November: Prematurity Awareness Month

November is Prematurity Awareness Month with November 17 being World Prematurity Day. A baby shouldn't be born sooner than 37 weeks into the mother's pregnancy. Premature babies tend to stay in the hospital for a longer period of time due to health problems. According to the latest statistics, being born too early happens in one out of every ten births. The prematurity survival rate is higher than it used to be; however, an early birth can lead to intellectual and developmental disabilities such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and cerebral palsy. In addition to medical services, there are early intervention and special education services for children who were born prematurely. For more information, go to https://www.marchofdimes.org.

The March of Dimes logo

(image via marchofdimes.org)

Eastern Florida State College to Host Film Screening

A screening of the 2015 documentary "How to Dance in Ohio" will take place from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M. on Tuesday, November 19, in the Simpkins Fine Arts Center at the Cocoa campus of Eastern Florida State College. This event is free and open to the public. Directed by Alexandra Shiva, "How to Dance in Ohio" follows young adults on the autism spectrum as they practice their social skills during the 12-week period leading up to a spring formal dance. The film focuses on two teenage girls and a 22-year-old woman with autism. HBO Documentary Films in association with Gidalya Pictures and Blumhouse Productions received a Peabody Award for this movie. To get more information and/or stream the movie, go to https://www.hbo.com/documentaries/how-to-dance-in-ohio.

Movie poster

(image via imdb.com)

Spotlight: Morgan Stickney

Morgan Stickney, a 22-year-old pre-med student and swimmer from Bedford, New Hampshire, recently had the lower part of her right leg amputated at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts. Six years ago, Stickney broke her left foot, and a staph infection along with a rare vascular disease eventually led to the amputation of the lower part of her left leg. She wanted to swim at the 2020 Paralympic Games, so she moved to the Olympic training center in Colorado Springs, but then, she broke her right foot, resulting in the latest amputation. Stickney is the first person to undergo this experimental surgery on both legs. She is being fitted for prosthetics designed by MIT and receiving physical therapy at a rehabilitation hospital. Stickney, who maintains a positive attitude despite her setbacks, plans to compete at the 2024 Paralympic Games. For more details on this story, go to https://www.wmur.com/article/elite-swimmer-from-bedford-undergoes-second-experimental-leg-amputation-in-boston/29644734.

Morgan Stickney

(image via gofundme.com)

Raising Awareness of Painful Diseases in November

November is the awareness month for two conditions that can cause disabling pain: Dercum's disease and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). Dercum's disease, also known as adiposis dolorosa, is a rare disorder in which lipomas (painful growths of fatty tissue) can be found under the skin on a person's trunk, upper arms, upper legs, and other body parts. Other symptoms include weight gain, swelling, depression, lethargy, and confusion. Occurring most often in women aged 45-60, the cause of Dercum's disease is not known, but it could be a result of the lipomas' pushing on nerves. Treatment options are painkillers, corticosteroid injections, and surgical removal of lipomas around joints, but these are only temporary solutions. For more information, go to https://rarediseases.org/rare-diseases/dercums-disease/.

CRPS is a type of chronic pain in an individual's limb for more than six months after an injury or surgery. There may also be changes in skin color, temperature, and swelling in the limb. More common in women at a peak age of 40, CRPS may be due to damage to the peripheral and central nervous systems. There are two types of CRPS: CRPS-I without a confirmed nerve injury (formerly known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy or RSD) and CRPS-II with a confirmed nerve injury (formerly causalgia). Treatment options include rehabilitation and physical therapy, medications, and sympathetic nerve block. To learn more, go to https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Fact-Sheets/Complex-Regional-Pain-Syndrome-Fact-Sheet.

 

The Dercum Society and RSDS Association logos

(images via dercums.org and rsds.org)