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The story of Dr.
Marny Eulberg, M.D. and polio survivor and her experience with
post polio syndrome.
Dr. Marny Eulberg:
Polio patient and MD
Like many of the medical
professionals who have studied the late effects of polio, Marny
Eulberg is a polio survivor who began experiencing late effects
of polio about 25 years after successful rehabilitation. Her commitment
to helping other polio survivors led Dr. Eulberg to a career as
a primary care physician, and she helped establish the Postpolio
Clinic at Mercy Hospital in Denver, where she serves as director.
In her own words, here is a brief account of her efforts to overcome
polio and her continuing struggle against its late effects.
"One day when I was 4, I noticed that my leg just didn't
work right. I had flu-like symptoms and, later, pain in my neck.
My mother called the family doctor, who said it was probably the
flu. The following Sunday, my mother kissed me and my 14-month-old
sister, Vicky, good-bye and left for church. When she returned
an hour later, Vicky was unable to walk. My mother decided that
this was not an ordinary case of the flu.
Both Vicky and I were taken to the local hospital, where the diagnosis
of polio was made. Some memories I have of the next six months
include the pungent smell of hot, wet wool from the Kenny hot
packs, the pleasant bubbles and comfort of the whirlpool, and
seemingly endless hours of trying to walk within the parallel
bars in the hospital rehab facility. I missed my family more than
I could say.
I left the hospital six months later with two great challenges.
The first was a long leg brace that locked at the knee and was
used with crutches. The second was the beginning of a desire for
a career in medicine.
My parents launched a decade-long campaign against my budding
medical career; they pointed out the difficulties of standing
for long hours each day, through medical residency and beyond,
wearing a leg brace. That was a good point. But whenever I thought
of the doctors who had cared for me--intelligent, yes, but very
unapproachable, doing many procedures to me, with neither my permission
nor any attempt to explain the reasoning behind them--I vowed
that I would become a doctor who remembered and learned from my
past.
I was accepted at the University of Arizona College of Medicine,
where I was determined to be as good as or better than most of
the other students. I asked for no favors and accepted no sympathy
because of my "handicap." I worked nights, 11:00 p.m.
to 7:00 a.m., as a medical technologist, 2-3 nights a week, to
support myself through medical school. I performed all the tasks
expected of medical students, interns and residents--including
on one occasion standing in the OR for eight hours straight during
an open heart surgery. Following a family practice residency at
Mercy Medical Center in Denver, I returned to my hometown of Hot
Springs, S.D., but I found myself missing the life of a larger
city, and returned in August 1980 to begin my private practice
there.
I had done well without any assistive devices for about 25 years.
Then, in early spring of 1985, I stubbed my left toe and fell,
bruising myself badly. It occurred to me that I might break a
bone if I fell again. But when a colleague suggested I start using
a short leg brace, my initial reaction was, "No,! I am not
going to wear a brace ever again!"
Gentle nudging prompted me to design an experiment. I decided
I would count how many times a day I caught my toe and stumbled
when I wore the brace--proving to my colleague (and myself) that
I did not need the brace. The results, however, did not support
my theory. I was stumbling 5-10 times a day without the brace,
and not at all with it. So I began using it more and more.
During this time, I became very interested in late effects of
polio, such as I was experiencing, but found it very difficult
to find physicians who knew anything about polio. It occurred
to me that if I, a physician myself, was encountering so much
difficulty, other polio survivors were facing a serious challenge
in finding a physician to treat their symptoms. I began reading
everything I could find about postpolio syndrome, gait analysis,
the principles of bracing--mostly in the interests of my own care,
but also to try and help other survivors with similar problems.
Thus began the Postpolio Clinic at Mercy Medical Center, where
I work one day a week, and serve on the family practice staff
the rest of the time. I continue to wear a short leg b race on
my left leg at all times, and recently started using a forearm
crutch on the right when walking long distances. The theme of
this current chapter in my life is that of adapting to change,
and I feel fortunate to be realizing the dream I had so many years
ago--to use my experience to help others accept life as a polio
survivor.
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