A Survival Guide
Shed or You’re Dead®
A fast acting change Rx for
healthcare professionals
Kathy B. Dempsey
Copyright © 2011 Kathy B. Dempsey
Shed or You’re Dead and Lenny the Lizard logo are trademarks of Kathy B. Dempsey.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the publisher.
Artwork: Joe Kulka
Cover layout: Singles Design
Published in eBook format by eBookIt.com
ISBN-13: 978-1-4566-0643-5
Dedicated to John McCallie Bolinger, MD, (1949-2005) who faithfully dedicated his life to the field of psychiatry - to helping people SHED. His boundless good cheer and unshakable belief in a world that holds hope for everyone inspired many to climb up to unimaginable heights. His infectious laugh, loving heart, and generous spirit lives on in the multitude of lives he touched.
Preface: Why Don’t All Doctors Ask You This?
How many times do you need to hear something before you listen? For me, it’s a lot. My mother told me I was strong-willed (a.k.a. stubborn).
In 2007, several colleagues strongly recommended I read the book Eat, Pray, Love. I kept dismissing their nudges saying I didn’t have time for pleasure reading. Months later on the way to Europe to speak, a whisper turned into a shout. The book stared me in the face at JFK airport. I finally bought it and promised myself I’d read it on the plane.
Why was this book significant to me? The author, Elizabeth Gilbert, shares her adventurous journey of self-discovery as she travels through Italy, Bali and India. While reading the book, it hit me: I’d been to Italy. I’d been to Bali. I just needed to get to India! It seemed like a sign…
The next day while sitting in an Internet café in Switzerland, I received another “sign” from the universe; an email arrived from a colleague about going to India. I booked the trip immediately.
Unfortunately, within 24 hours of arriving in India, I became deathly sick. After dragging my body around for a few days, I finally decided to see a medical doctor.
I arrived at the appointment and was escorted into the doctor’s office. A kind, middle-aged, male doctor walked in.The first thing he said was, “Tell me about your typical day?” Startled by his response, I said, “Excuse me? What did you just say?” He repeated the question:
Tell me about your typical day?
So I told him. “I get up at 5 a.m., jump in the shower, dress quickly, finish packing my suitcase, rush out the door and head for the airport. I arrive at the airport in time to grab a bite to eat in the fast food court. I check email on my phone before the flight attendant insists that I shut it off. US Airways seat 4B turns into my virtual office for the day. My connecting flight is delayed so I sit on the floor at O’Hare International Airport for two hours.
Finally, we board the plane for the next flight. I arrive at my hotel late at night and collapse into bed. I try to get 5-6 hours of sleep before I have to get up and speak. Then I do it all over again.”
The Doctor’s Response:
After hearing about my typical day,the doctor said. “You can heal yourself. I’m just here to give you a few suggestions, to guide you. What you decide to do is really up to you.”
Here’s what the doctor recommended:
•Establish some routines
•Get eight hours sleep every night
•Drink more water
•Exercise daily
•Eat healthier, smaller, more frequent meals
•Avoid spicy food
I walked out of his office stunned. I had never experienced anything like this. Where was my prescription? My lab tests? My CT scan? He didn’t even take my blood pressure! What if something was really wrong? What if I caught some dreaded disease?
I was irritated. I knew all that stuff! Didn’t he know I was a healthcare professional? His treatment plan seemed like something he’d dusted off from an elementary school health class.
But as I reflected on the visit later that night, I had to shed my denial and realize he was right. There were so many things I could do to take better care of myself.
Even though I had been in healthcare for over 30 years, I had established deeply rooted patterns of working long hours and had fallen into unhealthy lifestyle habits that dated back to my early career as a healthcare professional.
I not only went the extra mile at work, I went the extra ten miles. When someone called in sick, I seemed to be the first one to agree to work a double shift. That’s what I was taught a good healthcare professional did. I was rewarded for my dedication. In fact, I was promoted to be a hospital administrator where I consistently worked 12 hours a day.
The Indian doctor didn’t give me the formal diagnosis I expected. But if he had given me one with regards to my own “healthcare” habits, I realize now that it would have been: You didn’t SHED!
After traveling all around the world on my Eat, Pray, Love journey, it all came down to one simple lesson: SHED, SHED, SHED!
I finally admitted the doctor was right. His recommendations were just the impetus that I needed. A few months after my trip to India, I decided to SHED and make major changes to my own “healthcare.” I decided to reclaim control of my life. I moved from the Philadelphia area to Scottsdale, Arizona. I sold my house, got rid of 95% of everything I owned, packed a few boxes and headed West. (OK, did I forget to say my partner, Lenny the Lizard, had been pleading me with me for years to relocate to Arizona to be closer to his relatives? Confused about Lenny? Turn to page 116 and read his bio.)
Why Did I Write This Book?
Our healthcare system is facing its most challenging time ever. The system is broken because it’s based on a faulty model of “you break down and we fix it.” Costs are skyrocketing. Internal resources and work capacity are being enormously tested. Healthcare is consuming 16% of our GDP. And questions about right to healthcare, access, fairness, efficiency, cost, choice, value, and quality
