Dana Lewis

You may have seen a post (Forbes) or two (CNET) in your various newsfeeds recently about the fact the Swedish is live-tweeting and Instagramming a cochlear implant (hearing restoration) surgery tomorrow, on October 2, 2012. (Check it out at www.swedish.org/swedishhear.)

A question we've gotten is why live-tweet or Instagram a surgery? Haven't you done that already? (Yes, we've used Twitter and video before (to educate patients about deep brain stimulation and knee replacement procedures, among others), but not Instagram.)

We're learning from our patients how hard it is to access information if you are deaf or have hearing loss, and, per a study in The Lancet, how this impacts the quality of healthcare. And so we decided to create additional resources to help raise awareness about the option of cochlear implants. (In this Mashable post,  Dr. Backous said only 10% of people who qualify for cochlear implants end up receiving them.)

Here's an example of one of the many stories that inspired this series:

(For closed captioning press the CC button located in the middle of the action bar that appears at the bottom of the video when it is playing. For the best results, watch the video in full screen by pressing the full screen button located in the right hand corner of the action bar.)

People with hearing loss are not able to call on the phone to get more information or ask questions, so we decided to document via text (tweets) and images (Instagram photos) the cochlear implant procedure.

We're also hosting two text-based chats next Wednesday on October 10, 2012 (at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Pacific Time). The chats will enable patients and interested viewers to talk directly via the chat (text based - no audio) to Dr. Backous, audiologists, patients who have had the procedure, and patient advocacy groups. If you have unanswered questions about hearing loss or cochlear implants, we hope you'll join us for the discussion. (You can ...

(Click 'read more' to see a full recap from the live event)

This post is reposted with permission from Spike O’Neill – see his original post here.

Some of you may have heard of my recent health scare. For those of you who heard and sent along your well wishes, I thank you. For anyone who hasn't, please allow me to share a scary story of ignorance and arrogance that almost cost me big time.

About a month ago, I was carrying my 8 year old daughter on my shoulders. We were leaving a family outing and she was griping about being tired. I didn't have to carry her very far, but when I put her down I noticed a weird ache in my jaw and in both arms, as well as a dull thick ache and a kind of puffiness in my hands. It went away pretty quickly and I blew it off as a pinched nerve or something. But when I felt the same thing a week later after lifting a few boxes in my garage I was a bit more concerned.

I tried again to dismiss the incident, but I have to give it up for my family, who INSISTED that I go see my family doctor just to be sure. I saw my Doc, who had just given me a complete physical a couple months ago, He checked me over, gave me an EKG and suggested a stress test just to be sure. I figured what the hell? Better to be safe than sorry right?

I had no idea how good that advice really was.

I took my stress test 4 days later at Swedish Hospital's Cherry Hill facility. A stress test is just you on a treadmill, wired to a bunch of stuff that measures heart function, pulse and blood pressure. Well, the normal EKG they gave me before the test started went completely sideways a few minutes later when they fired up the speed and incline of the treadmill. That's when they brought in Dr. Peter Demopulos, cardiologist.

Dr. Demopulos said that...

Dr. Greg Foltz, a brain surgeon from the Ivy Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute in Seattle is inviting 25 people (including students) to join him on Friday, Aug. 24 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. to become a “Brain Surgeon for a Day.” (Enter by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, August 9, 2012.)

Randomly selected individuals will spend time learning about the brain and its key parts. These individuals will see how Swedish surgeons are using the latest research to find new treatments for brain cancer. As part of the event, these individuals will:

• Walk away with their own pair of Swedish medical “scrubs”, just like a doctor
• Participate in a behind the scenes tour and gain special access to places within the hospital most visitors do not get to see
• Rub elbows in the confides of the “green room” and meet some of the smartest physicians of the Pacific Northwest region
• Learn about brain tumors and why some are so deadly

At the conclusion of the tour, Dr. Foltz and other neuroscientists will host a lunch session with participants about his every day battle against brain cancer, a disease he hopes will be cured one day soon.

