Day 13 - Dystonia and My Neurologist

As you can tell by the title of this post, today I am talking about my neurologist. It took five years to find him, but looking back, it was worth the wait. There is nothing better when you have a chronic condition then actually finding a doctor that meshes with your personality. I have my friend, Cheryl to thank for this "gift" of a neurologist. And, I do think of him as a gift. Cheryl's a pharmaceutical rep that goes to my church. She has told me that God stirred within her to speak up and tell me (actually my mom and dad first) about Dr. M. The timing was all God. It was five years down the line when I met Dr. M. I had already seen many neurologists before him. But none of them could have prepared me for him.

Dr. M. is young and vibrant. He's got an excellent bedside manner. He's funny and compassionate and super smart. He's patient and he's knowledgeable. He cares about ME and sees beyond the disease. He listens to ME and wants MY input on my condition. He knows that he's "practicing" medicine and that's OK with him. He's willing to admit he doesn't have all the answers and there is no quick fix. He admits that there is so much about the brain that remains to be discovered. He's not pompous. He lets me cry in front of him and he's OK with it. He doesn't wear bow ties. OK, on that last one, he did admit that when he was younger (I'm thinking med school age, because he's not at all old!) he wore them. I got a bad taste in my mouth for bow ties, because every neurologist I saw up until him, wore one and they each had a "I'm the doctor and you're not, so that makes me better than you" personality, which I came to despise! He notices things. He'll come in to the exam room and announce that he saw me (from his office) walking into the exam room and it looked like I was having a good walking day. He noticed when I lost weight (I wasn't expecting him to) and wanted to make sure that it was on purpose and not because of anything else. He teases me about the walker. He makes suggestions on how I should decorate it. In matters of the brain, Dr. M. is exceptional, but what makes him even more exceptional in my book is how he handles matters of the heart. He knows that I struggle with having to use a walker and with dystonia in general, but he gives me hope and there's nothing greater than hope! He's personable and kind. He makes me laugh. He's a doctor, but he's a person too. He's not one to act like he knows it all, and I'm just some dumb girl who can't walk. He's genuine. I may not have the deadliest neurological disease or the most talked about one, or even the most important one, but when I see Dr. M., he makes me feel like I'm his only patient and that I matter.

Dr. M. is one of the greatest blessings I've been given in this journey with dystonia. I know God sent me to him (or him to me) to make the journey just a little easier. He's a breath of fresh air. As I stated in an earlier post, he's a shining light in a (sometimes) dark world of dystonia. I am so very, very thankful for him!