Stephanie, 54, came to MOBE in a fragile state of mind. Having undergone a dozen surgeries in as many years for surgical mesh complications, she suffered from severe depression and debilitating stress as well as extreme weight loss. Stephanie had a lot of anxiety about another upcoming surgery, and the inability to go to work or be the rock for her family weighed heavily on her.
From the beginning, Stephanie’s MOBE Guide, Starr, listened empathetically, and by the second call, Stephanie felt connected and comforted. Amidst all the barriers, Starr helped Stephanie focus on what was in her control: her thoughts. She asked Stephanie to imagine what her life would look like if she could do what she currently wasn’t able to. Starr introduced Stephanie to visualization and deep breathing techniques that enabled her to feel calm and content.
The ultimate goal was to help Stephanie discover how to gain control of healing her own body and her mind. Stephanie talked with Starr once a week, and at the end of every call, they set one intention, activity, or goal together.
Because of stress, Stephanie was only getting 2-3 hours of sleep. Starr suggested trying simple, practical things at bedtime, like journaling about what she’s grateful for and not leaving the TV on all night. As Stephanie noticed improvements, she invented her own solutions, like taking a long shower every evening to “wash off the day.” Before long, Stephanie was getting 6-8 hours of restorative sleep each night.
Thinking of her body as self-healing was powerful for Stephanie. Working with Starr, she came to realize that getting enough sleep and the right nutrients were critical for healing, and the energy and strength to move her body would follow. She gave up soda, and a ripple effect of change followed. She completely changed her diet. She began to thoughtfully plan healthy meals, stepped up her cooking game, and started buying fruits and vegetables. Stephanie discovered the correlation between eating the right foods and her ability to heal, and she reached a healthy weight.
Stephanie began to feel more and more like she used to. Starr gave her a steady stream of thought-provoking articles, videos, and stories about other people that highlighted what they’d discussed. Stephanie always wanted to help herself but was overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start. Starr helped her develop tools to do her own research, and her confidence grew.
Her connection with Starr was vital, and soon Stephanie had an additional professional looking out for her: her MOBE Pharmacist, Andrew. She didn’t want to be on medication at all, but due to nerve damage, Stephanie had been taking opiates for more than five years. She worried about how some medicine would affect her liver as well as her thinking. Andrew went over all the medications with her and sent a summary of recommendations to her doctor. With her MOBE Guide and Pharmacist on her side, Stephanie learned how to mitigate pain with Tylenol alone.
As life became fuller for Stephanie, and the weekly calls became monthly, she stayed in touch using MOBE’s mobile app. Stephanie sent messages to Starr when she wanted some support or just to share the excitement of progress. So inspired by her successes toward better health, Stephanie became determined to kick a 40-year smoking habit. She had tried before, but this time was different—she was empowered by finding out she could control some things related to her health. At Starr’s suggestion, Stephanie cut back from a pack of cigarettes per day to one cigarette in the morning and one in the evening. As time went on, Stephanie became so busy maintaining her newfound health and happiness, there wasn’t even time to miss those two cigarettes.
Stephanie takes daily walks in her neighborhood, is sleeping well, eating healthy foods, and leading a full, happy life. She’s back at work and can really be there for her family. She credits MOBE with saving her life.