some benefits over traditional ones. They emit an even lower dose of radiation, and studies have found that patients who have dense breast tissue or are under 50 and pre- or peri-menopausal may have added benefit from digital mammography.

Mayo Clinic Health Forum

The Mayo Clinic Health Forum offers educational seminars that provide medical information to our community. Mayo Clinic physicians share their expertise on a variety of health-related topics, and they are available after their presentations to answer questions one-on-one. The seminars are free, open to the public and most are held in Kinne Auditorium on the clinic campus. Please call (904) 953-0770 or visit www.mayoclinic.org/jacksonville for dates and times of upcoming forums.

New treatment for female chronic constipation

chronic constipation from obstructive defecation syndrome (ODS) is now being offered at Mayo Clinic. The stapled transanal rectal resection (STARR) is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that's an alternative to traditional surgery to correct the problem. The procedure requires no external incisions and leaves no visible scars. Patients are typically hospitalized from one to three days. The surgeon uses a surgical stapler to remove excess tissue in the rectum responsible for ODS. This tissue may bulge out, creating a pocket near the anus, and it may fold up on itself like a telescope. ODS is a form of chronic constipation that affects thousands of Americans — primarily women. Women with chronic constipation who don't respond to conservative treatments such as changes in diet, exercise and medication may be candidates for STARR. All candidates undergo special imaging tests to make sure their symptoms aren't due to other things such as an intestinal obstruction or small-bowel slowing. For more information, go to www.mayoclinic.org/news2006-jax/3587.html.

Do You Suffer From Recurring Abdominal Discomfort?

Mayo Clinic is looking for individuals with:

• Chronic abdominal discomfort
• Bloating
• Early or excessive fullness following meals

The Clinical Studies Unit is investigating the effects of two medicines on symptoms after meals and on the movement of food through the stomach. The nine-month trial (three months on medication, six months of follow-up) involves questionnaires, laboratory tests, a nutrient drink test, and a gastric emptying study. A sample of blood for DNA will be drawn and stored for future testing. Visits will range from 2 to 6 hours. Compensation is offered. Please call Verna Skinner at (904) 953-0703 or send an email to skinner.verna@mayo.edu.

Simple Success Series

Diabetes program
This comprehensive outpatient program teaches diabetics how to manage their disease. Health care professionals teach a series of four classes totaling 10 hours in a supportive, small-group environment. Insurance compannies may provide coverage.

Weight control program
A registered dietitian and exercise physiologist teach this 12-week, comprehensive outpatient program. Emphasis is placed on lifestyle, exercise and relationships and their effect on one's health.

Classes for both programs are held at the St. Luke's Hospital campus. For class dates, times and other information, please call (904) 296-3733.