The Record Special Sections Health Quarterly 10-27-2019 | Página 8

8 ❚ SUNDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2019 ❚ THE RECORD
HEALTH QUARTERLY / ADVERTISING SECTION
Chronic
Headache Relief
After Traumatic
Head Injuries HOLY NAME MEDICAL CENTER
new study has shown that a drug used to pre-
vent migraines was effective in eliminating or
greatly reducing the effects of a posttraumatic
head injury. The medication, erenumab, was
given to study participants who suffered with migraines
and debilitating symptoms for weeks or even months
after sustaining a head injury.
The six-month study,
conducted by Dr. Jim
Charles, a neurologist at
Holy Name Medical Center
and a renowned special-
ist in migraines, included
seven patients ranging in
age from 15 to 48. Each
patient had suffered a trau-
matic head injury during
a fall or while participating
in sports.
“Every one of these
patients went from suf-
Dr. Jim Charles
fering severe symptoms
that were debilitating to no headache disability,”
Dr. Charles said. “This happened within a few weeks of
receiving the medication and patients had no adverse
side effects.”
The study showed a 95-percent reduction in head-
ache days and patients saw improvement within days
to four weeks. Six months later, none of the patients
had suffered a relapse. Erenumab is FDA-approved for
the prevention of migraines.
The patients were given an injection of the medica-
tion, a human protein with antibodies that are used
to block pain receptors. Some had been suffering for
months with throbbing head pain, nausea, vomiting,
visual aura, and were unable to attend school or work.
Most patients required only one dose of the drug.
One 26-year-old patient had fallen off a truck, hit his
head and experienced daily migraines for 11 weeks. He
had never suffered with migraines before his injury, but
he was unable to work and didn’t respond to other types
of physical or drug therapy. Three weeks after receiving
erenumab, he returned to work, with only occasional
headaches that were milder in severity and symptoms.
Another patient was a 15-year-old high school wres-
tler, who was thrown to the mat during a match and suf-
fered a head injury. He had daily migraines and couldn’t
attend school. Five days after receiving erenumab, his
symptoms were gone and he resumed classes.
“This medication was effective in an initial study
for the treatment of posttraumatic head injuries
with migraines,” Dr. Charles said. “It is good news for
patients with these injuries, but a much larger study
is needed, especially since there are no FDA-approved
drug treatments for this condition.” hen
Laura
Ayala
learned
she had breast
cancer, she knew
she would be able
to continue work-
ing and caring for her teenage son.
But what she feared was that the dis-
ease would interfere with her hobby,
her passion — playing softball.
Ayala was 51, and had been on the
diamond since she was nine, through
middle and high school, then in adult
leagues. It’s who she is, what she does.
“After my doctor called to tell me
I had breast cancer, I decided I wasn’t
going to let this beat me,” she said.
“The playoffs were coming up.”
Ayala joins the more than 3.1 mil-
lion women in the United States with
a history of breast cancer. About 1 in
8 women will develop the disease, the
second most common cancer in wom-
en behind skin cancer. Fortunately,
death rates from the disease have
been decreasing since 1989, most likely
due to treatment advances and earlier
detection.
Ayala was vigilant about getting
her annual mammograms, a consis-
tency that led to discovery of her dis-
ease when it was in early Stage 1. Yet
because of the size and type of tumor,
she needed four chemotherapy treat-
ments and a six-week course of radia-
tion after her surgery. She had been
coming to Holy Name Medical Center
for her screenings and despite having
moved to South Jersey, returned
to the Teaneck hospital for her mam-
mogram and treatment.
“Laura is the poster child for why
women need to go for a mammogram
every year,” said Dr. Joshua Gross,
chief of Breast Imaging at Holy Name.
“Many women say nothing hurts
so why should I look for trouble. But
Laura’s breast cancer was detected
very early because she kept up with
her mammograms.”
Ayala underwent a lumpectomy in
March of 2014 and knew she wouldn’t
be able to play for most of that sea-
A
Early Detection
... and Now Cancer-free
Breast Cancer Survivor Has Winning Attitude
W
Diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer, Laura Ayala and her doctors at Holy
Name Medical Center credit her vigilance in getting annual mammograms
for detecting the disease very early and then being determined to rid herself
of the disease, go through recovery and keep her life on track.
son. But she was focused on pushing
through treatment and getting back
on the field by the September playoffs.
She had a few hurdles, though not
enough to crush her optimism. She
had one really bad day from treatment
when couldn’t get out of bed, and los-
ing her hair was as traumatic as people
told her it would be.
“Actually, the hardest part was
waiting for the results from the tests,”
Ayala said. “But hearing I would need
chemo was hard — I knew that meant I
would lose my hair.”
Ayala credits her medical team at
Holy Name with not only keeping her
calm but helping her get through a
scary and trying ordeal with little pain
or discomfort and a lot of hope. Once
she adjusted to the idea of chemo,
she was able to manage it well. She
continued working as a consultant in
the financial industry, caring for her
eighth-grade son and performing doz-
ens of mundane tasks that make up
everyday life.
By the time September rolled
around, she was finished with treat-
ment. She made an appearance in a
playoff game and though she knew she
wouldn’t be able to pitch for a while,
she took right field. Since then, she’s
been on the mound every season.
“When I first heard I had breast can-
cer, I just wanted to get it over with,”
Ayala said. “It is and I’m doing really
well now. There is a full, beautiful life
after cancer.”