Dr. Douglas William Lienesch, MD

This morning, as I said goodbye to my very first and very special rheumatologist, who is moving on in his career, and I got SO emotional — like surprisingly emotional. Maybe you wouldn’t think such emotions were warranted simply due to the loss of a relationship with a doctor. People get new doctors all the time. I even surprised myself, but I realized it’s because of this: I’ve been mostly symptom free for YEARS. Largely because I’VE changed MY life. I cut out gluten from my diet, quietly give myself a shot in the leg once a month, and exercise a LOT. This is just my happy little norm. But reflecting back to 2012 with Dr. Lienesch this morning made me realize I didn’t do any of this alone. He was with me the whole time and I’ve come so far since the days of puffy hands and tingling sore feet. So I am a blubbering mess saying goodbye to this very-dad-like, kind, inquisitive doctor who I see once or twice a year in a vinyl-covered office because a lot of the reason my symptoms… are gone is because of him COACHING ME quietly these last seven years. He and I made a plan. I wasn’t going to let this auto-immune condition change my body or my lifestyle and he agreed to do it my way (mostly… i.e. NO methotrexate!). The first time I met him, he flipped over his paperwork to the blank white side and said, “So tell me everything…” and that’s how our incredible trustworthy relationship began. As time went on and my symptoms lessoned, my appointments got shorter and there was less to talk about physically so we talked about life but he ALWAYS takes a look at my hands and my feet (he holds both my feet at once to make sure they’re symmetrical and never forgets exactly which stupid little joint caused this whole mess in the first place) and talks me off a ledge when I think my medicine is going to give me lymphoma (mostly gotten over that now). AND all this little stuff matters! He supported a treatment plan that has worked for ME including all my sometimes-insane natural methods and he held me accountable for my own health — because I respect him so much as a person and an expert and a listener. He’s my coach! Dr. Lienesch is just one very significant captain in my behind-the-scenes army and he’s made the last 7 originally-scary years instead feel totally conquered. I can’t thank him enough.