An interview with Kelly Reeves
What they may lack in physical strength, they make up for in mental strength due to the physical challenges they must deal with on a daily basis.
As a part of our “Unstoppable” series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Staci Gulbin.
Staci Gulbin, a registered dietitian since 2010, is a graduate of the Institute of Human Nutrition and Teacher’s College of Columbia University and has treated hundreds of patients over the years for nutrition-related issues ranging from weight management, diabetes, heart health, renal health, and bariatric nutrition pre- and post-surgery. She has also been a freelance writer for various health platforms including Shape.com, Health.com, GoodRx.com, Livestrong.com, as well as Vita Sciences, Cdiabetes, and Casa de Sante since 2011, and has been featured as a nutrition expert on websites like OprahMag.com and EatThisNotThat, to name a few. Staci has two published cookbooks currently on Amazon.com, “The High Protein Bariatric Cookbook” and “The Healthy Bariatric Smoothies Recipe Book,” and she is currently working on finding representation for her self-help/memoir that chronicles her recent five-year battle with various health crises and life lessons she has learned from these experiences. Staci has a website and blog at www.lighttracknutrition.com related to new health food products, nutrition tips, and evidence-based wellness advice, and she plans on releasing a podcast with related content in January 2024.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! It is really an honor. Our readers would love to get to know you a bit better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
I grew up in a small town in Maryland, the middle child of three, and was always interested in anything medical-related. I wanted to be a doctor when I grew up, watched medical shows like St. Elsewhere on television when I got home from kindergarten and enjoyed flipping through medical encyclopedias from a very young age. I focused my studies in college on biology and hoped to attend medical school. But when that dream didn’t pan out, I knew I could still help people get healthier in other fields. A class in my graduate studies at New York University introduced me to nutrition. I found a flier for a nutrition program at Columbia University which I promptly applied to and started my journey to become a dietitian. I never imagined how handy being a healthcare provider would be until my body made eating and digesting a challenge like never before.
Do you feel comfortable sharing with us the story surrounding how you became disabled or became ill?
I always had a sensitive digestive system from a very young age. I developed urinary tract infections at the age of 2 or 3, which prompted testing at Johns Hopkins University Hospital. They discovered I had a very thin intestinal lining, which was likely causing bacteria to travel where it shouldn’t, which made me more prone to infection. I was on antibiotics from the age of three to thirteen and made frequent visits to the hospital for follow-up testing. By the time I reached high school, I felt like I had my health under control. I could pretty much eat what I wanted without any discomfort and had a hard time gaining weight as much as I tried. Once in college, I started gaining weight at a healthy rate and was excited to move to New York City for graduate school.
It was during my first year of graduate school that I realized I was lactose intolerant and is also the same time I developed depression and disordered eating habits. I restricted my calories, purged through vomiting, laxatives, and diuretics, as well as exercised for at least three hours every day or night to feel a sense of control in the drastically different environment I was now living in. Going from a class size of 15 to 150 people per class was overwhelming to say the least, not to mention the cutthroat environment in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences that I attended.
This experience caused me to take a great interest in nutrition, which I ultimately focused my studies on. I became a personal trainer on the side while I studied at Columbia University for nutrition and was in great shape physically all throughout this time through to my dietetic internship at Iowa State University in 2010. It wasn’t until 2016 when I noticed I was having trouble digesting food properly. I became bloated and had abdominal pains often after eating. I went to my primary care doctor as well as a naturopathic doctor, the latter which recommended a gastroenterologist at the Oregon Clinic. I had various tests done, including a colonoscopy, and was found to have moderate motility issues, a precancerous polyp in my colon, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
I started on a low FODMAP diet for my IBS, which helped for several months, but then soon after my symptoms returned. I was more tired than I could ever remember being and was gaining weight rapidly, about 15 pounds in a matter of four months, and 30+ pounds over the course of the next year or so. Me and my husband moved to Colorado in 2018 for his work and I visited a new primary care doctor. She couldn’t find anything wrong with me at first, but then several months later, my mom noticed a swelling in my neck. I went back to the doctor and was found to have a multinodular goiter in my thyroid, but surprisingly had normal thyroid function.
