Florida Hospital Best in Care - Fall 2011 - (Page 8)

“He didn’t think anything was wrong,” says Jennifer, 39, a homemaker from DeBary. “My brother and I pushed and pushed and pushed. Finally, we said if he didn’t get some help, he was going to a nursing home because we couldn’t take care of him.” Charley Dunlap got his life back after being diagnosed with a rare disorder, normal pressure hydrocephalus. Back in Curious symptoms lead one man to a little-known diagnosis. the Swing In his early 70s, Charley Dunlap leads an active life. He tees o twice a week at a local golf course. He has a green thumb for vegetables in his Sanford backyard and a taste for fine cuisine in the kitchen. But for a number of months last year, Charley, 73, started to lose Phillip St. Louis, MD his memory, his balance and his interest in the life he led and loved. Neurosurgeon He accepted it and kept quiet. “I don’t remember ever getting sick in my life,” says Charley, a self-proclaimed hardheaded retired US Marine and sales executive. “I honestly didn’t know how sick I was until I got well again.” By the fall, his daughter Jennifer Kelly and son Mike Dunlap noticed that their father quit playing golf. He refused to get his hair cut, was forgetful and incontinent, and grew cantankerous. He couldn’t drive. They gave him an ultimatum. FINDING ANSWERS What the family thought was “old age,” neurosurgeon Phillip St. Louis, MD, diagnosed as normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH), or water on the brain. There is no known cause to this malady that a ects people over 65. Charley underwent testing before and after a lumbar drain through the NPH Program at the Florida Hospital Neuroscience Institute. The prognosis was good. “What has evolved over the years has been much more sensitive testing so we are able to diagnose and evaluate patients,” says Dr. St. Louis. “Previously, those patients might have fallen through the cracks or by the wayside.” Only a few hospitals around the country have an NPH Program. Florida Hospital is one of them. A team of neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, neurologists, neuropsychologists, physical therapists, geriatricians and neurosurgical nurses evaluated Charley. After diagnosis, the family decided to have a permanent shunt with a valve placed in his head to drain the fluid. Because Charley sought help so early in his illness, improvement occurred immediately. Charley says he is back to his regular schedule of golfing, gardening and tasting the finer things in life. He says he is so very grateful to his children and Dr. St. Louis for giving him his life back. “I’m not a big drama student or anything like that, but it’s almost like a miracle,” Charley says. “ I felt so good after I walked out of the hospital. I was ecstatic.” OCT CONFUSED? IT MAY NOT BE ALZHEIMER’S Join neurosurgeon Phillip St. Louis, MD, for a FREE talk on what may or may not be dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Call (407) 303-BEST (2378) for your seat. e talk will be at 5:30 pm, October 10, at the Winter Park Civic Center. HEALTHY 00tips REACH OUT AND TOUCH SOMEONE Connection through touch is healing to the mind, body and spirit. Connect to your loved ones with a hug, kiss or gentle squeeze of the arm. 8 For questions or to RSVP to events, call (407) 303-BEST (2378).

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Florida Hospital Best in Care - Fall 2011

Florida Hospital Best in Care - Fall 2011
Divine Intervention
With heart attack symptoms, time is crucial
The operating room of the future is here
Understand what mystery pains mean
Calendar

Florida Hospital Best in Care - Fall 2011

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