Healthy Me! paricipant Bob Vale tackles his Type 2 Diabetes

When I called Bob Vale to explain that he had been chosen for the Healthy Me! Program and I explained that in order for him to receive the tools to become healthier, he would have to agree to having his story told online and in the newspaper with information on his weight and his health, his comment was, “that’s fine, I’m a pastor and I’m pretty much in a fishbowl.”

As I get to know Bob a little better each time we meet, I seem to always recall that statement. He seems to run into people wherever he goes, but I guess that comes with leading a congregation. Little did I know when he was chosen, that he had the ability to reach so many people and tell his story about his battle with Diabetes and his continued commitment to learn about his disease and to conquer it. He hadn’t mentioned he was a pastor in his essay for Healthy Me! only that he was a Desert Storm veteran.

About two years ago, he was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and he began learning how to control his diet and to exercise more. He lost an initial 30 pounds but has somewhat plateaued since then.  At the one month point of the Healthy Me! Program, he had lost an additional 10 pounds. 

More importantly, he is learning more about proper nutrition during his meetings with Erin Hurst, Registered Dietitian at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center.  She is teaching him about portion control, meal planning and eliminating large amounts of Diet Coke from his diet.

Time of meals is also something being addressed by Erin.  Before he started the program, Bob would typically work out in the morning and not eat until lunch time, followed by a snack or two in the afternoon and a large meal around 8 or 9pm.  By saving calories for later in the evening, he was only fueling his body for sleep.  Yet, in the morning after he worked out, he wasn’t replenishing any calories in his body or fueling himself for the rest of the day. 

About 3-4 mornings each week Bob meets some friends to play racquetball at the YMCA and after they play they enjoy spending some time at McDonalds. Erin encouraged him to order an oatmeal and to drink water instead of 2-3 large Diet Cokes. He also supplements his breakfast with two hard boiled eggs to add a little protein to his meal.

She also encouraged him to plan his plate during meals and fill half the plate with non-starchy vegetables.  Learning portion sizes has been an awakening moment for Bob, as he learned that a portion of meat is the size of his wife’s palm, not his or bigger! I have to say, it did make me laugh when his comeback was, “I should have married a wife with bigger hands!”

Bob has continued to work out with Jonell at Memorial Health & Lifestyle Center and while he is quite a contender on the racquetball court and in the swimming pool, he has found his challenges with planks and squats. 

It’s an on-going learning process, and Bob is taking advantage of all that The Medical Foundation and its partners are offering through the Healthy Me! Program.

To learn more about Deborah Gordon’s experiences during the last month, check back for a blog about here next week.

Medical Foundation Director speaks in Spain regarding new Beckman Coulter instrument

Dr. Qing Li, Director of New Test and Technology Development at The Medical Foundation, just returned from a trip to Barcelona, Spain where she presented a poster for the clinical study, “Multi-Center Clinical Performance Evaluation of an Integrated Nucleic Acid Real Time Polymerase ChainReaction (PCR) System for Quantitative Detection of Human Cytomegalovirus(CMV). 

And while that may seem a little complicated, don’t stop reading just yet.  There are several companies worldwide who create and implement various instruments for laboratory testing.  The company, Beckman Coulter, is one of those.  Recently, Beckman Coulter developed a new instrument which tests for CMV, which is a large DNA virus that is a member of the herpes virus family.  CMV is widely dispersed throughout the population and can cause latent infections. 

When Beckman Coulter created the VERIS Cytomegalovirus Assay which is used on the VERIS MDx System, they needed a few laboratories to participate in a clinical trial to be sure the instrument performed as they expected. Along with the Indiana School of Medicine, The Medical Foundation was also asked to participate in the clinical trial which took place from September 2013 until December of the same year.

Dr. Li presented the findings of the study to those at Beckman Coulter and they were pleased with the findings.  As the user of many molecular products from various companies, Dr. Li was able to provide feedback regarding the Beckman Coulter product.  This is Beckman Coulter’s first Molecular product for the CMV detection by Real Time PCR.

Following the success of the clinical trial, representatives from Beckman Coulter invited Dr. Li to present a poster at the 24th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) conference on May 12^th in Barcelona.  The poster was available all day for conference attendees to examine and copies were available for them to peruse at a later time.  Dr. Li was on hand in the afternoon to answer any questions about the clinical trial and the pros and cons of using such an instrument.

Looking at its analytical performance, the Beckman Coulter product ranked with the others as far as being impressive, but there were additional benefits to the product, as well.  Dr. Li pointed out that unlike other analyzers, today in microbiology it is hard to find skilled technologists and this instrument does not require a skilled technologist with specialized training. 