I started developing shortness of breath a few months later, so was sent for pulmonary testing. They performed a CT scan of my chest and abdomen and found a liver mass. An MRI then ordered confirmed a benign liver mass, but an unknown mass on my pancreas. The medical journey I never expected soon began. Over the next two years, I would have doctor after doctor dismiss my symptoms, tell me in so many words that it was all in my head, and would have them blame my weight, age, and anxiety for my digestive symptoms. I was being poked, prodded, and imaged every month or so, until finally, in the fall of 2020, my body finally forced the healthcare system to help me.
In October 2020, I started losing weight rapidly, about 10 pounds in eight weeks without trying. Nothing I ate was staying down, and I was running to the restroom often with stabbing abdominal pains. My primary care team recommended me to the Mayo Clinic where they were doing the latest gastrointestinal testing. Long story short, through an innovative test of the aspirate in the small intestines, I was found to have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO. I was placed on two potent rounds of antibiotics and a round of antimicrobials over two months and had to follow a very regimented diet. My symptoms soon subsided, and I could enjoy food again.
But then in the fall of 2021, my symptoms returned. My primary care team told me that I likely had a relapse in the SIBO since this was common after five or six months after treatment. However, another round of antibiotics did not touch my symptoms. The plan was to visit my pancreas clinic and a GI doctor, but life had other ideas. On the way home from work, I turned left on a green arrow so I could enter the highway when a pickup truck ran a red light coming from the other side of the road.
I was hit in the front driver’s side and my car was totaled. I suffered sprains and severe bruising in my calves on both legs since the driver’s console had been pushed up against my legs. All of the airbags deployed, and subsequent imaging over the next several weeks would find that I had herniated multiple discs in my back and neck and had also fractured facet joints in my lower back, all of which made my normally active lifestyle come to a halt. But I was lucky to be alive since my car’s obstacle detection had stopped my car before it hit a light post and crossed near the highway barrier wall. Things could have been worse, I told myself.
The last thing on my mind was my digestion as I was in severe pain for several weeks and unable to bear weight on my feet for more than a minute before excruciating nerve pain would come shooting down my legs through to my feet. It was a few weeks until I was able to start physical therapy and meet with a pain doctor. From then until recently, I would have steroid injections, nerve blocks, and nerve ablations every six to nine months or so to help manage my pain. I am still dealing with intermittent pain in my back and neck to this day due to this accident.
Once my pain was somewhat stabilized, around December 2021, I visited a GI doctor in Colorado for testing to no avail. I then went to my doctor at the University hospital pancreas clinic in Colorado and even he was unsure what could be causing my symptoms. As the malabsorption became worse in the spring of 2022, my nurse at the pancreas clinic trialed me on Creon, a pancreatic enzyme medication. Within 24 hours, I had relief from my symptoms, and within a week I went from 5–8 loose stools daily, to 3–5 loose stools that first week. I still experience intermittent malabsorption issues to this day, but they are managed well with this medicine that I am so grateful for.
The medical team I had been working with at the pancreas clinic now sat up straight and started a round of testing on me since this newest development revealed that there was some sort of functional issue with my pancreas. Long story short, I was approved for distal pancreatectomy surgery in August of 2022. And although recovery involved a pancreatic leak and wearing a surgical drain for four weeks that caused severe nerve pain, I could feel a positive change in the way my body felt. Although fatigued from surgery, I somehow felt a bit more energy than I had prior to surgery. I quickly lost 12 pounds, had significant reduction of swelling from my face, and body, and people would tell me that the light came back into my eyes.
