Kristi’s Story In Her Own Words
Starting out in the medical field 20 years ago, I witnessed the good and bad of the medical industry and patient care. My experience in ICU allowed me to walk with patients and families through pain and suffering often due to years of lifestyle choices that led to poor health. These patients were often those who had gone faithfully to doctor’s appointments and followed their doctor’s advice. Yet somehow, their journey did not lead them to good health. In fact, the results were quite to the contrary. Nevertheless, I knew I wanted to further my education and so I continued in the only option that would allow me to continue in direct patient care.
I would love to say that upon graduation from NP school, I came out with a deep knowledge of how to teach patients what good health should look like. However, I found that what I learned was how to prescribe “the pill for every ill.” I learned how to manage diseases, not look for a path toward healing. I trusted the industry to provide me with guidelines to protect my patients and keep them well. I really wanted to help my patients but found that other than medications and referrals to specialists, my tool box was rather empty of alternative options when the standard of care wasn’t working. Many times, I had to tell a patient that we had done all we could to alleviate their symptoms and there just wasn’t any other medications to try. How frustrating!
Then in 2008, something revolutionary happened in my life that was a dramatic turning point. My own daughter developed some health challenges causing me to be on “the other side” of health care. All of a sudden, I was the one seeking out care to help my daughter. I learned the frustrations of dealing with the medical system, especially when it seemed there were no explanations for her symptoms. We saw the best specialists and started her on the best medications offered by the Western medicine model. We followed every recommendation but found no relief from her myriad of symptoms. My 15-year-old was on a long list of medications in attempting to band-aid all of her many symptoms. I knew my child could not live on these medications long-term. Desperately, I became “that mom” willing to do anything to help my child.
I sought several “alternative” providers and was shocked to discover help through these unconventional methods. It took time, but I watched as my daughter began to heal and no longer need the medications as her symptoms resolved. I saw healing take place that I never saw in my years following “standard of care” as a nurse practitioner. I continue to be amazed at the many avenues of recovery that I was never taught in my years of medical training. I could never look at family practice the same way. It was a journey that has changed my thinking forever. Learning the many paths to healing has given me a thriving passion that I love to share with patients. My journey through a time of hopelessness and despair was my path to new knowledge and passion that guides my care for each person that walks in my door. My experience taught me what no textbook ever could. Sometimes, God uses the storms of life take us down a new path that we might have missed completely had it not been for the storm.