The MS Gym Podcast – "The Balancing Act of Good Health"

Co-hosts: Jodi Feltham & Brooke Slick
Guest: Danielle (MS Gym community member)
Date: April 2, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Jodi Feltham interviews Danielle, a vibrant member of the MS Gym, about her journey living with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and how she balances the challenges of family life, career ambitions, and managing a chronic illness. Danielle opens up about her protracted road to diagnosis, how she’s tailored her professional and personal life to her health needs, and what resources have been crucial for her resilience—always with warmth and honesty. The episode offers encouragement, practical coping tips, and inspiration to listeners facing similar struggles.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Danielle’s Long Road to Diagnosis

• Initial Symptoms and Early Challenges:

  • First symptoms appeared at age 16: extreme vertigo, balance loss, and walking difficulties, predominantly triggered by stress and around exam periods.
    • “My first symptoms were when I was 16 in high school, but my official diagnosis didn't come until I was 27.” (01:01, Danielle)
  • Early 2000s technology limitations hindered diagnosis; treatments included prednisone.
  • Despite clear symptoms, a lack of conclusive imaging left her “in limbo” for over a decade.

• Misattribution & Medical Uncertainty:

  • Her symptoms were never dismissed as mere stress, but the cause remained elusive due to limited diagnostics.
    • "It was always very clear that this is not just stress, that something's going on, but they don't have the ability to figure out what it is yet." (02:14, Danielle)

2. Navigating Life, Health, & Major Transitions

• Coping as a Student and Young Adult:

  • Moving away for graduate school and embracing a more active, self-directed lifestyle helped Danielle manage symptoms for a time.
  • Ultimately, optic neuritis led to an MS diagnosis:
    • “I saw an optometrist...then an ophthalmologist who said, I know what this is. Go see a neurologist.” (03:21, Danielle)

• Initial Reactions and Family Impact:

  • Danielle recalls her own fear, her husband’s denial, and her mother’s worried (but seasoned) perspective as an RN.
    • “When I got the diagnosis, I was in tears because when you look online, it's just a really grim outlook.” (03:34, Danielle)
    • “My mom...was like, oh my gosh. When I saw this in the 80s, it was horrifying. And like, we've come so far since then.” (04:22, Danielle)

3. Finding the Right Treatment

• Successes and Setbacks:
  • Early positive response to Rituximab and high-dose biotin.
  • Recent relapse and transition to secondary progressive MS, using aids such as a walker or wheelchair as needed.
  • Detailed about adapting medication regimens during pregnancy and breastfeeding, opting for DMT-free periods when necessary.

4. Adapting Career and Family Life

• Professional Flexibility:

  • Chose marriage and family therapy for the work/life flexibility—works part-time, mostly from home, supporting families of neurodiverse children.
  • “This gives me the flexibility to work while he's in school and be present in my son's life.” (08:07, Danielle)
  • Reflected on the empathy and insight MS brings to her work:
    • “I do hope that it's created more empathy in me to understand just how individually different everyone's life is.” (08:45, Danielle)

• Motherhood and MS:

  • Pregnancy was “super protective” of her MS, but certain medications during breastfeeding triggered adverse effects.
  • Sought practical accommodations for her routine: planning part-time work, using naps strategically, and leveraging family support.

5. The MS Gym as a Gamechanger

• Physical & Mental Support:
  • Joined the MS Gym in 2021; credits lessons on the “neuro edge” for reframing her approach to exercise.
    • “Learning about my neuro edge was a life changer for me.” (09:58, Danielle)
  • Contrasts traditional fitness advice with MS-specific adaptations; involved her “gym rat” husband in watching the educational sessions to foster understanding and support at home.

