When Emily was in middle school, she started having a lot of gastrointestinal cramping. “We didn’t understand why,” shared Tracy, Emily’s mom. “It happened more so when she was running with her track team. She ended up having to miss an entire track season in middle school because of it.”

Emily’s family took her to the pediatrician, they did x-rays, and they found her to be severely constipated. Tracy shared, “That led us to a GI physician at another hospital, but they just threw medicine at her.” While Emily went the medicine route and it helped, she was still having issues. “I didn’t want her to be dependent on medicine forever. She was losing weight, too. So, the doctors sent us to the nutritionist for ways to combat her problems with nutrition and hopefully stop the weight loss.”

Emily ended up seeking care at Haywood Regional Medical Center’s nutrition services office. They found out in her course of treatment that Emily was dehydrated and not eating enough for the calories she was burning. Lauren Teague, MHS, RD, LDN, CDE, who treated Emily, shared a bit about the process. “Emily came to me after experiencing some GI problems that kept her from doing the sport she loved, running. After assessing her calorie and fluid needs, we determined that we needed to increase those to help her compete but also feel better. After a few short weeks, Emily started having fewer GI problems and started doing well on her cross-country team. It is amazing how a few nutrition changes can change your whole life!”

“She is still on some medication, but she had a great running season - more hydrated and with more energy through increased calories to match her output. Seeing a nutritionist was a great help – not only did it help Emily’s issues, but to have a specialist explain the calorie/energy connection was so helpful,” Tracy concluded. “Plus, Lauren is also a runner, which has been an encouragement to Emily.”

If you would like to make an appointment with a nutritionist at Haywood Regional Medical Center, you may call 828.452.8092. More information is available here.