The Wearable Wasn’t the Treatment. It Was the Catalyst.
“You can be a man, or a long tail rat.”
I remember my great-grandmother telling me that when I was afraid of something or someone. She didn’t mix her words.
It’s OK to be afraid, but it’s not OK to let that fear stop you from doing what needs to be done.
LOOK WHO TURNED ON THE BLOOD PRESSURE FUNCTION.
If you are one of the two people who notices my posts, you know I admitted that I am terrified of taking my blood pressure.
For years, blood pressure scared the hell out of me.
A cuff did not feel like a reading. It felt like a verdict. So I sometimes avoided the measurement because I was afraid of what it might say.
In the last five weeks, I started paying closer attention. Not because a wearable magically fixed me. It did not. I knew changes needed to happen because my blood pressure was pulling away, and we know where that leads.
Wearables changed my behavior.
Got me to look.
Got me to care.
Got me to move.
Got me to check.
Got me back on my CPAP.
Got me to stop hiding from the numbers.
I could no longer afford FEAR.
THE PICTURE IS CHANGING
I have severe sleep apnea and hate the CPAP. But when I started seeing my oxygen saturation dropping at night, I had a reason I could not brush off.
Check it: I woke up to 98% oxygen.
I also turned on the blood-pressure function. The same guy who dreaded BP readings is now acting like a Grown AS$ Man. You see it: 127/70. My wearable BP readings have been landing within about five points of my FDA-cleared cuff.
The wearable DID NOT replace the cuff.
It helped me become less afraid of it.
In five weeks:
• Oxygen improved
• Blood pressure improved
• Resting heart rate improved to 65, then dropped into the high 50s
• HRV improved
• 12,000-step streak going
Booyakasha 💪🏾
What gets measured gets managed.
As we say down South: The wearable did not plow the field. It just got me off the porch.
Your boy is off the porch.
THE WEARABLE WAS THE CATALYST
The wearable wasn’t the treatment. The wearable was the catalyst.
Yes, I use multiple devices. No brand loyalty. I’m trying to improve my health. Different devices can play different roles. That is how this should be viewed in the Veteran space.
For VA clinicians, here is the takeaway: The juice is worth the squeeze.
A health-and-wellness wearable does not have to be the clinical anchor to have real value. If it helps a Veteran notice a changed picture, restart a therapy, walk more, engage sooner, and show up better prepared for care, that matters.
The anchor is still the clinician, the FDA-cleared cuff, the CPAP, the care plan, and the confirmed measurement.
The wearable can be the safety line that gets the Veteran back to the anchor.
Not hype. That is behavior change. That is participation. That is progress. Dayum straight it is!
If you are in VA, wearables, digital health, or connected care and you are not paying attention to that distinction, you may be standing too close to the elephant.
Chet J. McLendon
USAF Veteran
If you are trying to understand the real role wearables can play for Veterans and VA, discuss an emerging-health opportunity with JhetVet: https://www.jhetvetgovcon.com/contact-us
This article shares personal experience and general education. It is not medical advice. For medical decisions, consult a qualified healthcare professional.
