You tell me, but when I hear the term Dr Feelgood, an image of a doctor dolling out pain pills (think, Dr. Spaceman, from 30 Rock), or the album by Mötley Crüe. Generally, we don't think of our local Rheumatologist, or any other 'ologist', for that matter.
Last week, though, I met a real Dr. Feelgood, and the only thing she prescribed me was calcium tables. It was my first official appointment with a Rheumatologist. Being the daughter of a Rheumatologist myself, life up till then, had been a stream of informal meetings with a vague diagnosis and various treatments, all from the confines of my dad’s office. Arthritis is a known bedfellow of Ulcerative Colitis, and as such, even as a girl I experienced flairs of joint pain and swelling. I recall being in my teens, wearing double wrist splints, blaming it on hard-core piano practice. And later, waking up with a swollen ankle, or knee. For decades, yoga, movement and diet have been an essential part of my prevention plan, but as time marches on (my dad finally retired at 79 years old) it was time for me to find a new doctor.
I spent time reading over plenty of doctor bios, and finally chose someone locally for her experience, for being a woman, and for mentioning diet and lifestyle as a part of her specialty.
When the day of the appointment finally arrived, awaiting me, on time no less, was a smartly dressed woman in her seventies with long grey hair. The first thing she said upon sitting down was, “Right, so now you’re going to tell me a story, and don’t leave anything out!”
One hour and a half later, I left with my prescription for calcium tablets, and a smile. We covered a lot of territory in those 90 minutes, and she was especially complete at explaining the what and the how of aging, and the function that various nutrients and minerals play in bone health. When I think back to her diagrams and word play, it dawns on me that over the years, she has likely had plenty of practice in telling her own kind of story.
What stayed with me since our visit, was the curiosity and interest Dr. D had both for her work, and for me, the patient. We took plenty of sidebars into the role of trauma in illness, the limitations of diet as we age, and the complexity of autoimmune disease and organ transplantation. She was well-versed, and at the same time, humble in her own way. Most of all, she reminded me that whatever the conversation, when met with deep listening, compassion, and light-heartedness, the world becomes an easier place. A kinder place. Dr Darlington is kind of Darling, and when time is spent with anyone like that, you can't help but Feel Good.
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