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

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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!

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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?

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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