US Navy Veteran and project manager Jimi takes his healthcare very seriously. He has seen a lot of Texas, and he’s seen many different doctors too. So, when he says that his experience with Health Services of North Texas (HSNT) and Family Nurse Practitioner Tami Barton is special, he means it.
“I have moved around Texas a lot from Huntsville to Houston to West Texas to Dallas, to Texas City, close to Galveston and then to Dallas… And each time I’ve had to relocate, obviously I’ve had to have a primary care physician in every city that I have lived,” he says. “I can tell for a fact that in all the places that I have lived, even outside of Texas, [Tami Barton] seemed to really stand out.”
Since 2013, Jimi has been managing high blood pressure. After years of consulting with various doctors and taking lots of medications, Jimi found comfort in Tami’s compassionate attitude.
“I used to take a lot of medications, like 8 different blood pressure medications over the years. And you can imagine how frustrating that can be. But I’m very comfortable sharing this experience with [Tami] and letting her know how frustrating it can be, how tiring it can be. And she’s been awesome.”
Jimi also appreciates Tami’s holistic approach to healthcare. Tami has discussed a variety of treatment options for hypertension and other conditions with Jimi and has worked with him to find what fits him best as an individual.
“For example, we once talked about the DASH diet, dietary approaches to stop hypertension, right? We have those types of conversations, about changing my lifestyle, making sure that I eat right,” Jimi shares.
“She would suggest, ‘Have you tried this?’ ‘Have you done this?’ With vitamin D deficiency, for example, she could say, ‘Hey, have you tried some of the OTCs (over the counter medications)?’ I mean, technically, she could prescribe one, but rather than prescribe and add to the numerous medications that I take for my blood pressure, she would always recommend, you know, do something natural. Do something that your body doesn’t necessarily have to depend on forever. And those are the kind of conversations that I’ve had with her over the years that have been very helpful.”
Jimi has seen Tami Barton at HSNT for about four years, and he looks forward to many more. He was referred to HSNT by his brother and has since referred his wife for care as well.
“After my first experience, I thought, this is very unique. And I did not hesitate to transfer all of my medical records to [HSNT].”
Although the drive is a bit far, he looks forward to his medical care visits at HSNT’s Denton health center. He compares his experience with HSNT to visiting a favorite restaurant that is a little bit far from home.
“My experience with [Tami], left a long-lasting feeling that, I told myself, it’s like having a taste of a good meal. You’re like, you know what, I don’t care how far it is, we’ll go back for it.”