People who feel pain in their dominant hand when opening a jar or turning a doorknob may be developing thumb arthritis. If you are experiencing this pain, contact the Orthopedics and Sports Medicine team at The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus to schedule an appointment. What is thumb arthritis and its symptoms? Thumb…

Along with the ever-present possibilities of catching a cold, the flu or COVID-19 is the danger that these diseases may cause pneumonia to develop in our lungs. Have you or a family member suffered through pneumonia? Jamal Akhtar, M.D., internal medicine specialist at The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus, answers questions about pneumonia…

Rich and Norma Vink have been dealt a tough hand, but you wouldn’t know it just talking to them. Through two separate cancer diagnoses – Norma learned she had breast cancer in 2016, Rich was diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in January 2021 – gratitude still radiates from the couple who’ve been married for…

Sports medicine physician, Peter Loo, M.D., explains why the iovera° treatment might be the perfect solution for you. Knee pain can affect people of all ages. The impact your knees bear day in and day out can quickly turn into inflammation and pain, affecting your mobility. Conventional treatments for chronic and severe knee pain range…

Read Part 1 of Angie’s story Six months after enduring a double mastectomy and many months of chemotherapy, a familiar pain in a familiar place returned, but Angie Morris didn’t want to believe what she felt. “It took me a while to convince myself to go back and get it looked at. I just thought…

“I’m a firm believer in keeping a positive attitude and your mind engaged. It will help you push through the tough times,” said Angie Morris, a former patient at The University of Kansas Cancer Center at St. Francis Campus, and a breast cancer survivor. Morris has firsthand experience with the power of a positive attitude,…

Amy Hedstrom was diagnosed with Stage 3 Triple Negative Breast Cancer at the young age of 32. She noticed a very small lump in November of 2014 and went to get an ultrasound where nothing appeared. It wasn’t until April of 2015 that she noticed the lump was growing and went to get the lump biopsied,…

When Nina McGrath, 70, was in her early 20’s, she was involved in a car accident that prompted more than five decades of severe pain in her back. After years of provisional care, including steady visits to chiropractors and multiple steroid injections, McGrath made an appointment with board-certified pain management specialist Michael Gaume, MD. This decision…

There are some accidents and tragedies that cannot be avoided, whether due to genetic makeup or unfortunate timing. Although car accidents can fall under the “unfortunate timing” category, an accident resulting from impaired driving is not one of them. Every day in America, 30 people die as a result of drunk driving crashes. That’s one…

People tend to avoid talking about bladder issues even when they have been bothered by symptoms for years. However, issues like urinary incontinence, bladder infections and urinary tract infections are common and may be helped with simple lifestyle changes. One way to improve bladder health is to modify your diet. Certain foods and liquids can…