Whole Person Support

A little over a year ago I had shingles. I was a recent widow. I live with my adult son who has Autism and Schizophrenia, and my older sister. My sister fell and broke her leg. She was unable to work for several weeks. Money was tight. My son was dealing with auditory hallucinations 8-12 hours each day. Things were a bit stressful.

I developed some very bizarre symptoms. After a couple of weeks, I finally went to see my MDVIP doctor, Dr. Diane M. Thomas. She is a great listener as well as a thorough examiner. We went through my list of physical symptoms which included stabbing pains, sleeplessness, muscle aches, etc. Additionally, was so cold I was shivering and my body temperature dropped to 95 degrees. My mental symptoms included anxiety and depression. After our conversation Dr. Thomas said I'm not sure what's going on, but lets take a look at you. She listened to my heart and lungs, took my vital signs and said, "I'm really not sure what is happening but I want to lift up your shirt to see if I can see anything where you are having aches and pains. As soon as she lifted my shirt she said, "Oh, you have shingles!" It explained everything! She prescribed Paxlovid and encouraged me to seek help for the anxiety and depression, which I did.

Without Dr. Thomas's kindness and caring, I would not have survived that experience. Fortunately, I healed, my sister healed, I got some therapy, and my son was able to start a new medication that has helped with the auditory hallucinations. We are in a much better place now.

Choosing an physician with MDVIP has changed the lives of myself, my son and my sister. Thank you Dr. Thomas!