Breaking the Chains of Bondage
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347 lbs
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280 lbs
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248 lbs
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My first experience with a personal trainer was with Kedgy Larson. She trained me from the summer of 1994 to the summer of 1995 and I went from 305 pounds to 192 pounds. I was in nursing school at this time.
When I graduated nursing school and started working, my schedule wasn't conducive to working out any longer. When you work 12 hour shifts at night, it is pretty much impossible to keep a good workout schedule and so I didn't. I worked myself up to being a charge nurse on a 30 bed post-op unit.
Then in April of 2004 as I was going home after work one morning I was involved in a motor vehicle accident in which I was rear ended. I continued to work until September of 2004 when I was forced to resign my position due to missing too much work secondary to severe back pain. For the next seven years, from September 2004 to October 2007 all I did was lie in bed or in a recliner. The only time I set foot outside my front door was to go to see a physician. Just loading or unloading my dishwasher would cause me to not be able to get out of bed for three days. I had four different physicians tell me I would never work again. I was no longer living I was just existing.
In October of 2011, after seven years of lying in bed, I decided I was going to go back to work. At that time I had gone through 16 surgeries including six right knee surgeries, five left knee surgeries, and two back surgeries. I knew I could not make this journey on my own without hurting myself even more.
The first call I made was to Kedgy Larson. I knew from my earlier experience with Kedgy that I could trust her completely not to cause me any further harm and get results. I explained to her that for the last seven years I had had no physical activity at all and that my weight had ballooned to 347 pounds but that I wanted to return to work as an RN. I asked her if she could help me reach my goal and she said yes. I was taking 300 mg of Morphine and another 30 mg of Oxycodone a day for my pain. I also had hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, GERD, and major depression. I knew that in order to return to work as an RN, the narcotics had to go.
Kedgy started training me on October 31, 2011 at 347 pounds. Kedgy was great and the weight started coming off and as I became more active, I started feeling better and better. As my pain began to decrease, I started looking into getting my RN license back since I had been out of nursing for over seven years. The Louisiana State Board of Nursing required me to take an RN refresher course and this course included 18 written exams and 80 hours of clinicals.
In 2013 I was doing well enough that I enrolled in the RN refresher course. By July of 2013, I was able to stop going to my pain physician and got off narcotics completely. I remember the pain physician's NP telling me that they don't lose patients and I was the exception.
I endured another four surgeries after Kedgy started training me including another right knee surgery and a left shoulder surgery. Kedgy was able to continue training me through all the bumps in the road.
I started my 80 hours of clinicals on April 7, 2014 and will finish them on April 18, 2014. THANK YOU KEDGY!!!!!! I will then have my RN license reinstated and be able to return to work as an RN. I am going to finish out my career as an operating room nurse so that I will be working eight hour shifts. By doing this, I will be able to continue to have Kedgy be my personal trainer. I have gone from 347 pounds to 252 pounds but still have 62 pounds to go and need Kedgy to get there. It will also allow me to be the best nurse that I can be for my patients.
A fringe benefit of having Kedgy train me is that I no longer have to take medication for my diabetes or depression and my other medications have been greatly decreased in the amounts I now take. When I went on vacation with my sister and her family the last two years, I was able to fit in the rides for the first time in a long time. YIPPEE!!!! My great nephew really loved that and I did too!!!!!
Has my journey so far been a totally smooth road? The answer is no. There were many bumps in the road along the way. I had several setbacks like the four surgeries I've had since my journey began and the one coming up on May 6, 2014. There were disappointments also, but with family support, support from my TOPS sisters, and several attitude adjustments from Kedgy I have been able to keep my eye on the prize of good health and returning to work.
I'm inviting you all to come along with me and follow the remaining miles on my journey. There are still several months left before my goal is met. One of the wonderful things I have learned on my journey is that even when my goal of returning to work is met, my journey to good health will last a life time. That is because I do not want to repeat my earlier mistake of after becoming healthy in 1994-1995, gaining all the weight I lost back and then some. So, maintaining my new found healthy way of life must be a total change in my life style to maintain what I have worked so hard to obtain. -Sherry L.
4/13/14
When I graduated nursing school and started working, my schedule wasn't conducive to working out any longer. When you work 12 hour shifts at night, it is pretty much impossible to keep a good workout schedule and so I didn't. I worked myself up to being a charge nurse on a 30 bed post-op unit.
Then in April of 2004 as I was going home after work one morning I was involved in a motor vehicle accident in which I was rear ended. I continued to work until September of 2004 when I was forced to resign my position due to missing too much work secondary to severe back pain. For the next seven years, from September 2004 to October 2007 all I did was lie in bed or in a recliner. The only time I set foot outside my front door was to go to see a physician. Just loading or unloading my dishwasher would cause me to not be able to get out of bed for three days. I had four different physicians tell me I would never work again. I was no longer living I was just existing.
In October of 2011, after seven years of lying in bed, I decided I was going to go back to work. At that time I had gone through 16 surgeries including six right knee surgeries, five left knee surgeries, and two back surgeries. I knew I could not make this journey on my own without hurting myself even more.
