Tuesday, March 20, 2018
SJRMC's Pulmonologists Can Help You Breathe Easy
San Juan Regional Medical Center now has two board certified pulmonologists to serve patients in the Four Corners. Dr. Ravi Chopra and Dr. William Krause specialize in Pulmonary Medicine, treating patients with breathing problems and lung diseases.
Breathing is something we do involuntarily each and every day, keeping us alive. When you experience difficulty breathing, shortness of breath, or low oxygen levels it can affect your quality of life and may be a sign of a more serious health problem. Consulting a pulmonologist is the first step to getting your health back on track. Other common reasons why you may need to visit a pulmonologist include:
Asthma- this chronic, inflammatory lung disease affects people of all ages, most commonly children. Symptoms include shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, and tightness in the chest.
COPD- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease involves abnormalities in the lungs that make it difficult to exhale normally and can permanently obstruct airflow. It typically affects heavy smokers. Chronic bronchitis and emphysema can lead to COPD.
Sleep Apnea- people who have sleep apnea, a common disorder, stop breathing several times during the night. The most common symptom is snoring followed by silent breathing pauses and choking or gasping sounds. This can cause daytime sleepiness, headaches, insomnia, and memory loss.
Lung Cancer- 90 percent of lung cancer cases are due to smoking, making lung cancer the third most common cancer in both men and women. Symptoms can include a cough that doesn’t go away, coughing up blood, and shortness of breath.
Patients who think they may need to see a pulmonologist should talk to their primary care provider to obtain a referral to San Juan Regional Pulmonology.
https://www.sanjuanregional.com/Pulmonology
San Juan Regional Pulmonology
407 South Schwartz Avenue, Suite 202
Farmington, New Mexico 87401
505.609.6770
San Juan Regional Medical Center is a non-profit, acute care hospital and Level III Trauma Center with 194 licensed beds. Our mission is to personalize healthcare and create enthusiasm and vitality in healing. As a sole community provider in San Juan County, we deliver a remarkable range of highly personalized and specialized healthcare services to the people of the entire Four Corners region. San Juan Regional Medical Center, a Certified Primary Stroke Center, is accredited by Det Norske Veritas. More information is available at sanjuanregional.com.