Page 62 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2017

HEALTHY LIVING vertical sleeve gastrectomy Caring
FOR
Herself
Nurse does research as first step in weight loss plan
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster Aphotos courtesy of Linda Shows
s a registered nurse, Linda Shows of Soso, Mississippi, knew the signs and symptoms of obesity and the diseases that come along with it.
“In 2015, I reached my highest weight of 261 pounds and had two hospital stays related to intolerance of medications,” Shows said. “I was taking five different prescription medications for diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. I was tired, short of breath, irritable and stressed, which led to a cardiac stress episode requiring a heart catheterization.”
Although her heart was normal without any blood vessel plaque, Shows’ family practice physician was concerned for her health. “‘Linda, You are healthy but fat,’ he told me. That statement got my attention.”
Shows had seen the signs for herself, but it
took the honest medical opinion of her trusted physician to show her that her own health was on the line. “I had helped many others overcome health issues during my 35 years as a nurse but was failing at caring for myself,” Shows said. “With the support of my family and friends, I prayed about the road to better health and began the process of seeking medical intervention with weight loss surgery.”
Research was the first step in her overall plan take her health back into her own hands. Shows
LINDA SHOWS after losing 77 pounds.
62 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • November 2017
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