Methodist Health System | Methodist Charlton Medical Center | Shine | Summer 2015

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better breather
Life with asthma was nothing new
for 69-year-old Sandy Ball, who’d had
the condition since childhood.
But over the past few years, the
active volunteer and avid crafter began
to notice that she was having more bad
asthma days than good ones, even with
her inhaler.
“I couldn’t go outside and enjoy
the things I used to do, like walk
my dogs — in fact, I couldn’t do
much of anything but sit and read,”
Sandy recalls. “I was sick a lot with
respiratory illness. It seemed like I
was constantly taking antibiotics
or steroids.”
Stephen Mueller, MD, Sandy’s
pulmonologist on the medical staff at
Methodist Charlton Medical Center,
noticed the decline as well.
“He went from saying, ‘See you
in a year,’ to ‘See you in six months,’
then ‘See you in three months,’” Sandy
says. “It was time to do something
about it.”
Clearing the way
for better breathing
Last summer, Sandy and Dr. Mueller
decided to try bronchial thermoplasty
(BT), a three-part treatment for
severe asthma.
“Bronchial thermoplasty is different
from other asthma treatments because
it doesn’t center on a medication,”
explains Dr. Mueller, who is director
of the intensive care unit at Methodist
Charlton. “It involves the delivery of
controlled bursts of thermal energy,
about the temperature of a warm cup
of coffee, through a catheter that’s
inserted into the bronchial tubes.”
The heat helps thin the thickened
muscles that build up over time
around the bronchial tubes of a person
with chronic asthma.
“We work on a different part of
the lungs during each of the three
treatments,” Dr. Mueller says. “Once
those muscles are thinned out, the
patient’s airways are less likely to
constrict in the future. That means that
he or she will have fewer and less severe
asthma attacks, which in turn means less
dependency on rescue inhalers and lower
dosages of maintenance medications.”
BT is a ‘game changer’
Sandy was surprised at how stress-free
her BT experience was.
“I was back home resting in a matter
of hours after each procedure,” she says.
“Other than some mild throat soreness
and coughing, I didn’t experience any
side effects. And I noticed right away
that I was breathing better.”
One of the main reasons that the
entire process went smoothly, Sandy
says, is that her health care team kept her
informed at every step.
“Everything happened the way
they said it was going to happen,”
Sandy says. “The entire respiratory
team was so friendly, upbeat, and
encouraging. And I’m very grateful
to Dr. Mueller, who helped me work
with my insurance company to get the
procedure approved.”
Since having BT last summer, Sandy
has noticed an immediate and long-
lasting improvement.
“I can walk my dogs again, I have
more stamina, and I feel so much better,”
she says. “It’s been a real game changer.”
Sandy Ball is one of many patients benefiting
from Methodist Charlton’s newest asthma treatment
Have asthma?
Check out these pneumonia
vaccine fast facts
million
People hospitalized each year for
pneumonia a lung condition that
causes coughing fever chest pain
and difficulty breathing People with
asthma and other chronic conditions are
particularly susceptible to pneumonia
No
Pneumonia is a leading cause of death
for the elderly and children under
“I recommend that anyone over this
age or anyone with asthma COPD or
other chronic illness — no matter their
age — talk to their physician about
the pneumonia vaccine ” says Stephen
Mueller MD pulmonologist at Methodist
Charlton Medical Center “Vaccination
can prevent you from getting
pneumonia or provide protection that
makes you less sick if you do get it
These are very safe vaccines with little
to no side effects ”
CALL A DOCTOR!
There are two vaccines that can significantly
reduce your chances of developing life-
threatening pneumonia To find a physician
participating in our Mayo Clinic Care
Network collaboration to help protect your
health call - -
Methodist Charlton Medical Center • Summer 2015 9