Terry Anderson
Terry Anderson got a wake-up call. He answered it.
Terry had some bad habits: diet Coke, candy for breakfast, beer. “I ate and drank whatever I wanted. I knew better, but my willpower was terrible.”
He had a gym membership, but rarely went. He took medication for high blood pressure and anxiety. When he needed a refill, the pharmacy directed him to the doctor instead.
Terry hadn’t seen a doctor for about a year. “I avoided going to the doctor because I knew there was a lot I didn’t want to be told, and then I’d have to face it,” he says. “Deep down, I knew.”
Terry saw Dr. Jeni Robinson, a family medicine provider in the Farmington Clinic. She ordered routine blood tests, and an ultrasound of Terry’s liver.
The results were clear: Terry had diabetes. It was undiagnosed, and out of control. He also had high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and severe chronic liver disease.
“It flipped a switch in me. I thought, ‘That’s it: It’s time to do what I know I should do,’” he recalls. “I was so scared about my health that I made a lot of changes quickly, to get better and correct it all.”
Terry’s fear – and knowledge – turned into motivation. He adopted a strictly healthy diet, giving up sweets and pop, and cutting way down on beer. He started working out every day – a combination of cardio, weight lifting, resistance training.
Terry lost 40 pounds in about 4 months. His HbA1c level, a measure of diabetes, fell nearly in half, into the pre-diabetic range. (“That’s virtually unheard of,” Dr. Robinson says.) Terry’s blood pressure medication was cut in half, and he was able to stop taking metformin, a diabetes medication that’s prescribed when diet and exercise alone can’t control blood sugar levels. Terry has more energy, and he’s sleeping better.
An MRI after several weeks without beer showed no cirrhosis of the liver. “That was a blessing, and a relief,” Terry says.
Positive support from Dr. Robinson – and Terry’s fiancée, family, and friends – keeps him going.
“Dr. Robinson was so friendly and welcoming, so encouraging and non-judgmental,” Terry says. “She told me ‘You’re not alone through this; I’m here to help you.’ That was just the best. She didn’t judge me. She just offered positive solutions.”
As his health improved and he lost weight, compliments replaced criticism: “It’s keeping me going, those positive comments from family and friends,” Terry says. “That really helps a lot.”
“Terry is an inspiration,” Dr. Robinson says. “To be able to improve his health so much through diet and exercise alone is impressive. His dedication is stunning.”
Terry’s advice for others who might need a push to tend their own health: “We all want to be around for our family. The best thing you can do for your family is not to ignore your own health. Go in, work with your doctor. They have solutions, and real help.”
The best help often comes from within. Sometimes, it needs a wake-up call.