“Brain Surgeon for a Day” Schedule of Events:

• 11:00 AM: Scrub Up with your new pair of medical scrubs
• 11:05 AM: Meet and Greet with Dr. Greg Foltz of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center at Swedish
• 11:15 AM: Take part in an interactive session with brain tissue samples at the Seattle Science Foundation
• 11:50 AM: Guided behind-the-scenes tour of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center research lab, clinic and research partners
• 12:05 PM: Visit a behind-the-scenes location
• 12:20 PM: Lunch and Q&A session with Dr. Foltz and other special guests
• 1:00 PM Conclusion

Other possible events during the two-hour event:

• See the first commercial Accelerator Mass Spectrometry Core Facility in the U.S. and how it is being used for brain cancer.
• Explore the genome sequencing machines that help decode DNA in tumors.
• Meet ....

Dr. Carl Janzen and Dr. Mark Kasper discuss the importance of seeking a second opinion as well as when and why they can be most valuable:

For those of you who don't know, today is the official anniversary of the Swedish blog - this means Swedish has been blogging several times a week for a complete year!

What have we been blogging about?

• How nurses are making a difference

• Healthy recipes and health tips for the holidays

• What you need to know about updated pap smear guidelines

• Advocating for your listening needs

• Changes at Swedish

• How to keep your plate in shape

• Wellness tips and suggestions on how to de-stress

• Cancer information, like PCA3 tests for men and understanding what stage your cancer is

Who's been blogging?

We've had people from all around the organization blogging (more than 60 the last time we checked), including:

• Surgeons

• Nurses

• Family Medicine and Primary Care Physicians

• Dietitians

• Educators

• (And many others!)

Why are we blogging?

We started the blog as a way to connect with you (our community), whether you're a current patient, a past patient, a future patient…or just someone who stumbled across our site looking for health information. We believe our role is to be a resource of information, both online and off. Blogging gives us an easy way to keep you up to date, informed, and engaged on a number of health topics…and to help you and your family stay healthy.

What comes next?

Actually, if you're reading this, we hope you'll help us answer this question! What do you want to see next from this blog? Do you have a favorite doctor or nurse that you'd like to hear from? Are there certain topics or questions you'd like to learn more about? Do you like videos? We'd love to know what you think anytime, but especially in light of our anniversary, we hope you'll leave a comment below and let us know if there's anything in particular you'd like to see next.

Thanks for reading the blog, and thanks for being a part of the Swedish community!

Doctors' Day was officially designated as a national day of recognition in 1990 to honor our physicians.  We thank the members of our talented medical staff for their compassionate care of patients and their enthusiastic pursuit of safety, quality and the highest standards in the delivery of medical care.

I want to thank all of our doctors for what they do, and give special thanks to those who are blogging and providing information online.

• What to do if you're having a stroke

• A physician's own experience with colonoscopy prep

• A number of interesting things can be done with a surgical robot

And of course, the physicians who participate in our livestreams are pretty incredible as well:

• Deep brain stimulation livestream

• Colonoscopy/colon cancer livestream

• Live knee surgery

• ...and those who scaled Mt. Rainier with a 'social media backpack' to raise awareness for organ donation

I've also captured a few tweets and Facebook posts from people who wanted to thank our doctors - see below, and if you want to share any, comment here or on Facebook, and we'll share them with our amazing doctors!

Child Life Specialists are teachers, support, advocates, therapeutic touch, art buddies, child development specialists, story tellers, positive influences, toy drive organizers, de-coders of medical language, empathizers, distraction providers, cartoon experts, volunteer managers and skilled listeners.

Child Life Specialists aim to reduce any negative effects of hospitalization on children and their families by reducing stress and anxiety. When I asked one of Swedish's child life specialists about their work, she said they feel very lucky to work in a healthcare system that cares so well for our young patients and families.

To help illustrate the work of Child Life Specialists, enjoy this poem (by Steve Slowinski).

What I’m not:

A nurse.
A doctor.
A social worker.

A “Keeper of the Toys.”
A magical “make-this-kid-not-cry” person.
Only someone to play with the kids.

I’m not superfluous.

What I am:

I am a teacher,
A helping hand,
A support,
An advocate,
An active listener,
A therapeutic touch,
And a child development specialist
Every.
Single.
Day.

I am an OR prep-er,
An IV teacher,
A de-coder of PICC, VCUG, MRI and NG,
A distraction provider,
An inpatient support,
And a guide and voice for siblings
All in the same day.

I am calm despite cancer, CAT scans, and catheters.
I am strong in the face of syncope, sickle cell, and surgery.
Kids can’t always do these things for themselves.
That’s why I’m here ...