The MS Gym Podcast

Episode: Befriend Your Body – Embracing a Positive Dialogue

Co-hosts: Brooke Slick & Jodi Feltham
Guest: Katrine
Date: November 19, 2024

Overview

This episode centers on the transformative journey of Katrine, a Swedish nurse living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) for over 20 years. Guided by hosts Brooke and Jodi, Katrine shares how she moved from initial fear, confusion, and frustration to developing a positive, compassionate relationship with her body. The discussion covers the realities of diagnosis, navigating fluctuating symptoms, the significance of lifestyle adaptations, support networks, and the vital importance of viewing one's body as a partner rather than an adversary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Katrine’s MS Onset and Diagnosis

• Initial Symptoms & Family Life

  • Katrine’s first symptoms appeared a few months before giving birth: dizziness, nausea, instability ([01:00]).
  • Difficulties in caring for her newborn due to eye movement issues (nystagmus), requiring significant support from her partner and friends ([02:08]).
  • “I couldn’t fixate my sight. I had this nystagmus...I had big problems taking care of her.” – Katrine ([02:11])

• Diagnosis Experience

  • Swedish healthcare process required seeing several specialists, delayed by breastfeeding (couldn’t do MRI with contrast) ([03:12]).
  • Received diagnosis over the phone, with poor delivery:

    “As I see your nurse, I can tell you this, it might be MS. SLA or ALS.” – Katrine’s doctor ([03:51])

  • Initial relief it was not ALS, aided by her ex-husband’s perspective as a physician ([04:27]).

2. Navigating Treatment and Lifestyle Choices

• Medication Journey

  • Initial lack of prompt treatment and confusion, even as a nurse married to a doctor ([05:52]).
  • Started medications only after a third relapse; experienced inefficient support ([05:51]).
  • Final disease-modifying therapy: Ocrevus, which she stopped almost two years prior as MRI scans stabilized ([08:45]).

• Discovering Self-care Tools

  • Coincidentally attended yoga for exhaustion, discovering the power of deep relaxation to counteract MS fatigue:

    “I could do that for 20 minutes and then after that I would feel as good as I did in the morning...had some energy again for socializing.” – Katrine ([07:43])

• Diet and Protocols

  • Adopted the Wahls Protocol and continues to follow it ([14:13]).

3. Shifting Careers and Adapting Work

• Katrine now works mostly from home, providing counseling and support by phone for a Swedish GP practice, accommodating her mobility challenges ([10:08], [13:05]).
• Transition intensified after relapses and the pandemic, moving to 65% of a full-time schedule ([12:56], [13:05]).

4. Community, Support, and Empowerment

• Felt isolated locally, but found vital support through The MS Gym and online groups since 2018 ([14:13]).
• Recently helped form a Swedish “buddy group” of local women with MS for in-person connection:

  “That has been great for me...we’re really tight and connected.” – Katrine ([15:18])

• Strong support from friends and her daughter, who has known Katrine’s diagnosis her entire life ([21:31], [20:42]).

5. Victories and Setting New Goals

• Celebrates “small” but meaningful achievements:

  • Traveling within Sweden, especially trips to Gotland ([17:19])
  • Skiing again after setbacks:

    “Last year I ski five times and the year before I just, I just fell and fail. So. Yeah. Small things or big?” – Katrine ([18:16])

• Goals:

  • Prioritizing continued mobility: “Keep on walking. That’s a goal.” ([24:04])
  • Finds value in shorter, unplanned trips, focusing on present enjoyment and company rather than distance ([24:25]).

6. Philosophy: Befriending the Body

• Sharp advice for the newly diagnosed:

  “Try to create a relationship with your body...show respect and be grateful...try to find something that you’re grateful about.” – Katrine ([25:28])

• Emphasizes daily dialogue and appreciation, even on challenging days, drawing from yoga and The MS Gym philosophies ([25:28]–[26:45]).

  “I think recognizing that our body is not our enemy, that our body is our friend...we need to work with our body instead of being angry at it.” – Jodi ([26:45])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Diagnosis Delivery:

  “As I see your nurse, I can tell you this, it might be MS. SLA or ALS.”
  – Katrine reporting her doctor’s phone call ([03:51])

• On Gaining Control Over Fatigue:

  “I could do that for 20 minutes and then after that I would feel as good as I did in the morning.”
  – Katrine, on deep relaxation yoga ([07:43])

• On Community:

  “Since 2018...the support was really huge from the MSG and I felt safe and at the right place and yeah, felt so good with it all the time.”
  – Katrine ([14:13])

• On Victories:

  “I kind of make everything small. Feels big to me.”
  – Katrine, on adapting travel ([17:34])

• On Living with MS:

  “Try to create a relationship with your body...and to have a dialogue and to show respect and to be grateful from the last 24 hours...”
  – Katrine ([25:28])

Important Timestamps

• Diagnosis and Initial Struggles: 01:00 – 06:57
• Treatment Path & Self-Care Discovery: 07:00 – 09:44
• Career Adaptations: 09:59 – 13:10
• Finding Support & Building Community: 14:13 – 16:36
• Achievements & Setting Goals: 17:19 – 24:25
• Advice for the Newly Diagnosed & Philosophy: 25:23 – 27:20

Conclusion

This episode powerfully illustrates Katrine’s journey of self-compassion and adaptability with MS. She highlights the challenges and victories—both big and small—along the way, offers actionable advice about cultivating an appreciative relationship with one’s body, and showcases the profound value of community and connection. Katrine’s story serves as both inspiration and a practical guide for living by design, not just by diagnosis.