Dr. Phil Aaron Medical Center is also involved in the training of other health professionals.  We serve as preceptors for health profession students from the University of Louisville, University of Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Centre College, and Yale University.

     The following article was written by Lisa Purdy a senior at Centre College doing a rotation at Dr. Phil Aaron Medical Center.

Local woman loses fingers to rare disease
By Lisa Purdy
Guest Writer

    Growing up in a family of 22, Mrs. Linda Gaskins has been a hard working woman her entire life, with various jobs ranging from her time at a factory assembly line to working with husband Lemuel on the farm. Mrs. Gaskins has had to learn to adapt and to make the most of what life has given to her. Never in her life however, could she have imagined the adjustments she has had to make over the past ten months.
    Beginning in March of 2005 Mrs. Gaskins noticed a sore developing on the pointer finger of her right hand. As the sore continued to grow it began to develop on her other fingers, eventually appearing on all of the fingers of her right hand. It was when the sore began to turn black and gangrenous that Mrs. Gaskins visited Dr. Phil Aaron. Knowing the seriousness of this condition, Dr. Aaron referred Mrs. Gaskins to the world renowned hand specialists Kleinert and Kutz in Louisville. After meeting with Kleinert and Kutz it was determined that Mrs. Gaskins was suffering from Buerger's disease.
   Buerger's disease, also known as Thromboangitis obliterans, is a serious and rare disease caused by smoking or using chewing tobacco. In Buerger's disease, blood vessels in the extremities become inflamed and can eventually become constricted or totally blocked. While only seen in 6 out of every 10,000 patients, and usually in males aged 20-45, Buerger's disease is not something to take lightly. Death from the disease is rare, but 43% of patients who suffer from Buerger's disease require at least one amputation. Unfortunately, Mrs. Gaskins fell into this category and has had to have four fingers on her left hand amputated.
   Being diagnosed with a smoking disorder came as a big surprise to Mrs. Gaskins. Never smoking more than half a pack a day she considered herself a fairly light smoker. She wonders how such a mild smoking history could lead to the incessant pain she feels. It has been suggested that some people have a genetic predisposition to the disease or even a hypersensitivity to tobacco; however these possibilities have not been proven. What has been proven is that this is a debilitating disease that can affect nearly every aspect of a person's life.
   In fact, the pain in Mrs. Gaskins hand has gotten so bad that doctors are now recommending a morphine pump be placed in her left arm. This pump would deliver constant pain medication strictly to her left hand with the hopes of relieving the pain and allowing for a more normal lifestyle. At the present time Mrs. Gaskins has not agreed to the pump because it is not known how it will affect the functioning of the rest of her body. She is also concerned with the risk of addiction associated with morphine.
   Despite these concerns, Mrs. Gaskins is still considering the pump as she hopes it will allow her to regain some of the independence she has lost. No longer able to perform every day tasks such as buttoning up her clothes, zipping zippers, or tying her shoes, Mrs. Gaskins has become dependent on her husband Lemuel. While Lemuel is a loving and devoted husband Mrs. Gaskins knows that this disease wears on him as well. She has become depressed by this dependence on Lemuel and others. No longer able to drive, Mrs. Gaskins needs Lemuel to take her to her doctor's appointments. To this day they have had close to fifty appointments in Louisville and countless others with Dr. Aaron and other local physicians.
   Mrs. Gaskins retains her enjoyment for life through tending to her plants and rose bushes and by visiting with her daughter Michelle and her five grandchildren. She also enjoys the company of her 17 remaining siblings, two of whom live in town, Ms. Dorris Rector and Mr. Jeffery Herron. Relying on her ability to adapt she has also developed new ways of doing household chores she used to take for granted such as peeling a potato or cutting food, and is trying not to let her disability slow her down.
   While it is not clear what the future holds for Mrs. Gaskins it is clear that smoking will not be involved. She says she has quit smoking and urges everyone else to do the same. Mrs. Gaskins believes that if this disease could fall upon her, a light smoker, it could happen to anyone. She hopes that sharing her experience with people will give others the incentive they need to quit and prevent anyone else from having to suffer from this horrible disease.