CentraState - Healthy Directions

MORE FOR MONROE Daily medication has helped former marine Erwin Goldstein manage his asthma and lead an active lifestyle. Erwin says he was a three-pack-a-day smoker until his wife was stricken with lung cancer in 1972. He immediately quit smoking, but he was diagnosed with asthma a couple of years later after he had trouble breathing following a walk down the Coney Island boardwalk. "I was on the floor, gasping, he recalls. "Smoking probably " caused my asthma, but quitting smoking has probably saved my life. " Unfortunately, his wife lost her battle to a recurrence of lung cancer in 2001. MANAGING ASTHMA Since 1991, Erwin has been under the care of John DeTullio, MD, board-certified pulmonologist with Monmouth Ocean Pulmonary Medicine and on staff at CentraState Medical Center. In his 50s and 60s, Erwin was hospitalized on a few occasions for severe asthma attacks. During the past decade, however, he has been able to manage his asthma with daily, inhaled medications and a rescue inhaler for flare-ups, Dr. DeTullio says. "He's done very well for many years, " Dr. DeTullio says. "He's leading an active life and doing all the things he needs to do to stay healthy. That includes " checkups every six months, staying on top of his medications and taking important precautions such as getting a flu shot. MONROE RETIREE WON'T LET ASTHMA SLOW HIM DOWN If you're trying to reach Erwin Goldstein, you may want to get his cell phone number. "I'm retired, Erwin says. "But I try to keep active. " " His lifestyle is remarkable considering the Monroe Township resident will be 83 in November. But it's even more remarkable considering he has been living with a serious case of asthma for nearly 40 years. A WAKE UP CALL Asthma, a chronic lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways, is most frequently diagnosed in children. However, the National Institutes of Health says more than 25 million Americans are living with the disease and many, like Erwin, aren't afflicted until adulthood. B Summer 2013 John DeTullio, MD, board-certified pulmonologist For asthma patients who need more extensive or acute care, CentraState offers services including: • A 16-bed Critical Care Unit, staffed by physicians, including Dr. DeTullio, who are board certified in pulmonary and critical care medicine. • A comprehensive Pulmonary Rehabilitation program, which helps ease patients into a regular exercise program to fight the effects of pulmonary disease. • A wide range of diagnostic testing, including cardiopulmonary stress and pulmonary function tests. "The message here is that even people with very serious pulmonary disease can live a normal life, Dr. DeTullio says. " Yet "normal" might be an understatement with Erwin. Up until last August, the former Marine worked two to three days a week delivering FedEx packages weighing up to 80 pounds—or roughly one pound for each of his years. Divya Menon, MD, "Not bad, huh?" he says with a laugh. board-certified cardiologist For information about CentraState's Pulmonary Rehabilitation program, visit www.centrastate.com/pulmonaryrehabilitation or call (732) 294-2671. HD Healthy Directions

• Cover