BY JIM HALL
A prostate cancer forum this week at Mary Washington Hospital will include discussion of a new pelvic therapy program there aimed at reducing pain and restoring continence in surgical patients.
The forum will be held Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon in the hospital auditorium. Sponsored by the American Cancer Society, it is free and open to the public.
The forum will include presentations by Dr. Tristan Berry and Dr. Gregory Szlyk, Fredericksburg urologists, who will talk about prostate cancer and demonstrate the daVinci prostatectomy robot.
Also scheduled are Margaret Horvath, a dietitian; John Zinno, a cancer survivor; and Carolyn Foster of the American Cancer Society.
Jolene Faught and Melissa Eagleton, physical therapists, will offer details on the new pelvic rehabilitation program.
The program started in January to help cancer patients and others who experience pelvic problems.
"Anything from the umbilicus down to the mid-thigh, we deal with the muscles, nerves and joints," Faught said in a recent interview.
Many of the patients are men, ages 40 to 80, who have had their cancerous prostate glands removed.
The therapists meet with these patients both before and after surgery, from one to eight times, in sessions that last 45 to 75 minutes each.
They use exercises to strengthen the patient's spine, hips, legs, abdomen and pelvic floor, the band of muscles that supports the bladder and bowel.
The program is also offered to women with similar problems of incontinence or pain, often related to pregnancy or a hysterectomy.
For more information about the forum, e-mail kathy.
Email: blontz@cancer.org or call 800/966-3586.
Jim Hall: 540/374-5433
Email: jhall@freelancestar.com