Infusion care helps Brian find a path forward

Today, Brian is enjoying walks outside, thinking about getting back involved in his community again and considering a trip overseas to visit his daughter. A simple conversation with Optum Infusion Pharmacy helped open those possibilities. 

Just a few years earlier, Brian’s life looked very different.  

Following the removal of his pancreas and portions of his digestive system, he experienced severe digestive complications, and his body could no longer absorb the nutrition it needed through food alone. 

To stay healthy, he relied on total parenteral nutrition (TPN), a specialized therapy that delivers nutrients directly into the bloodstream. The treatment had become a permanent part of daily life, helping him regain weight, strength and energy. 

Then, another hurdle emerged. 

After two years of receiving TPN through another infusion provider, Brian’s home health nursing services ended because he was no longer considered homebound. The change came abruptly. 

He still needed support, including dressing changes and lab work, but now had to find a new way to receive that care without interrupting the life-sustaining nutrition therapy he depended on. 

“I was frustrated. I still needed this care, but suddenly I was on my own trying to figure out what came next,” Brian said.  

The solution was closer than expected. An Optum Ambulatory Infusion Suite (AIS) in Oviedo, Florida, sat just down the street from where he lived.

Brian walked through the doors of the infusion suite and met Gloria, an AIS nurse who sat down with him, listened to what he needed and assured him the team would explore a solution. She mentioned Karen, an Optum infusion dietitian, who reached out to him that very same day. 

Karen took time to understand Brian’s needs and explain how Optum could support both his TPN therapy and ongoing nursing care. From there, she helped coordinate the details with Brian and his previous infusion provider so his services could move to Optum without disrupting his care. “The transition was pretty easy and seamless,” Brian said. 

Brian’s TPN is shipped directly to him, and he administers the therapy himself each night. He starts the 14-hour infusion in the late afternoon or evening, allowing him to have much of the day free of his IV. 

Karen serves as a resource by phone or text when he has a question, and he visits Gloria at the infusion suite close to his home for dressing changes, lab work and other in-person clinical needs.

That first conversation at the infusion suite ultimately led to a care plan that combines nutrition therapy at home with convenient access to in-person care nearby. The support has helped Brian return to parts of life he once had to put aside. 

With more energy and flexibility in his day, he enjoys walking and is beginning to think about getting involved in his community again. 

The transition also reopened possibilities he thought his condition had closed off, including visiting his daughter who lives overseas. When Karen explained that Optum could help coordinate his therapy while traveling, he realized a trip he once viewed as out of reach might be possible after all. 

Today, TPN is part of Brian’s routine, not the center of it. 

“It’s not overwhelming,” he said. “I’m thankful that I have this life-support system that allows me to function fairly well and enjoy life.” 

For patients facing complex, long-term conditions, continuity of care can make all the difference. Stories like Brian’s show how the right support can make a complex journey feel a little more manageable, helping patients focus on living their lives, not just their treatment.