6. Explaining MS to a Young Child

• Creative Communication:
  • Relies on the children's book "Somedays" to explain her condition to her son, even customizing it with family names.
    • “We read the book about us.” (12:03, Danielle)
  • Her son shows both maturity and pride in understanding his mom’s MS, taking small responsibilities in stride.
    • “If we go to a restaurant...he doesn’t freak out. He just says, I’ll go get dad...It’s more responsibility than I want to put on a five year old, but he’s taken it in stride.” (12:25, Danielle)

7. Coping on Tough Days & Key Support Systems

• Rest and Allowing for Flexibility:
  • Encouraged by a flexible employer and a supportive husband.
  • Video games, cuddles, and community support are family staples for managing bad days.
    • “On those days, we just snuggle on the couch...play Mario Kart, Mario Odyssey...” (14:23, Danielle)
  • Church community organizes practical support (house cleaning before infusions).

8. Navigating Cultural and Social Barriers

• Church & Cultural Nuances:

  • Danielle attends a Chinese church with language barriers, creating extra challenges for communicating her needs and condition.
    • "Google Translate has been very helpful...having some pre-made scripts...Some days are going to be good and some days they're going to be bad. But I can always use your prayer." (15:56, Danielle)

• Experiencing the Broader World:

  • Most people in public are “indifferent” to her mobility aids, with occasional awkward comments or stigma.

9. Advice to Others Living with MS

• For Those in Diagnostic Limbo:

  • “Don’t stop looking for an answer. I totally did...then when I got the diagnosis, like, these are all connected things.” (18:34, Danielle)
  • Advocates meticulous symptom tracking, even if just with color-coded journals or spreadsheets.

• To the Newly Diagnosed:

  • “It’s really easy to lose hope, but never give up, because even when it feels like you’re doing nothing, rest is so important.” (20:18, Danielle)
  • Emphasized the value of rest and individualized pacing, noting that Western culture undervalues these practices.

10. Looking Ahead and Life Design

• Professional Milestone:

  • Danielle is working steadily toward finishing her hours to be a fully licensed marriage and family therapist, accepting that this path may take longer than expected.
    • “Instead of doing it in six years, I’m probably going to be doing it in 10 years. But it’s a goal on the horizon.” (21:28, Danielle)

• Family Choices:

  • Candid about deciding to have only one child to best support her family as her MS progressed.
    • “If I brought another kid into the mix, I could not guarantee that [level of support]. So we are one and done...If we do expand our family, it might be getting like a dog.” (22:26, Danielle)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On facing diagnosis:
  • “When I got the diagnosis, I was in tears because when you look online, it's just a really grim outlook.” (03:34, Danielle)
• On working with MS:
  • “This gives me the flexibility to work while he's in school and be present in my son's life.” (08:07, Danielle)
• On the importance of rest:
  • “Even when it feels like you're doing nothing, rest is so important. And in taking the time to know your own body and what it needs, you're doing 110% of the work.” (20:18, Danielle)
• On support communities:
  • “We do depend a lot on our church community...Whenever it's the month before my infusion is due, they send out a whole list of, hey, can people sign up to come clean Danielle's house...” (15:28, Danielle)
• On customized resources for her son:
  • “When my son was born, someone wrote the book Somedays...the kid's name is Wyatt, which is also my son's name...We read the book about us.” (12:03, Danielle)
• On living with MS as a parent:
  • “It's not something that I can wave a magic wand and just fix for him. This is part of his childhood, and I'm so proud with how he's handling it.” (13:52, Danielle)

Key Segments (Timestamps)

• Intro and Danielle’s background: 00:00 – 03:40
• Diagnosis journey: 03:40 – 05:30
• Treatment and progression: 05:30 – 06:55
• Career and family life balance: 07:02 – 08:45
• MS Gym experience: 09:09 – 10:57
• Parenting with MS: 11:22 – 13:11
• Support systems and faith community: 14:03 – 16:45
• Navigating public perception: 18:02 – 18:27
• Advice to others: 18:34 – 21:19
• Future goals and family decisions: 21:19 – 23:00
• Closing encouragement: 23:24

Final Message

Danielle leaves listeners with the simple encouragement:
“Just keep pressing play.” (23:24, Danielle)

This episode is a compassionate, hopeful, and practical exploration of what it truly means to live a life by design, not by diagnosis. Danielle’s insights and transparency offer comfort and tangible tools to the MS Gym community and beyond.