My name is Anne, and I’ve worked with the Rheumission team for my psoriatic arthritis for 6 months.
Growing up, career, and family
I live in California, where I work as an OBGYN, an integrative medicine physician, and a residency director. I’m also a mother to two young children, ages 8 and 3.
I grew up in Southern California and knew I wanted to be a doctor since I was the tiniest kid. In undergrad, I studied to be a dietitian and completed a master’s in nutrition. By the time I got to medical school, I was shocked by the lack of nutrition knowledge and general well-being information that doctors get.
So, when I was done with my OB/GYN residency, I completed a 2-year integrative medicine fellowship and became board-certified in Integrative Medicine, and later became board-certified in lifestyle medicine. I’ve had other health practitioner pursuits as well, such as becoming a yoga instructor and a clinical herbalist, which all fall under my passion for women’s integrative health.
Early Autoimmune Journey
My autoimmune journey began in my early teens when I started experiencing some IBS symptoms. Then, in my early 20s, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s. At the time I was working through medical school and residency, so I took the medications given to me and didn’t think much about it.
As my life became more demanding, through long residency hours and becoming a new mom, I began to have intermittent joint pain. At first, I ignored it, thinking it would get better once my child was older and I could sleep more or if I did more yoga.
After 2.5 years, the joint pain became severe enough that I went to my PCP, and my lab panel showed that I had another autoimmune condition.
At 34, I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, which over time evolved into psoriatic arthritis, as more skin symptoms began to appear. My flares were more common and would include severe fatigue, joint pain & swelling, among other symptoms.
When I started treatment, I had hoped to return to my life as it was before. But when the fourth/fifth biologics didn’t work, I knew that I had to learn to live forever with my symptoms.
Making life changes
I had to adjust my work due to the new physical limitations I was experiencing, as my body couldn’t heal if my sleep was always disrupted by labor & delivery calls. Now I’m a hospitalist, where I work one long shift per week, and a residency director.
My PsA diagnosis makes me feel this sense of profound grief to have trained in something so well and not be able to perform it to the fullest capacity because of physical limitations.
And the same thing is true with my life. I used to be very, very athletic and outdoorsy, a backpacker, but that just does not work for my body anymore. I did all of the things that my doctors recommended and it still didn’t fix these two big changes I had to make in my life.
At first, I thought that if I did my part and took the medicines, I'd resume my previous life. And that just never happened. And now six years later, I have not necessarily liked, but accepted that my physical limitations are what they are.
Starting with Rheumission
I decided to try Rheumission because it aligns with my approach to medicine, as an integrative physician myself. I was eager to have this model of rheumatology care and signed up as quickly as possible.
I’ve so enjoyed working with the Rheumission team - I feel like everyone is rooting for me! Their approach is comprehensive, individualized, and evidence-based, but also provides the space to try newer ideas and approaches.
I’ve been able to continue my prescribed treatments, with new options for nutrition, movement, and stress reduction to help me towards remission. My motivation to get better has gotten me through this program.
A highlight of my care with Rheumission has been the level of personalization in my treatment plan. Each provider really takes the time to offer options that work for me, and ask clarifying questions to ensure the new suggestions fit into my life and routine.
I love the guidance and recipes from the dietitian, and how they are tailored to my tastes and avoid foods that cause me pain and flares. My lifestyle medicine provider has helped me with plans for supplements, exercise, sleep, vagus nerve, and so much more. Everything has been so beneficial for my health.
My new hope for the future
The providers at Rheumission have met me where I am, and this approach has made a huge difference in managing my condition.
I don’t think that it’s possible to get back to exactly who I knew myself to be before my RA/PsA diagnosis, and I had to grieve that for a while. But in finding my new normal, perhaps I can become the most functional, healthy version of myself as I am now.
Western medication cannot do it all - we need to give our body all the tools it needs to find healing, regulation, and ease. I’ve learned to make small changes, do what I can each day, and stack positive habits.
I don't know that there will be a time in my life that I won’t grieve, because each time was robbed of what I thought it would be. But I now have a good perspective on appreciating the great things that it has brought into my life, that would not have been without this diagnosis.
And I have Rheumission to thank for helping me move into a new place of reduced symptoms and much more hope for the future.
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