Lessons on Healing From a Doctor Living With Chronic Illness (ft. Dr. Tracy Shevell)

This week on Calling in Sick, I’m joined by Dr. Tracy Shevell — a physician, high-risk OBGYN, women’s health advocate, and chronic illness patient. Dr. Shevell brings a rare dual perspective: what it’s like to move through the medical system as both the provider and the patient. In this episode, we explore: ✨ How to navigate Western medicine with a chronic illness and why becoming your own “health quarterback” matters ✨How to explore non-Western healing modalities without losing your money, your nervous system, or your sense of self ✨ Why medical social media and doom-scrolling symptoms can make us feel worse ✨ The difference between intuition and anxiety, and how to use that nuance to advocate for yourself more effectively Tune into this episode for a grounding, myth-busting conversation about taking care of yourself when Western medicine alone isn’t cutting it, without spiraling, self-blaming, or burning out. xx, Alex 💬 Comment: How do you utilize social media to navigate your healing journey? ✨ Substack EXCLUSIVES! ✨ This week, only our Substack subscribers will get exclusive access to this week’s Q&A. We give our two cents on navigating pregnancy and postpartum care with complex chronic illness, how providers can better support high-risk patients before, during, and after pregnancy, and how we navigated careers with high expectations while living with chronic illness. ✨Subscribe to our Substack here: https://substack.com/@callinginsickpod TIMESTAMP: Intro: 00:00:00 Welcome back to Calling in Sick! 00:03:22 My life and health update 00:04:04 Alex’s Picks of the Week (Tilt, Comrad & CBDLiving… discount codes below!) Dr. Tracy Shevell, the doctor: 00:06:03 Dr. Tracy Shevell: becoming a provider and patient 00:15:30 On becoming our own health quarterbacks 00:17:30 How we pursued alternative non-western healing modalities 00:21:50 Why western medicine pays more attention to women’s health and chronic illnesses suddenly 00:26:00 Dr. Shevell’s top 4 tips for navigating the western medical world with a chronic illness Dr. Tracy Shevell, the patient: 00:34:15 What being a patient and provider is really like 00:41:24 Navigating the wild world of medical social media & the pressure to try everything that could help us feel better 00:51:02 The difference between being an expert on our own bodies, and a medical expert 00:54:11 The difference between a gut feeling and anxiety, and how to use this nuance to your advantage 00:57:50 How to rebuild trust after medical gaslighting and medical trauma Conclusion: 01:06:45 One Brain Cell Show: Gossip Girl (Netflix) 01:11:41 Thank you for listening! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Connect with our Guest, Dr. Tracy Shevell: • Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/tracyshevellmd/ • Her website - https://www.tracyshevellmd.com/ Stay connected and follow us on socials for more! • Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/callinginsickpod/ • TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@callinginsickpod • Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558234607568 • Substack - https://substack.com/@callinginsickpod? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Powered by: Just Media House - https://www.justmediahouse.com/ Produced by: Alexandra Wildeson - https://www.instagram.com/alexandrawildeson/ Alex’s Picks of the Week: The other week on social media, I posted my top 5 products that I keep reordering, chronic illness edition, obviously. And y’all loved it!! The top 3 most requested links were… ✨Tilt Lip Treatment — https://go.shopmy.us/p-38126280 - CODE: AWILD15 for 15% off ✨Comrad Compression Socks — https://go.shopmy.us/p-38067114 - CODE: ALEXANDRA20 for 20% off ✨CBDLiving Pain Stick — https://go.shopmy.us/p-32444450 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices