This is a re release of a past episode, but we will be back next week with brand new content!

On this episode of The Medical Detectives, we sit down with the incredible Chan, known to many as @chanplante on TikTok, to hear her harrowing medical journey from an invisible illness to a visible one. Chan takes us through the baffling medical experiences that followed her COVID-19 diagnosis—unexplained strokes, eye pain, and a frustrating maze of misdiagnoses that ultimately led to her losing vision in one eye.

In this raw and deeply personal conversation, Chan opens up about the emotional toll of seeking answers in a healthcare system that often dismisses young women, the frustration of living with an undiagnosed chronic illness, and the resilience it takes to advocate for yourself when doctors tell you, "It's just anxiety."

If you've ever felt unheard in a medical setting, struggled with a chronic illness, or simply want to hear an inspiring story of strength, this episode is for you.

Join the conversation! Have a medical mystery or story of your own? Send it to stories@themedicaldetectivespodcast.com.

***The information provided on the medical detectives is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. While we may feature licensed medical professionals, including doctors, we are not your personal doctors and no doctor patient relationship is established by listening to this podcast or interacting with our content.

All discussions are general in nature and may not apply to your specific health situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional before making any medical decisions or taking any action based on the content of this podcast. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking treatment because of something you have heard on this show

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please contact emergency services immediately or consult a qualified healthcare pro***

A love story becomes a masterclass in advocacy. In this gripping part two, Katie takes us inside life with a rare brain disease, and shows how fierce care, ingenuity, and impossible choices collide with a messy healthcare system. You’ll hear the moments that test a marriage, what really happens at end of life, and how one night’s escalation changes everything. Most importantly, you’ll leave with hard-won wisdom of how to protect dignity in hospice, what to ask about palliative sedation, and how to advocate without losing yourself. Come for the story; stay because it might change how you show up for the people you love.

Interested in supporting Katie and her cause? Links to her products and foundation are below!

chieftedder.org

https://www.medicalert.org/

Have a medical journey to share? Email us at stories@themedicaldetectivespodcast.com.

***The information provided on the medical detectives is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. While we may feature licensed medical professionals, including doctors, we are not your personal doctors and no doctor patient relationship is established by listening to this podcast or interacting with our content.

All discussions are general in nature and may not apply to your specific health situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional before making any medical decisions or taking any action based on the content of this podcast. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking treatment because of something you have heard on this show

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please contact emergency services immediately or consult a qualified healthcare pro***

In this two-part episode of The Medical Detectives, Katie shares the story of her husband Steve’s long and heartbreaking journey toward a diagnosis. Katie takes us back to the early days of their relationship, painting a vivid picture of Steve as a strong, vibrant man devoted to protecting North Carolina’s water systems and to the people he loved. But everything began to change when subtle symptoms, like handwriting issues, dizziness, and vision problems, signaled the start of a confusing and frustrating diagnostic odyssey. Over the course of a year, Katie and Steve consulted multiple specialists, endured countless misdiagnoses, and chased down false leads ranging from diabetes and spinal degeneration to Parkinson’s and stroke, all while Steve's condition rapidly declined. Through it all, Katie remained his fiercest advocate, navigating a broken system with persistence and love. This is part one of their story, a testament to resilience, the limits of medicine, and the deep cost of diagnostic delay. Part two, coming next week, takes a turn no one saw coming.

In this episode of Medical Detectives, Emily shares her staggering 17-year diagnostic odyssey, starting at age 17 with a seemingly mild ankle sprain that never fully resolved, and winding through years of dismissals, generic compression socks, and contradictory specialist visits. Through her story, we uncover the compounding harm of miscommunication, underdiagnosis, and the dismissal of patients. But everything changes when Emily hears an episode of this very podcast, which sparks a realization that ultimately leads her to discover that she actually was diagnosed five years ago, it's just that nobody took the time to tell her.

Have a medical journey to share? Email us at stories@themedicaldetectivespodcast.com.

***The information provided on the medical detectives is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. While we may feature licensed medical professionals, including doctors, we are not your personal doctors and no doctor patient relationship is established by listening to this podcast or interacting with our content.

All discussions are general in nature and may not apply to your specific health situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional before making any medical decisions or taking any action based on the content of this podcast. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking treatment because of something you have heard on this show

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please contact emergency services immediately or consult a qualified healthcare pro***

This emotionally powerful episode of The Medical Detectives follows Catherine, a devoted mother and academic, as she shares the gripping journey of seeking answers for her young son George’s mysterious motor delays. What begins as a typical birth story slowly unravels into a harrowing diagnostic odyssey marked by missed milestones, medical gaslighting, and a mother’s unwavering instinct that something more serious was wrong. After years of uncertainty, George is diagnosed with a rare neurological disease—CMT4C—for which a gene therapy already exists, but lacks funding for clinical trials. Catherine courageously recounts the highs and lows of her family’s fight to secure treatment, her viral advocacy on TikTok, and her mission to change the system that leaves rare disease patients behind. It's a story of maternal love, persistence, and hope, and a call to action that could change lives.

Interested in donating to Catherine's campaign? Click here to make your contribution!

Have a medical journey to share? Email us at stories@themedicaldetectivespodcast.com.

***The information provided on the medical detectives is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. While we may feature licensed medical professionals, including doctors, we are not your personal doctors and no doctor patient relationship is established by listening to this podcast or interacting with our content.

All discussions are general in nature and may not apply to your specific health situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional before making any medical decisions or taking any action based on the content of this podcast. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking treatment because of something you have heard on this show

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please contact emergency services immediately or consult a qualified healthcare pro***

In this episode of The Medical Detectives, we sit down with high‑risk OB‑GYN Dr. Tracy. When her own health takes a puzzling turn, she must become her own Medical Detective. What starts as vague aches, mysterious rashes, and alarmingly low blood counts quickly spirals into a whirlwind of conflicting opinions: one specialist chalks it up to a routine infection, another rushes in with a dire autoimmune diagnosis, and our guest finds herself caught between medical textbook and gut instinct. Frustrated by dismissals and armed only with her own clinical curiosity, Tracy embarks on a quest for answers that will have you rooting for every patient’s right to be heard.

To continue following Dr. Tracy Shevell's story, give her a follow on Instagram or Tik Tok @tracyshevellmd!

Have a medical journey to share? Email us at stories@themedicaldetectivespodcast.com.

***The information provided on the medical detectives is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. While we may feature licensed medical professionals, including doctors, we are not your personal doctors and no doctor patient relationship is established by listening to this podcast or interacting with our content.

All discussions are general in nature and may not apply to your specific health situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional before making any medical decisions or taking any action based on the content of this podcast. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking treatment because of something you have heard on this show

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please contact emergency services immediately or consult a qualified healthcare pro***

In this deeply moving episode of The Medical Detectives, Dr. Nance sits down with Linda, speaking on behalf of her daughter, Rachel Yaffe. When Rachel was a freshman in college she had unexplained aches that were labeled as psychosomatic by doctors. Years later she is given a diagnosis that changes her life. Linda recounts every heartbreaking misstep, every groundbreaking treatment, and the journey that turned her shy girl into a voice for change. Through triumphs, setbacks, and Rachel’s unwavering determination to live fully, this story shines a light on the broken edges of our medical system and the power of believing in one another when all else seems lost.

Have a medical journey to share? Email us at stories@themedicaldetectivespodcast.com.

***The information provided on the medical detectives is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. While we may feature licensed medical professionals, including doctors, we are not your personal doctors and no doctor patient relationship is established by listening to this podcast or interacting with our content.

All discussions are general in nature and may not apply to your specific health situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional before making any medical decisions or taking any action based on the content of this podcast. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking treatment because of something you have heard on this show

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please contact emergency services immediately or consult a qualified healthcare pro***

In this intense two-part episode of The Medical Detectives, what began as a routine backpacking trip among Arkansas oaks quickly spiraled into a baffling medical mystery. A misdiagnoses of UTI, strep and “pink eye,” a terrifying drop into sudden blindness, and delirium, and a desperate race against time in under-equipped rural hospitals. Kara’s raw, first-person account of shock, ICU delirium and the gut-wrenching fear of not being believed by doctors exposes the darkest extremes of the patient experience, and, miraculously, the resilience that brought her back from the edge of death.

Have a medical journey to share? Email us at stories@themedicaldetectivespodcast.com.

***The information provided on the medical detectives is for informational and entertainment purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. While we may feature licensed medical professionals, including doctors, we are not your personal doctors and no doctor patient relationship is established by listening to this podcast or interacting with our content.

All discussions are general in nature and may not apply to your specific health situation. Always seek the advice of a qualified healthcare professional before making any medical decisions or taking any action based on the content of this podcast. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking treatment because of something you have heard on this show

If you are experiencing a medical emergency, please contact emergency services immediately or consult a qualified healthcare pro***