The Medical Foundation has been instrumental in other clinical trials and is looking forward to participating in more to come.

In the picture above: Dr. Li is joined by her study group, from left to right, Steve Kye from Beckman Coulter, Medical Foundation technologist Jennifer Strefling, Dr. Qing Li, Foundation technologist Andrea Lehr, Kevin Maggert, Manager of Molecular Pathology and Flow Cytometry and Beckman Coulter’s Dennis Broyles.

In My Words... (Part 2 of 6)

Yesterday, I began a blog about the progress The Medical Foundation's six Healthy Me! Program participants have made. The blog, In My Words, has personal opinions written by me: Colleen Hahn, the Manager of Public Relations at The Medical Foundation. Yesterday, I posted the first one with a little background information and my reflections on Shaun Riffle's first month in the program.

Today, you'll learn about Erika Jackson, 33, South Bend, Indiana.

Since the program started, Erika has been motivated to succeed and she has. Sitting with her at Dr. Brian Jacobs office, I could see the determination as she stepped on the scale and the nurse read her weight as 227 pounds. She had lost 7 pounds in one month. 

She had a good month, but it didn’t come without sacrifices! Erika told me that one night she really wanted a Pepsi, but she knows that water is a better choice. She walked down to the vending machine and the Pepsi was completely out, her only choice was water.

Easter Sunday her family ate at Ponderosa. If you have ever tried to watch what you are eating, you have probably found that buffets make it hard to choose wisely.  Yes, there are salads and fruits, but there are also lots of fried foods and many desserts! She managed to stick to a bit of fish and a salad and maybe one dessert. It was a success, considering her choices changed from the last time she ate at a buffet. Again, small changes over time make a big difference!

She’s also been working out under the direction of Memorial Health & Lifestyle Center’s Fitness Specialist, Jonell Witkowski twice a month. Jonell has her doing some strength training and some cardio workouts such as rowing, cycling, planks, modified push-ups on the railing, squats and other exercises. There’s not a moment of down time when you are training with Jonell!

Other successes this month for Erika have been that she stopped smoking cigarettes and she lowered her blood pressure from 126/82 to 110/70.  She is currently taking medication to lower

Her original goal when she met with Dr. Jacobs on April 3^rd was to lose 10 pounds by her birthday, which is June 2^nd. I have no doubt that Erika will conquer that goal and hopeful add a few additional pounds lost to that number.

Erika is walking with The Medical Foundation in South Bend’s West Side Memorial Day Parade and she’s also planning on walking in the 5k Sunburst.  She’s taking strides to conquer her battle with weight, as well as her high blood pressure.

Follow The Medical Foundation on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SBMFLAB and this blog for stories about Erika and the rest of the Healthy Me! Participants. Check back Monday for Bob’s progress.

In My Words...

In My Words... is written by Colleen Hahn, Public Relations at The Medical Foundation. I am the coordinator of the Healthy Me! Program and occasionally write first hand about what I have seen in the program. If you would like to share your story about becoming healthier, please submit it to info@sbmf.org.  Stories about our other Healthy Me! Program participants will be shared in the coming weeks on this blog...In My Words!

 

If it was easy to lose weight or to be skinny, the whole world would be.  There wouldn’t be a supersized hamburger meal or potato chips with precisely the right flavor and crunch factor.  But that just isn’t the case. There are sugary beverages and unhealthy meals at almost every social event and on nearly every corner.

The choices we make determine how healthy we are or are not and those choices compounded over time often lead to extra pounds.  Those extra pounds often lead to high cholesterol, high blood pressure and many other health challenges.  Then, when we’ve finally had enough and want to do something to change our habits, we often feel as though it’s too hard to exercise because of the extra weight. But don’t worry, if I just described you, you aren’t destined to be fat, there’s hope! And if you don’t believe me, read on and learn about the stories of six individuals who are changing their lives and becoming healthier.

It’s been a month since our Healthy Me! Program participants began the process of meeting monthly with a physician from Family Medicine ofSouth Bend, P.C. and Erin Hurst, a Registered Dietician from Saint JosephRegional Medical Center.  They’ve also been working with Jonell Witkowski and Dave Woods twice a month at MemorialHealth & Lifestyle Center and they’ve each completed a round of lab tests at The Medical Foundation.  In addition, several of them have had a consultation and x-rays completed with Dr. JeffreyMader, a dentist in South Bend. As you can see, they’ve been busy!

And in between all of these appointments, they’ve made a commitment to themselves and to the program to do their best to become healthier, which means eating healthier and working out on a regular basis.

