This wasn’t me …

If you missed my first blog, I had taken a brief hiatus from social media to focus on my personal well-being. I was experiencing anxiety that I had never felt before. I was doing all the things you’re supposed to do like exercise, rest, eat right, spend time with loved ones and nothing was working. I knew something was going on and my suspicion was that I was in the early stages of perimenopause. How did I know?

Let’s call it a blend of female intuition and pure logic.

You see…..when I’m not at Subtle T Aesthetics, you can usually find me in the operating room working as a nurse anesthetist. Most people get lost in trying to pronounce anesthetist, never mind trying to understand what it is that we do.

We are advanced practice nurses that specialize in anesthesia unlike nurse practitioners who are advanced practice nurses as well, but have a broader focus in patient care.

One of the traits that makes me an excellent anesthetist is my ability to stay cool in the most tense situations. Think Val Kilmer as Iceman in Top Gun. I’ve participated in countless emergencies and have managed patients on the brink of death. Subsequently, I have developed the skill of separating my emotions (I know….it sounds heartless) from the situation before me. Because I learned a long time ago that when your emotions are out of control, your ability to make rational decisions is lost. Patient safety requires rational thought by their healthcare providers.

So when I began spiraling with anxiety, I knew something was up. This wasn’t me. And then I began to feel flat and emotionless at times. It was like my mind and body had had enough and were self-destructing.

I’ve never liked taking medication, probably because it is just another task in my never-ending “To Do” list 🙄 But, I knew this was something I couldn’t cure with exercise, rest and diet alone, but I also needed someone to tell me I wasn’t weak for needing help. Crazy, right? 🤪

So I started talking about it with anyone who would listen hoping that one of these people would point me in the right direction of a primary care physician (If you live in Rhode Island, you know primary care physicians are hard to come by). I’m lucky in that I’m surrounded by lots of healthcare providers from all specialties. As luck would have it, I ran into one of my friends who is an OB-GYN PA (physician’s assistant). I told her the whole story and to my surprise, she told me she could prescribe me something for the anxiety and depression.

I had no idea that you could access your OB-GYN providers in this way……and I’m in healthcare!!!!!

This got me thinking….if I didn’t know this basic fact, then maybe the women in my aesthetics community didn’t know either. I also began to rethink the meaning of aesthetics. While my mission remains making women feel comfortable in their own skin with the services I offer, maybe it’s more than that.

One of my friends recently told me that she admires me because I am always learning. What if I educate you all through my own menopause journey?

I’m no expert on women’s health, but I am a healthcare provider who is constantly learning. I’m also surrounded by people who are experts in this field. I’m going to learn as much as I can and share what I learn as well as my experiences. My hope is that this grows into something amazing and bigger than I imagine.

I have no idea what is going to happen with the business. For some odd reason, I have faith everything will work out……or maybe that’s the Zoloft talking😉

❤️Tara