CATEGORY: Confessions of Health & Wellness

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a serious but often silent condition that affects many people. High blood pressure is caused when the long term force of blood against the walls of your arteries is too high. Over time this can lead to health problems such as heart attack and stroke.  I was diagnosed with high blood pressure when I was 25 years old! At the time it was thought to be related to stress and grief. However, after a few months it didn’t get better. I also knew that high blood pressure runs in my family on my mom...

He noticed he wasn’t as hungry as usual over the past few months. She occasionally saw blood in her stool when she had a bowel movement. He had abdominal pain that would come and go. She didn’t want to have a colonoscopy because she heard the preparation was a nightmare. He reluctantly had a colonoscopy upon his wife’s insistence. She is the youngest of five and her four older brothers all had colon cancer. He never felt like he was fully emptying his bowels after using the bathroom. She lost twenty pounds in three months without even trying. They all...

When I was in college and traveling to and from various places with friends, my mom would tell me not to get temporary amnesia when I got to my destination. This was her way of telling me not to forget to call her when I got to where I was going so that she’d know I made it safely. As you can imagine, sometimes I would forget to call her, hence her term “temporary amnesia”. “Forgetting” to call her would only get me a pass for so long and I had better remember the next time if I knew what...

It is one thing to take care of patients who you know have COVID-19, but it’s another thing to take care of a patient who you have no idea has it. The latter happened to me recently. We’d been seeing the patient for a newly diagnosed cancer. His cancer and his symptoms had nothing to do with COVID-19 yet days later we find out he in fact has it, and was asymptomatic (had no symptoms). Now thankfully, before this, the hospital had already instituted a policy that every healthcare professional would wear a mask and protective eyewear in every patient’s...

He felt like his food was getting stuck when he swallowed. It hurt when he slept on the right side of his neck. She was getting hoarse for no reason. The dentist noticed unusual white patches in his mouth. His jaw became swollen, painful and tender. They all had head and neck cancer. April is Head & Neck Cancer Awareness Month! It’s likely a type of cancer you don’t think or hear much about. I hope to change that because unfortunately, it is becoming more prevalent. I also aim to encourage you to be more in tune with your body...

It’s the most common cancer in the world and involves your largest organ. If you guessed Skin Cancer, then you are right! The good news is that you can SEE it and it is preventable! May is Skin Cancer Awareness Month! Basal Cell, Squamous Cell, Melanoma, oh my! These are the top three skin cancer types. Here’s what they are and what you can do to prevent them! Basal Cell Carcinoma is the most common and least concerning of the three but you still want it gone if you notice it. They arise from the epidermis (outermost layer of your...

Mental health matters. Not only does it matter, but it is essential. Its importance should not be undermined. One’s mental health could be the difference between living and dying, thriving and surviving, and living in the past or looking to the future. Mental health may matter now more than ever with the changes and challenges that have affected us all in one way or another. Confessions of a Nurse Practitioner is excited to have a guest contributor, Ms. Crystal Mullen-Johnson. Having been impacted by her mother who was a social worker, she followed in her mother’s footsteps and attended her...

It is commonly said that men and women are different. You may have heard that men are from Mars and women are from Venus or men are like waffles and women are like spaghetti. These differences go far beyond behaviors and personality characteristics. Although men and women are 98.5% the same, men have some biological differences that set them apart! Men have thicker skin and stronger bones. On average, men tend to have more muscle mass too making their muscles faster and more powerful. There are also differences in men’s brains which allows them to process information differently. Men have...

You can’t drink a ton of liquor and be surprised that you got drunk any more than you can wade in water and expect not to get wet. Life just doesn’t work that way. Many have heard the saying, “Let the choices you make today be the choices you can live with tomorrow.” It’s actually a favorite of mine. Though it is mainly thought of in school or work settings, I believe it is applicable to life in general. It is specifically applicable in matters of health. No, you can’t prevent every illness or disease. No, you can’t prevent every...

You are born with it. It can be debilitating. One can have a life of challenges ahead. Organs can fail. Strokes can occur. Spleens can practically disappear. Livers can fail. Bones can die. You can be judged, stereotyped, and ridiculed. Despite this, many have overcome and are overcoming. Many are making a life that is not centered around his/her disease. Some are teachers, industry workers, singers, dancers, and more. They are WARRIORS. Warriors with Sickle Cell Disease (Sickle Cell Anemia) and I am proud to serve in my role of nurse practitioner to care for them and to advocate on...