Shaun Riffle, 24-years-old, Mishawaka, Indiana
Shaun Riffle just celebrated his 24^th birthday and less than a week later, he learned that he had dropped 18 pounds during his first month in the program and now weighs 456 pounds. This isn’t his first attempt at fighting the battle of weight loss, he’s been trying since he was labeled as obese when he was about 7-years-old. Following his high school football days and graduation, Shaun signed up for Weight Watchers and lost 85 pounds.  But after awhile, he stopped going to meetings and reverted to his old eating habits and gained back his 85 pounds plus many more.

Just as the Healthy Me! Program began, Shaun was working with his physician to begin using a CPAP machine to help with his sleep apnea.  Not only does he have the challenge of getting good sleep, but quantity of sleep is also a challenge because he starts his day at 3:30am to work at Martin’s SuperMarkets. 

Since meeting with Erin Hurst, the Registered Dietitian at Saint Joseph Regional Medical Center, he has tried to plan ahead and have something ready for breakfast each morning, because he was going to work without eating and then waiting too long until break to eat. Providing proper nutrition for his body is important and something he is still trying to do before he goes to work. One of Shaun’s biggest successes during his first month was that he hasn’t really eaten potato chips! What used to be second hand nature, digging into a bag of chips out of boredom, has now become non-existent.

Shaun’s girlfriend noticed that he also eats a lot less when they sit down to a dinner at the table rather than eating in front of the television. Small changes in habits over time, make a huge difference!

In early April, Shaun went to The Medical Foundation to have some lab work completed.  While meeting with Dr. John Jacobs from Family Medicine of South Bend, P.C. they reviewed the results of the lab work and found that Shaun is very Vitamin D deficient.  Normal reference ranges for Vitamin D are between 30 and 80 ng/mL; however, Shaun only registered with a reference range of 10 ng/mL.  Currently, Dr. Jacobs encouraged him to take approximately 800 mg of Vitamin D supplements daily to bring his Vitamin D levels to an acceptable range.

If losing weight was easy, the whole world would be skinny. We all know that losing weight, whether it is five pounds for some and two hundred pounds for others, isn’t easy.  Shaun is making a number of small changes in his life and is off to a great start to becoming healthier.

I’ll highlight the other five Healthy Me! Program participants in the days to come. Please visit our blog tomorrow for an update on Erika Jackson.

Meet Healthy Me! Program Participant, Joni Nedderman

“This is a gift I’ve been given,” said Joni Nedderman, one of the 2014 Healthy Me! Program participants. 

And it’s a gift she intends to see through to the end, which is slated for April 2015.

The 54-year-old proud grandmother and mother of six daughters has been tending to her family for many years and is finally taking some time to focus on herself.

When the program began, Joni weighed 224 pounds.  Standing about 5’7” she is able to hide the weight rather well, but is looking forward to smaller sizes and better health.

The program started in early April which meant that during part of the first and second weeks of the program, she and her family were on vacation for spring break. While Joni tried to stay focused on exercising more and enjoyed bike rides near the beach and eating healthier options such as seafood, it’s still hard to get started on a lifestyle change while on vacation!  The last few weeks she has stayed focused and was rewarded with a two pound loss at her May appointment with Dr. Brian Jacobs, Family Medicine of South Bend, P.C.

Joni has been working out every other day at Memorial Health & Lifestyle Center in South Bend and has been working with Jonell Witkowski, a Fitness Specialist twice a month.  Her workout has included several minutes of rowing to increase her heart rate and several strength training exercises targeting specific muscles. After kettlebell squats with a 10 lb. weight, she exclaimed, “Oh merciful heavens,” but was able to continue with her workout despite the burn in her thighs!

It’s clear that Joni is determined. With sweat streaming down her temples, and the tightness in her arms from doing 57 modified push-ups against the railing, she needed a quick break. But rather than let the last three go undone, she took a deep breath and finished out the final three. She’s come a long way from sitting on the couch just two months ago wishing she was stronger, wishing she was thinner. Instead, she’s moving, eating right and well on her way to becoming a healthier individual.

Joni had several routine lab tests done early in April.  Joni’s lab work came back completely within the reference ranges in all areas which included a lipid panel which checked for high cholesterol, a Metabolic Panel and a CBC.  She was also tested for diabetes and her thyroid is functioning properly, as well.  High on her priority list remains losing weight and lowering her blood pressure and she has a great start.

Continue reading about Joni Nedderman in our updates on Facebook, Twitter, our website and blog. Updates on all of our participants will be posted throughout the next year.