The Medical Detectives

On this week's episode, we welcome Kathleen; a razor-sharp narrator of her own medical mystery, whose postpartum idyll was shattered when she went into sudden cardiac arrest on the morning of her 27th birthday. Kathleen's story takes us from therapeutic hypothermia to an implanted defibrillator and after years of unexplained arrhythmias, shocks, hardware failures, and a grueling ablation, her breadcrumb trail finally leads to an answer. Along the way we unpack why women’s “atypical” cardiac symptoms get missed, the life-saving basics of CPR and early defibrillation, and how genetics can clarify—and complicate—the search for truth. It’s part birthday toast, part masterclass, and part love letter to persistence: a story for anyone who’s ever been told “we don’t know” and kept pushing anyway.

In this Medical Detectives Sleuth Story Anna tells Dr. Nance the baffling case of Gloria Ramirez, known as The Toxic Lady. In 1994, Gloria was rushed to a California ER where 27 of the 37 staff members treating her fell ill, some requiring hospitalization, after exposure to her body. Despite autopsies, hazmat investigations, and decades of speculation, no conclusive explanation has ever been proven. Was it a tragic chemical reaction, a hospital cover-up, or something even stranger? As Anna walks Erin through the eerie timeline and competing theories, they unravel the science, sexism, and unanswered questions behind one of medicine’s most chilling unsolved mysteries.

A healthy 54-year-old mom goes from beach-week brain fog to 103° fevers, crushing fatigue, chest spasms, and organ dysfunction in a matter of days—ping-ponging through a possible UTI, pancreatitis, and pneumonia diagnosis before landing in the sepsis ward with ARDS and sky-high liver enzymes. With cultures negative and answers scarce, an infectious disease “detective” adds doxycycline—and Carrie’s hunch, sparked by local news headlines, finally cracks the case of the mystery illness that almost killed her. 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***

Two friends, Sasha and Nella, join us to unravel how years of “it’s all in your head” dismissal, mounting pain, and endless referrals finally led them to a rare-yet-underdiagnosed culprit. In a story powered by patient research and friendship, Sasha’s viral TikTok becomes Nella’s lifeline, guiding her to a diagnosis, a pioneering costal margin reconstruction surgery in West Virginia, and even a successful fight to get Canada’s OHIP to fund out-of-country care. 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***

Get ready for double the mystery and double the disbelief. In this episode of The Medical Detectives, identical twins Claire and Suzanne share a lifetime of parallel symptoms, and a decade of debilitating GI problems, that left doctors baffled. From years of being told it was “just IBS” to being dismissed as psychosomatic, these sisters prove what happens when intuition, persistence, and a little “twintuition” collide with medical bias.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***

When a healthy, outdoorsy vegan develops burning foot pain after a bout of COVID-19, months of sleepless nights, dead-end appointments, and dismissive doctors follow, until Michelle turns herself into a one-woman research lab. In this episode, Anna and Erin unpack her rare diagnosis and how DIY experiments led to answers. 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***

When 16-year-old Ivan suddenly lost weight, slept through class, and found that eating hurt, doctors called it “disordered eating”—but Dana’s gut said something else. In this gripping, hopeful conversation, a midnight ER dash, blue lips, and a blaring heart monitor lead to the scan that changes everything. You’ll hear how bias can derail care, how distension pain hides in plain sight, and how one family kept pushing until the right tests—and treatment—brought Ivan back.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***

In this powerful episode of Medical Detectives, Elizabeth traces an intergenerational medical mystery. This story starts not with our guest, but with her mother, whose lifelong health concerns gave a clue into Elizabeth's own medical mystery. After years of labels (hypothyroidism, PCOS, “degenerative disc disease,” postpartum depression) and a crucial clue everyone missed, one determined rheumatologist finally connected the dots to a rare genetic bone-mineralization disorder. Elizabeth describes the relief of a name for her suffering, the whiplash of treatments that helped until insurance pulled them, and the uphill fight to access the only disease-modifying therapy. 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 healthy 33-year-old runner and new mom develops sudden, stabbing chest pain after childbirth that’s dismissed for years as reflux. What follows is a 12-year odyssey of sporadic esophageal spasms, misreads, and missed chances, culminating in dangerous malnutrition before a textbook barium swallow finally confirms the mystery diagnosis. 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***

Zoe’s story is a masterclass in “collect the dots so you can connect the dots.” After years of migraines, numbness, GI chaos, and escalating sciatica, her symptoms were brushed off as “stocking-and-glove neuropathy,” weight, or stress. Her symptoms crescendoed to saddle anesthesia, leg tremors, and urinary trouble, which were the red flags doctors used to finally make an emergency diagnosis, and just in time because Zoe was only 24 hours away from being completely paralyzed. 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***

Introducing our new series, Sleuth Stories, spotlighting the medical investigators who solved some of the biggest medical mysteries in history. In this premiere, we follow Dr. Alice Stewart, the physician-epidemiologist who studied a rise in childhood cancer, and eventually used her findings to change the world. 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***

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.orghttps://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***

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***