After my recovery, my husband and I tried to start a family with no success. Then at the end of March 2023, about nine months after my pancreas surgery, I started having what felt like a heart attack. I took some heartburn meds and paced the house since I thought maybe it was heartburn, even though I had not had heartburn in decades. My husband took me to the closest urgent care where they did some heart tests and then they referred me to the local ER. After a recommended ultrasound of my abdomen a few days later, I was found to have sludge and stones in my gallbladder. On May 3, 2023, I had my gallbladder removed. I was relieved I had not become pregnant before this had occurred.
We continued trying to start a family after recovery from this surgery, and after nine months of no success, we visited a fertility clinic for testing. Even though both of our hormones and reproductive organs were working fine, we were told by doctors that IVF, or in vitro fertilization, would be our best shot to start a family. That is where my health story stands at this moment. We are hoping for the best and I am optimistic that my health will stand up to the challenges such a process will take.
What mental shift did you make to not let that “stop you”?
I have always lived with the mindset that each experience in life is there to teach us something and to help us grow. Therefore, I tried to take each of these life events as a chance to discover how strong my body was, how strong my resolve was, and what I could learn from these experiences to enrich my life and possibly help others. This mental shift was not easy, but seeing a therapist over the past four years has been the best thing I could have ever done to help me manage my anxiety and depression that pops up sometimes. My most recent therapist reminds me now and then of all that I have been through and all that I have survived. She reminds me of my resilience and helps me to see how far I have come in this life.
Can you tell our readers about the accomplishments you have been able to make despite your disability or illness?
During my health journey, I found solace in writing. I continued to network with reporters and editors from online magazines to develop a good reputation in the field of health writing from the time of my pancreas mass discovery up until the time of my pancreas surgery. I was lucky enough to have an independent publishing company contact me and ask me to write a few cookbooks for them based on bariatric surgery nutrition, which I published in the fall of 2020 and the fall of 2021, respectively.
I took a break from writing during surgery recovery, but in 2023 renewed my novel writing and completed the first draft of my self-help memoir, based on my chaotic health journey, this past September. I am currently looking for a literary agent to represent my novel, and hope that my book will soon be able to help provide hope and life lessons to others who are experiencing challenging situations in their life.
What advice would you give to other people who have disabilities or limitations?
To anyone experiencing challenges or limitations with their health, I would say that your body is a lot stronger than you can imagine, and you as a person are more resilient than you may give yourself credit for. Never give up on trying to heal your body and mind, and never let your limitations stop you from chasing your dreams and living your best life.
I know that for me, even though it was hard to do at first, sharing my story of my health journey helped me to heal. And although I had issues with some medical staff along my journey, ultimately it was a collaboration of doctors that saved my life in every life event that I faced. I don’t know where I would be without them.
So, share your story, allow yourself time and space to heal, forgive those who hurt you, and appreciate those who have helped you. You only have so much energy to give each day, so use it wisely and for the good of your life and of the lives of those around you.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?
There is not one particular person who helped me to get to where I am today. I feel like my success is owed to a culmination of healthcare providers, editors, and loved ones who supported me throughout my scary series of health challenges. Without the work and words of all of these people, I am not sure I would have ever healed in body and mind the way I was able to.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
I have used my success to bring goodness to the world by sharing my story of my health challenges whenever I can to show that healthcare professionals are people too, and that no one is immune to life’s obstacles. Through interviews like these and through my novel, which I hope to publish in the next year or so if God blesses me with a literary agent, I hope to share with the world how there is much to learn in every life experience. And I hope to share with others that through such experiences we can grow as individuals and lift each other up in ways we never thought possible.
Can you share “5 things I wish people understood or knew about people with physical limitations” and why?
1 . They don’t require your pity.
I may feel pain on a daily basis from the car accident and may be limited to what I can eat because of my digestive health, but I do not need anyone to feel sorry for me. I am still living the best life possible in spite of such limitations and hope that I can inspire others to do the same.
2 . They may need to do things differently to manage symptoms, but they are still capable of living a healthy lifestyle.
