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[Music]
Welcome, my name is Kim Rosello and I'm a peer community volunteer who is assisting AHCCCS and the Department of Hes
Division of Behavioral Health Services to inform you about the new RHBA contract.
To illustrate the power of a whole health recovery of mind, body and spirit, I have asked
Ryan Reagan to join us and share his personal struggle and journey of whole health recovery.
Welcome, Ryan.
Thank you.
Tell us a little bit about your journey.
Well, it all started in 2007. That's when everything changed.
It started with severe chronic pelvic pain and because of this pain, I was in and out of the ER for five years.
Because it was so intense, I became extremely isolated. I had to quit school. I had to quit work.
I lost most of my friends because I couldn't do the stuff they were doing at the time.
And because of all that coming down on top of me, I was extremely depressed and I was
going through a lot of anxiety because of that.
For the first three years that I was sick I had no diagnosis. I didn't know what was going on.
They couldn't tell me anything.
So, the isolation, it felt like the pain and the anxiety and the depression were getting worse.
So, my *** (primary care physician) ended up referring me over to a pain specialist.
And the pain specialist gave us an idea of what it might be based on the location of where the pain was at,
so I got referred over to an urologist.
The urologist did a Cystoscopy and found that I had interstitial cystitis, which is a severe bladder disease.
So, they would put me on the pain medications - which didn't work.
They wanted me to change my diet to chicken and rice - didn't work.
Then they wanted to do something they call INSTILLS where they inject the medication directly into the blr
to control the pain and the symptoms.
But, like with the other things they tried, that didn't work either.
Over the course of five years, I lost 60 pounds and just remained isolated
- no friends - and just constantly felt hopeless and depressed.
What was the turning point? How did you get from being addicted to pain medicines,being in pain all the time, depressed,
to where you're at today?
It started with the counselor. We wanted to see if a medication could help with the pain, depression and anxiety - .
So, we went with a medication that is called Cymbalta, which is fairly popular now.
After a few months of being on the medication, I noticed that my pain levels had dramatically lessened.
So, my counselor then mentioned that there is a wellness gym through the Marc Center that participants could go to
to help their physical body, if they wanted to, to get stronger,be healthier.
So, I thought about it for a few weeks and then went down to the gym. Liked what I saw. Liked the staff. Signed up.
Did the intake and just started going - five days a week, four hours a day.
That's really when my body and mind started doing a 180 degree turn.
Now, that's fantastic.
So, working together - the mind and the body at the same time - along with the medication change,
helped you to really move into a whole health recovery.
Absolutely.
Without Marc Center, without the services I had,there is no way I'd be where I am today.
I wasn't going to go join a LA Fitness. I wasn't going to go just to some odd place to talk to anybody.
The gym and their staff where one of the biggest things that helped me through the illness at the time and my recovery.
The staff ...they were patient. They would try to understand. They were always there.
If I had questions or anything - they would always want to help.
I really believe that without the Marc Center I would still be in isolation. I would still be suffering to this very day.
Thank you so much, Ryan, for sharing your journey with us.
Like Ryan, many of us have physical health challenges that affect our mental health.
Others of us have mental health disorders that prevent us from even looking at our physical health.
Ryan and I would like to encourage all of you to participate
and take advantage of all the new enhancements of integrated health in your clinics.
Remember, you have the power to change your life.