The first call I made was to Kedgy Larson. I knew from my earlier experience with Kedgy that I could trust her completely not to cause me any further harm and get results. I explained to her that for the last seven years I had had no physical activity at all and that my weight had ballooned to 347 pounds but that I wanted to return to work as an RN. I asked her if she could help me reach my goal and she said yes. I was taking 300 mg of Morphine and another 30 mg of Oxycodone a day for my pain. I also had hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, GERD, and major depression. I knew that in order to return to work as an RN, the narcotics had to go.
Kedgy started training me on October 31, 2011 at 347 pounds. Kedgy was great and the weight started coming off and as I became more active, I started feeling better and better. As my pain began to decrease, I started looking into getting my RN license back since I had been out of nursing for over seven years. The Louisiana State Board of Nursing required me to take an RN refresher course and this course included 18 written exams and 80 hours of clinicals.
In 2013 I was doing well enough that I enrolled in the RN refresher course. By July of 2013, I was able to stop going to my pain physician and got off narcotics completely. I remember the pain physician's NP telling me that they don't lose patients and I was the exception.
I endured another four surgeries after Kedgy started training me including another right knee surgery and a left shoulder surgery. Kedgy was able to continue training me through all the bumps in the road.
I started my 80 hours of clinicals on April 7, 2014 and will finish them on April 18, 2014. THANK YOU KEDGY!!!!!! I will then have my RN license reinstated and be able to return to work as an RN. I am going to finish out my career as an operating room nurse so that I will be working eight hour shifts. By doing this, I will be able to continue to have Kedgy be my personal trainer. I have gone from 347 pounds to 252 pounds but still have 62 pounds to go and need Kedgy to get there. It will also allow me to be the best nurse that I can be for my patients.
A fringe benefit of having Kedgy train me is that I no longer have to take medication for my diabetes or depression and my other medications have been greatly decreased in the amounts I now take. When I went on vacation with my sister and her family the last two years, I was able to fit in the rides for the first time in a long time. YIPPEE!!!! My great nephew really loved that and I did too!!!!!
Has my journey so far been a totally smooth road? The answer is no. There were many bumps in the road along the way. I had several setbacks like the four surgeries I've had since my journey began and the one coming up on May 6, 2014. There were disappointments also, but with family support, support from my TOPS sisters, and several attitude adjustments from Kedgy I have been able to keep my eye on the prize of good health and returning to work.
I'm inviting you all to come along with me and follow the remaining miles on my journey. There are still several months left before my goal is met. One of the wonderful things I have learned on my journey is that even when my goal of returning to work is met, my journey to good health will last a life time. That is because I do not want to repeat my earlier mistake of after becoming healthy in 1994-1995, gaining all the weight I lost back and then some. So, maintaining my new found healthy way of life must be a total change in my life style to maintain what I have worked so hard to obtain. -Sherry L.
4/13/14
Breaking the Chains of Bondage (Update - July 2014)
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Why is Sherry so happy??? In Oct 2011 she was on disability and ate herself to 347 pounds after a car accident ended her medical career. 4 Dr's said you will never work again . She has proven them wrong! On July 28th she was offered a position in her field ..... never underestimate the power of a determined
woman. We are so proud of Ms Sherry! |
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Breaking the Chains of Bondage (Update - Aug 2014)
As my story continues, I had my 13th knee surgery back on June 2, 2014. I learned from my shoulder surgery, where I gained over 30 pounds during my recovery, and gained less than 10 after my knee surgery. We all need to learn from our past experiences whether they were good or bad. I am happy to report that I have no knee pain now when I work out. Kedgy & I are both happy for this. My weight as of August 11, 2014 was 248.6 lbs.
As for my professional life, I am happy to announce that I got my RN license reinstated. I am also now employed as an RN for the first time in 10 years. I am truly blessed and could not be happier. The first two nights were difficult and I did have to make two trips to my physical therapist in order to make it. I was unable to get the OR job that I wanted and am working from 7P-7A which makes it difficult to work out like I would like. I said difficult, not impossible. I gave Kedgy my schedule and she and I will work out a training schedule. I may have to train for a longer time when I am able since I won't have as many days free to train as I did. Continuing to exercise and eat healthy are paramount to my continued success as an RN.
Ladies, please remember that changes do not come overnight. Most things take time to get bad. So, if you have something bad in your life and you truly want to change it, give yourself the time to make that change. A positive attitude is the key. Some changes we are unable to make on our own and need to seek guidance and help from others in order to accomplish our goals. Whatever your goal, find the right attitude and the right people to help you and you too can accomplish anything!
As for my professional life, I am happy to announce that I got my RN license reinstated. I am also now employed as an RN for the first time in 10 years. I am truly blessed and could not be happier. The first two nights were difficult and I did have to make two trips to my physical therapist in order to make it. I was unable to get the OR job that I wanted and am working from 7P-7A which makes it difficult to work out like I would like. I said difficult, not impossible. I gave Kedgy my schedule and she and I will work out a training schedule. I may have to train for a longer time when I am able since I won't have as many days free to train as I did. Continuing to exercise and eat healthy are paramount to my continued success as an RN.
Ladies, please remember that changes do not come overnight. Most things take time to get bad. So, if you have something bad in your life and you truly want to change it, give yourself the time to make that change. A positive attitude is the key. Some changes we are unable to make on our own and need to seek guidance and help from others in order to accomplish our goals. Whatever your goal, find the right attitude and the right people to help you and you too can accomplish anything!