Beginning

I grew up watching t.v. shows like ‘Emergency’ and ‘Marcus Welby M.D.’. I loved those shows and thought medicine was a wonderful way to help people. When my highschool guidance counselor pointed me toward nursing as a career, my heart soared! I loved science and I loved people. I saw nursing as a ministry to the LORD by caring for people in need. I must have looked ridiculous in my college Physiology class as I sat with mouth wide open in awe of God’s amazing design of the human body-hence the name of my business, Amazing By Design. I graduated from nursing school with my BSN and a pair of rose colored glasses. I was so excited to start my career as a nurse. Back then we wore white shoes, white panty hose and a pressed white dress. along with the traditional stethoscope around the neck.

I was full of energy, excitement and a desire to really help people get healthy and live life to the fullest. When I was in nursing school, one of my favorite things to do was teach patients and others about health. Two instances that stick out in my mind involved children. For one of my school projects I taught a lesson to a kindergarten class about heart health. I showed them a model heart and taught them its basic function. I talked to them about the importance of exercise and I showed them how to take their pulses before and after doing jumping jacks. Another time, as part of my newborn nursing rotation, I brought a baby to his mom and taught her how to bathe him and care for his circumcision and umbilical cord as well as how to dress and swaddle him. When I graduated, I imagined that I would be able to continue teaching patients about their bodies and how to regain their health. Have I mentioned the rose colored glasses?

My first nursing job was on a Med/Surg floor in a regional teaching hospital. The majority of my patients were on dialysis, most of them due to the progression of their diabetes. My idea of educating patients to improve their health was never a reality. One reason for this was that there was absolutely never any time to spend in teaching about health~same old story~too many patients, too few staff. But the main reason my patient’s health never improved was because traditional medicine offered no real hope for improvement. The most aggregious example that I recall was of a patient I had (we’ll call him Max) who was approximately 38 years old and had been diabetic for some time. Max was also a chain smoker (yes, they used to let patients smoke in their rooms). Max was what we called a “revolving door” patient. He would be hospitalized for a few days to a couple of weeks and then be discharged home only to return a few weeks later and do it all over again. When I first met Max, I was a new graduate. Max had been an uncontrolled diabetic long enough to have lost his vision and be on kidney dialysis 3 hours daily 3 times per week. Upon one of Max’s return ‘visits’, it was determined that part of his right foot needed to be amutated. After the typical amount of post-surgical days Max was discharged home only to return a couple of months later needing his left foot amputated. After the typical amount of post-surgical days, Max was discharged home only to return a few months later needing an above the knee amputation on his right leg. After the typical amount of post-surgical days, Max was discharged home only to return a few months later needing and above the knee amputation on his left leg. After the typical amount of post-surgical days Max was discharged home. Max never returned to our hospital. After losing his vision, his kidneys, his right foot, his right leg, his left foot and his left leg, Max decided that he had had enough. He used all his pain meds from his last surgery to take his own life. Max was never going to be whittled away on (his words) again.

What if Max had been taught how to manage his blood sugars by his food choices and exercise so that he wouldn’t need as much insulin? What if Max had been helped to stop smoking? What if Max had been shown the importance of fresh air, sunshine and stress management? Would Max’s life have ended differently? Would Max have lived a healthier life enjoying friendship and family? Would Max have lived to enjoy a good wrestle with his grandkids on the livingroom floor? Would Max have taught the neighbor’s children how to fly a kite? We’ll never know.

When the news reached us about Max, I cried. I was angry and felt badly that I did nothing to help Max. The other nurses and his doctor were all sad, but none of us seemed to have any answers. As soon as our hospital opened a Weight Management Clinic, I left Med/Surg and became their first program nurse. Finally I would be helping people live healthier! I was excited! I saw people lose weight, decrease their blood pressure and improve their lab values. I even witnessed one of our clients empty a large, black trash bag full of inflated balloons all over my office after I weighed her and she had reached her 100 pound weight loss goal. As encouraging as all that seemed, it wasn’t sustainable. We were teaching everything wrong! Low fat, high carb and meticulous calorie counting was the nutrition advice of the day.

Fast forward several years, I began gaining weight, a lot of weight, 94 pounds to be exact. With the weight gain and stresses of life, I began to have my own health problems. I developed a lot of digestive issues and hypertension as well as becoming a type 2 diabetic. In 2020, my mother died from a hemorrhagic stroke; this and her alzheimers were complications of her type 2 diabetes. My health issues and watching my mother deteriorate propelled me forward in my quest to find answers to living a healthier life. Since losing my mother, I have completed two certifications in nutrition and wellness. Using the knowledge I received, I have lost over 40 lbs and come off three prescription medications.

I believe that God designed the body to heal itself and to thrive. But in order for this to happen, we need to nourish our bodies with proper nutrients, manaage our stess, exercise and enjoy healthy relationships. I know it seems overwhelming to address so many areas in our lives that need change. We have to leave behind the all or nothing mindset. We can never be perfect, but we can do better. Determine today that you are going to take the first step forward in your health journey. I say journey because we are all a work in progress. The journey never ends this side of heaven. What will your first step be, seeking the LORD in prayer, reading an article or book on nutrition, listening to a health related podcast, taking a walk in the sunshine or calling a loved one to tell them how much they mean to you? A journey of a thousand miles, 50 lbs weight loss, decreasing inflammation or improving our blood glucose levels all begin with a first step. What will be your first step?