Reginald Turner’s road to peace

Veteran discusses the WellMed physician who unmuddied the surgical waters for him

While other kids read books by Dr. Seuss, Reginald Turner read books by a different doctor.

“I had Dr. Turner,” Reginald said, referring to his father, who was a podiatrist. “He handed me medical journals, a dictionary and a thesaurus.”

And while Reginald did not become a doctor himself – like his father wanted – he understands the body and medical terminology, which helps him advocate for himself.

But when it came to his own battles with heart and kidney disease, Reginald was going to need a lot more than a grasp of medical terminology.

Enter Dr. Daniel Metzger, a family practitioner at the WellMed at Corsicana clinic in North Texas, who has been Reginald’s doctor and advocate for almost two years.

Among Reginald’s health challenges, he suffers from aortic aneurysms, his first taking place almost three years ago.

“I got up one morning, and it felt like someone was trying to snatch my insides out of my spine,” he said.

An aortic aneurysm is a dangerous issue that often requires open-heart surgery. The procedure would likely prove too much for Reginald, who had stage 3 chronic kidney disease, as it could potentially put him on dialysisperhaps permanently.

“I watched my middle daughter suffer through three years of dialysis before I lost her,” Reginald said. “That is nothing I would wish on anyone.”

Dr. Metzger helped Reginald choose the procedure that would promise the best outcome for him.

The physician bridged the gap between the veteran and his cardiologist at the Dell Seton Medical Center in Austin. Dr. Metzger helped Reginald research an experimental stent that would eliminate the need for open-heart surgery. He even gave Reginald, and his cardiologist, his personal cell phone number to ensure prompt responses to any of Reginald’s concerns about surgery.

Dr. Metzger’s calm demeanor and clear explanations gave Reginald the peace he needed to make his decision.

“He helped me see through the muddy water,” Reginald said. “He has given me some peace in navigating this course, because this is a major course.”

In fact, Dr. Metzger has already been integral to Reginald’s improved health – helping him lose over 100 pounds and bringing his blood pressure under control.

Those changes have already put Reginald on a path toward a quicker recovery from his upcoming procedure, according to Shanese Brady, the clinic administrator in Corsicana.

Dr. Metzger, however, is quick to give the credit to the patient himself.

“He has a long history in the military and physical fitness,” Dr. Metzger said. “He’s highly self-motivated, for sure.”

Reginald has worn a lot of hats in his life – from his time in the Army, to owning a landscaping company, to serving as a Mason and as a Shriner. All of those roles have given him a keen sense of people.

“I know people. I know doctors,” Reginald said. “And Dr. Metzger truly has a compassion and a love for treating his patients. He cares.”

Dr. Metzger sums up his own approach to his practice.

“I believe in listening, observing, getting a feel for the patient, their family, their occupation,” he said. “I want to know more than just their symptoms for the day.”

It is an approach that has earned this family doctor a much bigger family of his own, Shanese said.

“I’ve witnessed it,” she said. “He makes patients feel special.”

As Reginald prepares for his upcoming surgery, Dr. Metzger and Shanese are getting ready for the veteran’s post-operative care.

“If he needs home health, we’ll set that up. We’ll make sure that Reginald is getting his blood pressure medication on time,” Shanese said. “And if he’s unable to make it to the clinic, we’ll be going out to his house.”

Dr. Metzger adds: “We’re going to keep him on this planet for as long as we can.”

In the meantime, Reginald is keeping himself busy. He is currently enrolled at Hill College in Hillsboro, Texas, where he is obtaining an associate’s degree in drug and alcohol counseling. He plans to become a licensed chemical dependency counselor and help his fellow veterans find peace.

He is also looking forward to enjoying some simple pleasures once the procedure is behind him: “Man, I would like a good porterhouse steak.”