For the first time in 4 years we are pausing the podcast for a couple of weeks. I love doing it, but sometimes life has other plans. There is a lot going on behind the scenes, and while I am ok, I need to free up space for family and medical appointments.
I’m not fully disappearing and will be recording in advance. While I’m away we are releasing some of our most listened to episodes.
Battling any illness is a challenges in and of itself, but when it comes to often unknown autonomic conditions, the medical field can leave patients feeling lost, ignored and forgotten.
Combine that with trying to seek medical help in the 90’s in a second world country like Uzbekistan and you might begin to imagine the overwhelming challenge that Marie Claire faced in her journey to be diagnosed with POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome).
Marie-Claire is a Clinical Nurse consultant who has previously held several specialist clinical nurse roles including in emergency nursing, clinical education and academia. She coheads a multi-disciplinary practice in Adelaide, SA which specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS) and Long Covid. She is undertaking her PhD at The University of Adelaide where she is exploring the association between autonomic disorders and post-acute sequalae of Covid-19.
Marie-Claire has a keen interest in reducing time to diagnosis and in improving outcomes for those living with POTS and associated environmentally triggered syndromes
She believes in the power of the 'lived experience' researcher and has established The Australian POTS Foundation
In today’s episode Marie-Claire shares:
- Her time in Romania and other similar countries shortly after the ball of the Berlin wall
- The distinct moment she felt herself develop POTS
- The extremely long and difficult process of seeking a medical diagnosis overseas
- The sexist diagnosis practices she encountered in Australia that left her undiagnosed for years
- How POTS and long covid are connected
- Her advice on treatment and management for POTS
- Information on Australia’s first POTS conference this year.
Key Quotes
“I remember that feeling of thinking how can you not know what’s just happened because it was so dramatic and loud in my ears.”
“I don’t tend to seek help which is typical of country people”
“I feel like I was accused of murder, I was stood up to give my defence and the judge says no you cant have a defence, you're guilty.”
“Just telling them their not mad is a great thing in terms of their ability to cope with this condition.”
Find out more about Marie-Claire Seeley
You can find out more about Marie-Claire and the Australian Pots Foundation here: https://potsfoundation.org.au/
You can also follow them on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/australianpotsfoundation/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100082147502638
You can get involved with the podcast online
On facebook in our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/challengesthatchangeus
Or on Instagram: @challengesthatchangeus
If you want to find out more about what Ali does, check out her business via the website:
http://www.trialtitudeperformance.com.au/personality-performance
For her other business you can find it through the websites:
www.altitudefitnessarmidale.com.au
Or you can follow them on Instagram:
@Altitudefitnessarmidale
@trialtitudeperformance
","author_name":"Ali Flynn"}