In January of 2005 I had the privilege of meeting a very lovely lady named Edna. Edna was trying to deal with a great number of health issues, primarily uncontrolled diabetes, high blood pressure and heart failure. She was morbidly obese at 380 pounds and had extensive lower extremity edema. Edna admitted that she has had trouble with her weight all her life and weighed 212 pounds at 12 years of age.
Initially our case management focus was resolving the most immediate concerns, her edema and elevated blood sugars seemed to be the most crucial. I emphasized to Edna that many of her health issues would be controlled or resolved by losing weight. We also discussed gastric bypass surgery, which she was very much opposed to. By September of 2005, Edna had gained additional weight and was turning to me for help. At this point, I did not believe that Edna had really made a conscious and sincere commitment to lose weight. We had in-depth conversations about her lifestyle, things she was missing out on, and events that she could not attend because of her obesity. I also pointed out her feelings of fatigue and tiredness, her aches and pains, and the huge amount of medications that she took each day. I provided Edna with all the resources available to help her lose weight, but the bottom line was Edna had to make the commitment.
In October of 2005, Edna decided to try TOPS (Take off Pounds Sensibly). Her initial weight on 10/18/05 was 400 pounds. In April 2006, six months into the TOPS program, Edna won an award for the greatest amount of weight lost in the organization from her district. This thrilled Edna and provided additional motivation. Now she was inspired and determined! In November of 2007, Edna weighed 275 pounds. She was extremely excited and proud of her progress. She was even made president of her local TOPS chapter and was now working to encourage others to lose weight. March 2008, Edna achieved her first major goal of 250 pounds, a weight loss of over 140 pounds in just over three years. This April Edna will be awarded another TOPS award for her success in weight loss. Edna has accomplished this by her personal will and desire to have a better quality of life.
As Edna’s case manager, I was able to provide her with resources to accomplish this and positive encouragement throughout her journey. This journey was not easy for Edna. She shed many tears, experienced some setbacks, but as she overcame each hurdle she became stronger and even more motivated. I am proud to have played a small part in the journey of this wonderful woman. She provides great inspiration to other TOPS members and has developed into a great educator and motivator for her family. I look forward to continuing on Edna’s journey until completion of her final goals.
