Beyond Change

Ashleigh D Testimony

Why did you choose to pursue your weight loss journey? Was it because you wanted to be able to get on the floor to play with you kids or grandkids? Because you wanted to be able to shop in a regular department store? Did you decide that it was finally time to take action to control your diabetes? Everyone had different reasons for choosing this avenue, but when it boils down to it, we all shared the long-term goal of becoming healthier individuals.

Before surgery, we were educated about what would be required to maintain a healthy life. This care included routine labs, follow-up, personalized vitamin supplementation, nutrition maintenance, etc. I know that all of you, like myself, were more than willing, eager even, to comply with your individualized treatment recommendations. Chances are, you were compliant for a period following surgery. You went to have your labs drawn and met with someone like Nurse Jackie to determine if you needed to adjust your supplements; you called her when you weren’t feeling well so that you could work together to find a cause and then a solution. What changes a few years down the road? Many of us get busy with life, forget to take our vitamins from time-to-time, and don’t have our blood work drawn as often as we should. This can lead to devastating complications and illness.

In the fall of 2016, I was working full-time and attending graduate school all while continuing to satisfy my wife and mommy duties. I started to feel run down and tired all the time. I was getting very little sleep, hurt all over, and just plain didn’t feel good. I attributed this to my busy life and figured that when things settled down, I would start feeling better. I had not had my labs drawn in over six months, but I assumed that I was okay because I was taking all of my vitamins, just like I was supposed to. WRONG! At the end of January, I called Nurse Jackie and told her what was going on. In the back of my head in knew something wasn’t right, but I didn’t have time to be sick, so I kept pressing on. Like the professional clinician she is, she kept her anger to a minimum as she explained that she had been attempting to get in touch with me for months to schedule my routine follow up and labs. She worked with me and ordered blood work to complete at my local laboratory. Then the call . . .

“Ashleigh, this is Jackie, you need to call me back ASAP, we need to talk, NOW. Your labs are horrible, and we need to discuss what we need to do”

“We” – that is one of the things that I love most about Nurse Jackie. No matter how negligent I’ve been, she has never given up on me. She has always been willing to do whatever it takes, often sacrificing her own personal time, to make sure that I am taken care of. Jackie is invested in my health, as she is with all of her patients. She does not expect us to know how to adjust our medications or know when we need to have further workup. Her knowledge base and expertise are extraordinary! She has been a pioneer in metabolic monitoring, and she is honored and respected in the bariatric community. How fortunate we are to have the privilege of her managing our care.

So back to me . . .  Long story short, if I would have listened to her in the first place, returned her emails and phone calls, been an active participant in my own health care, I could have saved myself a five day stay in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where I underwent multiple blood and iron transfusions, as well as expensive testing and consultations. I was informed that upon admission, my labs were critical and that I was extremely lucky I had not suffered a heart attack, stroke, seizure, or worse. The day after I was discharged, I met with her, and she adjusted all of my supplements. I have gone to have my labs drawn as she has deemed appropriate, and she has fine-tuned my personalized treatment regimen. Needless to say, I feel like a million bucks! My stubbornness caused me to neglect my health. What good am I to myself or anyone else if I’m not healthy? Another note, thin does not equal healthy! Nurse Jackie quite literally saved my life. I know that not all cases are as severe as mine was, but I can guarantee that I will never allow myself to be so negligent with my health and well-being. You do not have to do this alone. Please be sure to take care of yourselves. That is why we chose this path in the first place, isn’t it?

Ashleigh D  * Surgery: 6-8-2012