I may not be able to eat a large variety of foods due to my dietary restrictions (allergic to eggs, lactose intolerant, fat intolerant, yeast intolerant, intolerant to high FODMAP foods like legumes and fibrous vegetables), but that doesn’t mean I am unable to consume a healthy, balanced diet. I feel blessed to have the background and experience to help me navigate meal planning through such obstacles.
And I may not be able to engage in running anymore because of my car accident injuries, and my weight may be higher than it was in my twenties and thirties, but I am still healthy as can be biologically, and have the healthiest mental state now than I can ever remember. Regardless of what social media may tell you, your pants size, number of ab muscles, the strictness of your eating, or the number of hours you spend in a gym do not define your health.
3 . What they may lack in physical strength, they make up for in mental strength due to the physical challenges they must deal with on a daily basis.
While many people may take going to the gym for granted, just doing a few push-ups and bearing my body weight on my hands causes nerve pain to shoot from my back into my hands. While many people may go into a health foods store and buy whatever delicious food they wish, I have to be very careful of what I eat since I have many dietary restrictions. Planning meals is an arduous process for me. But I think through all these challenges, I have only grown in patience and resilience, and for that I am ever grateful.
4 . They appreciate any support or assistance you have to give.
I know for me, little gestures like making sure there is something for me to safely eat at a party or potluck, are very much appreciated since it shows me that someone is thinking of me and wants me to be comfortable. So, if you have someone in your life that has a health challenge that limits their functionality in some way or another, think about how you can support them in any little way. I guarantee you it will mean a lot to them.
5 . They are perfectly imperfect human beings, just like all of us are.
None of us are immune to challenges in life, but some of us may have more apparent limitations than others. If we can all just be kind to one another regardless of the life challenges we face, and support each other in whatever way possible, the world would be a better place for it.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”?
I have many favorite quotes, but I think the one that pertains most to what I went through on my most recent health journey is:
“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.”
― Allen Saunders
I have always been a planner, and had expectations for my life for every year, month, and day. I think the series of health events over the past five years or so forced me to start living my life a little more loosely and made me start appreciating every moment a little more.
We are very blessed that some of the biggest names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this 🙂
I would absolutely love to have a private lunch or dinner with Brené Brown since it is her inspirational messages that have helped me to this day to help strengthen my resolve and self-worth. I would love to speak with her about how to hone my craft of writing to best relay the messages I hope to share with others to help them create their healthiest, best selves.
Thank you so much for the time you spent with this interview. We wish you continued success and good health!
About The Interviewer: Kelly Reeves is a published writer, copy editor, speaker, and certified entrepreneurship and personal growth coach. She is passionate about working with entrepreneurs and executives over 50 to help them discover their life’s purpose, unlock their full potential, and thrive in the second half of life. As an award-winning public relations professional with multi-industry knowledge Kelly worked with global brands, startups and media personalities including the Tony Hawk Foundation, Barrett-Jackson, Targus, Kingston, WD, and Howard Stern. Kelly successfully launched a variety of consumer electronics and B2B brands and executed highly successful PR and social media campaigns. With an average track record of generating more than 50 million media impressions on a monthly basis, she placed clients in leading media outlets such as InStyle, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNet, TechCrunch, AllThingsD and Mashable; and landed spots on high profile programs such as Extra, the Today Show, ABC News, CNN and Good Morning America. She also played an integral role in helping clients increase sales revenue by over 350%. Her community service includes mentoring students in the Masters of Entrepreneurship Program at the Paul Merage School of Business at the University of California, Irvine. She also mentors students in the College of Communications at California State University, Fullerton. Kelly serves as the Co-Founder and President of Paw Prints in the Sand Animal Rescue, a 501c3 animal welfare organization where she oversees the operations, donor relations, and marketing and PR strategy.
Unstoppable: How Staci Gulbin Has Redefined Success While Navigating Society With SIBO was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.