Steve received his first Botox treatment for his spastic toe five days ago, and so far it has proved to be successful. The injection was administered in the muscle in his shin with a very fine needle. The doctor said the effects would peak in about 5 days and remain for about three months. He [...]

I’m sure you’ve heard of Botox injections for cosmetic reasons, but did you know it can treat neurological spastic disorders in stroke survivors?
Spasticity is a condition in which certain muscles are continuously contracted. This contraction causes stiffness or tightness [...]

For the last two months Steve has been closely monitored by his new cardiologist. There were four goals he wanted Steve to achieve in order for him to live a long and productive life. The number one priority was treating the atrial fibrillation, which the doctor believes was the cause of the stroke.
The second priority [...]

One of my questions when Steve had a stroke was, “How long will it take for him to recover?” The answer was always, “I don’t know.” I thought the doctors, nurses and therapists were trying to hide something from me because they were being so evasive.
It really bothered me that no one could give me [...]

When it comes to using medicines, there is no such thing as completely safe. All medicines have risks. FDA approval of a drug simply means that the bene­fits outweigh the known risks.
Physicians, physician assistants, nurses, pharmacists and you make up your health care team. To reduce the risks related to using medicines and to get [...]

You can walk into any pharmacy, grocery or convenience store and buy aspirin without a prescription. The Drug Facts label on medication products, will help you choose aspirin for relieving headache, pain, swelling, or fever. The Drug Facts label also gives directions that will help you use the aspirin so that it is safe and [...]

Finding the right doctor may take perseverance and patience, but don’t give up. After months of going to numerous doctors, we finally found two who have the knowledge, expertise and personality that we were looking for. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief that we have a team of health-care professionals who truly desire to increase Steve’s longevity and quality [...]

In the hour-long appointment we had with Steve’s new cardiologist, Dr. Rider, he addressed each one of Steve’s heart health issues, which included peripheral artery disease (PAD), coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure (CHF), and atrial fibrillation. He recommended that Steve take a stress test to determine the condition of his heart right now. He hasn’t had a stress test since 2000, [...]