Lyme disease is a tickborne illness that is caused by the bacteria Borrelia burgdorferi. It is contracted when the result of a black-legged tick (lxodestick tick) is infected with the Borrelia burgdorferi bacteria. The tick must remain attached to the person for at least 24 hours in order for the bacteria to be transmitted. Although Lyme…

June is Men’s Health Month and a good opportunity to highlight health conditions, which are important to understand and discuss with your health care provider. Testicular cancer is one of the leading causes of death in men in the United States and is the most common cancer in men between the ages of 15 and…

Soon after the “Congratulations!” and “When are you due?” the “Oh, you’re going to be ‘really’ pregnant in the heat” comments come in for those who share the news they are due in June, July, August or September. Yes, it is something expectant mothers have thought about also – and for good reason. Being pregnant any…

DeCleasha Martin, DCM, has had an interest in cooking from an early age, when her parents encouraged her to try new things in the kitchen, even if it meant making a little mess. Today, DeCleasha starts every day in the Hillcrest Hospital Cushing kitchen thinking of new things to add to the menu. From her…

From the time she was a little girl, Michelle Evans, BSN, RN, remembers being drawn to the hospital nursery to see newborns wrapped in their blankets, as she peered through the glass. Michelle enjoyed these trips rather frequently, as her mother was a nurse in the Cath Lab at Hillcrest Medical Center. “I would always…

Peggy Medina, 63, has suffered from bouts of pancreatitis for 12 years. When she began experiencing abdominal pain and nausea in February, Peggy reached for the pain medication to get her through a few days of rest and pain management – what had worked in the past. “The pain was so bad the meds didn’t…

Temperatures are rising, longer days are here and there are more opportunities to get out and be active. That is all great for our health, as long as we are staying hydrated as well. Some experts believe as many as 75 percent of adults in the U.S. are dehydrated at any given time. If you…

“I remember saying to the doctor, ‘Is she at that point?’” Judi Stout recalls of one of two pivotal moments of her daughter’s experience in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Hillcrest South. The second occurred when the off-duty nurse manager woke in the middle of the night concerned about Candace’s scheduled x-ray and told…

One in three people are affected by the most common chronic gastrointestinal disorder in the U.S. – acid reflux disease, also commonly known as gastroesophageal reflux disorder (GERD). For those who suffer, pain and discomfort can impact quality of life, as many people are plagued with symptoms such as chest pain, regurgitation, swallowing troubles, chronic…

In the U.S. someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds – or 800,000 strokes each year, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is one of the leading causes of death and disability and can strike at any time. Nearly 25 percent of all strokes happen to people under the age of 65.…