Need a checkup? Kootenai Health Virtual Care is a leader in our region for providing specialized care. Virtual care visits are available through Kootenai for certain types of appointments, such as consults, annual wellness visits and follow-ups. Visit KH.org/virtual-care for information and scheduling details. —Continued from page 11 “Kootenai Health Virtual Care has given me the opportunity to meet with a really skilled physician, and I am feeling better than I have in many years.” —Jocelyn Whitfield-Babcock Getting answers Now decades past her initial misdiagnosis, Jocelyn happily shares how her virtual care physician helped pinpoint the correct course of treatment for her diagnosis of polymyositis, a rare disease that involves chronic muscle inflammation and weakness, so she can now find reprieve from a lifetime of pain. “For so long, I had been in and out of doctors’ offices and sort of resigned myself to the fact that nothing really helped much,” she said. “I was always weak, my pain was often intense, and the series of medications I was prescribed created additional complications that had to be mitigated. It’s been a long road to where I am today, but I couldn’t be happier! Kootenai Health Virtual Care has given me the opportunity to meet with a really skilled physician, and I am feeling better than I have in many years.” With her new treatment program, Jocelyn has felt well enough to stay physically active, maintain a healthy diet and be consistent with virtual care appointments with her physician. As a testament to her improvement, Jocelyn fulfilled a lifelong dream of participating in the annual 7.46-mile Bloomsday race. She was able to do so virtually on an elliptical machine. “I cried when I realized I was going to finish. I had worked so hard to get to that point. It was a really great feeling.” With Bloomsday under her belt and a path forward for continued good health, Jocelyn has planned several more adventures with her husband and sons. “Our next stop is to climb a lighthouse staircase in Oregon,” she said. “That’s something that I would have loved to have been able to do but couldn’t before. Here I am at 43, feeling like I can conquer pretty much anything.” No longer limited by pain, Jocelyn Whitfield-Babcock is free to plan family adventures with her husband, John. 12
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