Rhythms and routines to complete your MS care

I used to think I was immune to illness. Getting sick was what my patients did. My multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis turned this belief, and many others, upside down. When the chaos of the diagnosis settled, I realized that becoming a patient was the most profound lesson I could have in becoming a better doctor.

I was just a few years out of residency, working over 100 hours a week as an anesthesiologist at a trauma center in Los Angeles. I barely slept. I ate endless amounts of crap food. Taking care of gunshot wounds, stabbings, horrific car accidents, high-risk pregnancies, and the smallest of neonates was my cardio.

After a break to give birth to my first child, I returned to work and, only a month later, quickly realized I had a problem — an uncooperative left arm and hand — at the worst possible times. Now consider that if there’s one body part an anesthesiologist depends on to keep patients safe and alive, it’s the left arm, which is used for placing a breathing tube. I was secretly terrified that I’d hurt a patient in the operating room, so I made an appointment with the first neurologist who would see me.

Long story short, four neurologists over nine months missed my condition. I was told it was tendinitis, the stress of being a new mom, and not getting enough sleep. It was my mentor, a plastic surgeon, who one day blurted out, “You probably have MS.”

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And all of a sudden, it all made sense. After all, my arm hung like a lead weight after a hot shower and exercise. There was a waxing and waning pattern to it; one day I was good, the next day I wasn’t.

The MRI confirmed the diagnosis, and over the course of that Memorial Day weekend, I went from being an anesthesiologist to being disabled from practice. It was crushing.

In new role as patient, shifts in career and more

In the aftermath of this news, I was desperate to find a new area of practice that didn’t require a left arm or a long residency program. A late-night Google search turned up integrative medicine, which included a lot of talk about healing. Well, that sounded pretty good because I could use some healing myself!

A conference on the subject changed my life — not just professionally, but also in terms of how I now manage my health, household, and family. I developed a deep belief that if I did what these people said, I could undo some of my MS damage.

So I started eating more vegetables, cut down on sugar, became a regular at the yoga studio, and slept more. It wasn’t easy or quick, but somewhere over two to five years, these lifestyle strategies became routine and second nature.

Doctors told me I wouldn’t make much progress in strengthening my arm beyond the first year or two after the initial attack. But I followed my intuition and what integrative and functional medicine said. I made slow, subtle progress. One day when my son was 7 years old, I got up the courage to go for a run, and my arm did not hang at my side like a lead weight. Dare I say it almost felt normal.

In this column, I want to share with you what this physician-turned-patient has learned over the past decade so that you can focus on implementing the tools that reliably improve health. I want to inspire you to believe in your body’s remarkable capacity to repair and regenerate — if you create the right environment at the cellular level.

Chronic disease, by definition, is not curable. But it can be managed. As we explore routines to get in sync with the rhythms of our bodies and Mother Nature herself, you may notice that you get through your day with fewer symptoms, more ease, and greater joy. And that, my friends, is the definition of healing.

Note: Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Multiple Sclerosis News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to multiple sclerosis.