Waiting for a diagnosis caused Audrey Karpetz to become inactive and gain weight.
Audrey had difficulty breathing and it took eight months to pin the cause of sarcoidosis, a lung disease that inflames the organ and left her with no energy.
“There was a long time when I couldn’t walk. The pain was so bad,” explains Audrey.
It took her four years to get the disease into remission and her family doctor encouraged her to start becoming more active. She was referred to the Moving for Health program.
“That’s exactly what the class did – it got me moving again,” says Audrey.
As part of Moving for Health, Audrey met Sandra Stabel, one of the PCN’s exercise specialists, at the Terwillegar Recreation Centre to help with adapting to a gym setting.
“When I first went to Terwillegar, everybody is buff and they are exercising. But they made you feel comfortable,” she says.
She loved Moving for Health so much that she took the program three times and plans to continue as long as she is permitted.
“It’s a wonderful refresher. Sometimes you need a little jolt to keep you on track,” says Audrey.
She adds as she is losing weight, she is becoming stronger. She’s incorporated aquasize three times a week into her fitness routine because of a cyst in her knee that causes pain.
Audrey has also accessed the primary care nurse at Grandview Heights Medical Clinic to help with her diabetes.
“She did a lot of everything because I have diabetes so she would always monitor my health. She was very good,” Audrey says of Chris Sidders.
Overall, she has high praise for primary care networks.
“I think it’s the most wonderful thing,” says Audrey.
