9
CrossRoadsNews
November 5, 2011
Wellness
“Our students fall into the age groups most likely to be hurt or killed by texting and driving,” President Brooks Keel said.
‘Txt l8r’ campaign persuading young drivers to pocket phone Young motorists are the focus of a statewide anti-texting and driving campaign launched by Georgia Southern University in Statesboro. The “txt l8r” (text later) campaign comprises a series of radio and TV public service announcements and digital signage images that will be featured on campus and distributed to media around Brooks Keel the state of Georgia. The campaign features GSU President Brooks Keel, Eagles head football coach Jeff Monken, university students and athletes, and a professor who had to break the news of a texting and driving death to one of his classes. Teens and young adults, ages 20 to 29, are the groups most likely to be killed or injured in traffic accidents involving Jeff Monken distracted driving. “It only takes a split second for a text message behind the wheel to turn into a tragedy,” Keel said in an Oct. 26 statement. “While texting and driving is illegal in the state of Georgia, we know that thousands of young drivers engage in this potentially deadly behavior every day. With the ‘txt l8r’ campaign, we are sending the clear message that no text is too important to wait.” Biology professor Lorne Wolfe decided to become involved in anti-texting and driving awareness after one of his students had a relative killed in an accident in which texting and driving was involved. “I looked into this classroom filled with young people and told them that one of their
U.S. Department of Transportation statistics show that in 2009, distracted driving, which includes texting, was a factor in nearly 5,500 traffic deaths and a half million injuries.
classmates wasn’t there because they had gone home to bury a loved one killed by texting and driving,” Wolfe recalled. “As shocking and sad as that message was, I knew many of those same students would continue Lorne Wolfe to text and drive.” Wolfe partnered with Georgia Southern’s Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management and the Office of Marketing and Communications to develop the “txt l8r” campaign. Students involved in Greek
Kelvin K. Belcher, M.D. Melissa W. Seely-Morgan, M.D. Interventional Radiology Section Chief Chief of Radiology, DeKalb Medical DeKalb Medical Hillandale
Steven C. Storey, M.D. Certified by the American Board of Radiology
Ajay K. Joshi, M.D. Certified by the American Board of Radiology
For more information about UFE, please visit our website,
www.radadpc.com
For a consultation appointment, call our UFE Hotline,
404-564-5404
organizations, ROTC and athletic teams are featured to send the message that members of the Eagle Nation do not text and drive. “The Georgia Southern Eagles practice safety on the field every day because we want to win,” coach Monken says in one of the PSAs. “I’m recruiting your support while you’re driving so that we all win.” In addition to targeting Georgia Southern’s 20,000 students, the PSAs will be distributed to media around the state. U.S. Department of Transportation statistics show that in 2009, distracted driving – which includes texting – was a factor in nearly 5,500 traffic deaths and a half mil-
lion injuries. Studies show those most likely to be killed or injured are under the age of 20, while the second most likely group is between the ages of 20 and 29. “Our students fall into the age groups most likely to be hurt or killed by texting and driving,” Keel said. “So that makes this campaign very personal for me and everyone involved. We don’t want our students’ great potential squandered by a moment of inattention at the wheel. The message is clear. Don’t text and drive – text later.” For more information, visit http:// news.georgiasouthern.edu/index .php?link=announcements.
When her doctor diagnosed her problem in 2003 as uterine fibroids, Hyacinth Robinson was not surprised. She had undergone surgical treatment for the same condition in 1990 and 1994. Both times she chose to have a myomectomy to remove the fibroids. "I knew that there was a chance I'd develop more fibroids after my myomectomies, so I'm glad I had a different option this time," says Robinson. "My doctor recommended a partial hysterectomy, but I was not sure I wanted to undergo surgery again," she explains. After consulting two other doctors, Robinson's boyfriend heard a radio advertisement for uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) and one of her friends told her about a UFE seminar she had attended. After learning more about UFE, Robinson decided to choose the nonsurgical treatment. "It was not painful or uncomfortable and I only stayed one night at the hospital," says Robinson. "I exercise five days a week and I'm healthy, so my recovery went well." According to Mayo Clinic, as many as three out of four women have uterine fibroids at some time in their life, but most are unaware of the fibroids ecause they cause no symptoms. When fibroids do cause symptoms, the most common are: < Heavy menstrual bleeding < Prolonged menstrual periods— seven days or more of menstrual bleeding < Pelvic pressure or pain < Frequent urination < Difficulty emptying your bladder < Constipation < Backache or leg pains Nonsurgical treatment shrinks uterine fibroids Because the effects of UFE on fertility are not fully understood, each patient desiring children in the future is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, says Melissa Seely-Morgan, M.D., an interventional radiologist at DeKalb Medical. Small particles that block the arteries that provide blood supply to the fibroids are delivered through a thin, flexible tube called a catheter under X-ray guidance. "It is like clogging a hose with sand," she says. IV conscious sedation, not general anesthesia, is used for the procedure so patients are awake but are comfortable and sleepy, she says. "Most patients don't remember the procedure," she adds. Uterine cramping is the most common side effect of the procedure, says Seely-Morgan. "The cramping peaks between six and 10 hours after the procedure, so I like to keep a patient in the hospital overnight to better control that pain," she explains. Recovery can be very quick, she says. "If a patient has the procedure on Thursday, she may be able to return to work on Monday." Full recovery depends on the individual, but patients are up and moving that night or the next day after the procedure. "Although there are no restrictions on activity, I recommend that patients take it easy for a few days after the procedure." she points out. UFE does not remove the fibroids, but it does shrink them to the point that the symptoms disappear points out Seely-Morgan. "The maximum shrinkage of fibroids is between three and six months, but they may continue to shrink for up to a year after the treatment," she says. If you think you may be a candidate for Uterine Artery Embolization we obtain an MRI, then we sit down together and go over what is on the images together. "I love for women to see what exactly is going on in their bodies," says Seely-Morgan. Then we discuss the woman's options and set up the procedure." I love the six-month follow up conversation when women tell me they have their life back after their UFE – that makes my day!"