Kootenai | Kootenai Health | Issue 4, 2021

By Devin Weeks Multiple sclerosis (MS) is strange and unpredictable. No one knows what causes it. It has no cure. What is known is that it is a chronic autoimmune condition that causes the immune system to attack the brain or spinal cord in the central nervous system and damage the myelin, a substance that surrounds and protects nerve fibers. This damage slows communication between the brain or spinal cord and the rest of the body. Symptoms commonly include fatigue, numbness, tingling, blurred vision, weakness, memory issues, depression, pain and trouble with balance. With its strange unpredictability, Tyler Livingston, of Sagle, had no idea he had MS. He just knew he was struggling to stay upright and had to leave his retail job in February. “I couldn’t keep my balance,” Tyler said. “I was taken off work for my own safety.” Shockedbut relieved Tests showed Tyler had a vitamin deficiency. But when B 12 injections didn’t improve his worsening condition, he was fast-tracked to see Kootenai Health’s resident MS specialist, Nina Bozinov, M.D., M.S., who diagnosed the 32-year-old film student with MS in March. “At my appointment, they made the decision to hospitalize me,” Tyler said. “It was to put me on a steroid drip for a few days to lessen the damage the MS had done.” The diagnosis was a shock. But at the same time, it was a relief. “It was nice to just have an answer,” he said. “It wasn’t a great answer, but it was an answer. Dr. Bozinov and her team have been amazing.” Tyler spent a week at Kootenai Health, then two weeks in the Rehabilitation Hospital of the Northwest. “It was nice being able to walk without being afraid I was going to fall forward,” he said. “I’m much better now and walking unaided.” Supportedand reassured This heavy and sudden change could have been scary and difficult, but the coordination and dedication of his care teams put Tyler at ease. Kootenai Health uses a comprehensive, patient-centered care model that takes an individualized approach to each MS patient. Disease-modifying therapies are used to treat the MS, while physical, emotional and psychosocial well-being is tended to by a wide array of care partners— MS nurses, specialty pharmacists, neuroradiologists, rehabilitation professionals, neuropsychologists and more. “I feel like if I do have an issue, I can bring it up with them,” Tyler said. “That’s been my biggest hurdle. I was always used to downplaying everything. Now I can’t afford to downplay this.” When he was feeling low and worried MS would ruin his life, Tyler’s care team helped ease that trouble too. “They have been able to talk me out of darker places,” he said. “I had these grand plans for what I’m going to be doing in five years’ time. Part of me felt like this would derail all that. They told me about how they would help me with this disease so my plans aren’t going to be derailed.” Nina Bozinov, M.D., M.S. Dr. Bozinov is the only MS expert in northern Idaho. She and her teamwill keep treating patients and searching for answers to this strange ailment— so patients like Tyler can continue to live life to the fullest. Navigating Multiple Sclerosis Coordination of care eases anxiety and restores hope 6