WEBVTT - Case #27: Hailey

0:00:03.360 --> 0:00:07.040
<v Speaker 1>Rube.

0:00:07.680 --> 0:00:11.160
<v Speaker 2>I wasn't willing to risk being held back in boot camp,

0:00:11.240 --> 0:00:14.680
<v Speaker 2>so I just kept pushing through. The pain got so

0:00:14.880 --> 0:00:17.640
<v Speaker 2>bad within an instant, it just kind of went black.

0:00:18.560 --> 0:00:21.840
<v Speaker 1>In this letter, she wrote, when I woke up and

0:00:21.840 --> 0:00:24.840
<v Speaker 1>I woke up to a crime scene and physically dying.

0:00:25.400 --> 0:00:27.680
<v Speaker 3>Only now that we're certain to have these conversations and

0:00:27.720 --> 0:00:32.479
<v Speaker 3>talk about how a lot of women face dismissal and

0:00:32.560 --> 0:00:33.839
<v Speaker 3>having their complaints ignored.

0:00:34.360 --> 0:00:37.320
<v Speaker 2>She had like turned the screen away from me, the

0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:41.760
<v Speaker 2>energy and the room shifted. The radiology department, they all

0:00:41.800 --> 0:00:45.240
<v Speaker 2>turned their head and looked at me. I walked out

0:00:45.320 --> 0:00:48.120
<v Speaker 2>of that ultra sound thinking I had cancer. I was

0:00:48.320 --> 0:00:49.400
<v Speaker 2>terrified of the unknown.

0:00:52.560 --> 0:00:56.320
<v Speaker 4>How terrifying would it be to fight an unknown enemy,

0:00:57.000 --> 0:01:01.200
<v Speaker 4>one you didn't recognize and didn't see coming. What if

0:01:01.240 --> 0:01:04.840
<v Speaker 4>that enemy was coming from within a disease that even

0:01:04.959 --> 0:01:09.160
<v Speaker 4>doctors couldn't identify. Nearly half of americ can suffer from

0:01:09.160 --> 0:01:13.600
<v Speaker 4>some chronic illness, and many struggle for an accurate diagnosis.

0:01:14.520 --> 0:01:20.199
<v Speaker 4>These are their stories. I'm Lauren Bray Pacheco, and this

0:01:20.560 --> 0:01:21.360
<v Speaker 4>is symptomatic.

0:01:24.720 --> 0:01:29.200
<v Speaker 2>I grew up in southern California, the High Desert area. Specifically,

0:01:29.760 --> 0:01:32.280
<v Speaker 2>it's just me and my mom my brothers. We have

0:01:32.319 --> 0:01:34.040
<v Speaker 2>a really, really good relationship.

0:01:35.160 --> 0:01:40.480
<v Speaker 4>That's Haley Griffith. Hally radiates quiet positivity and genuine warmth.

0:01:40.800 --> 0:01:44.840
<v Speaker 4>She is deeply creative, authentic, and a naturally born mentor.

0:01:45.680 --> 0:01:48.320
<v Speaker 4>This quality showed up early in life when she harnessed

0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:50.400
<v Speaker 4>her passion for dance into teaching.

0:01:51.360 --> 0:01:57.160
<v Speaker 2>I grew up doing competitive dance for basically my entire life.

0:01:57.160 --> 0:02:01.120
<v Speaker 2>I went into teaching when I was around fifteen. That

0:02:01.200 --> 0:02:03.160
<v Speaker 2>was my first job, actually.

0:02:02.920 --> 0:02:04.840
<v Speaker 4>And you spent a lot of time in the dance studio.

0:02:05.040 --> 0:02:09.480
<v Speaker 4>I could explain the fact that you actually got your

0:02:09.560 --> 0:02:13.239
<v Speaker 4>period while in dance class, correct, I did.

0:02:13.560 --> 0:02:17.160
<v Speaker 2>Yes, that was a crazy time. I was about eleven

0:02:17.200 --> 0:02:20.760
<v Speaker 2>years old. I was in ballet class and I had

0:02:20.800 --> 0:02:25.040
<v Speaker 2>started my cycle and it was unexpected, and my friend

0:02:25.040 --> 0:02:28.680
<v Speaker 2>had given me a tampon, and I had no idea

0:02:28.800 --> 0:02:31.480
<v Speaker 2>how to use a tampon, so I was just using

0:02:31.639 --> 0:02:36.200
<v Speaker 2>what I thought was common sense because I inserted the

0:02:36.240 --> 0:02:40.239
<v Speaker 2>tampon the way that you should. However, immediately I started

0:02:40.280 --> 0:02:44.120
<v Speaker 2>noticing that I was still bleeding, and so I tried

0:02:44.120 --> 0:02:47.040
<v Speaker 2>my best to get through that situation and kind of

0:02:47.040 --> 0:02:49.360
<v Speaker 2>just wrote off tampons for a few years and I

0:02:49.440 --> 0:02:52.840
<v Speaker 2>didn't use them anymore, and that was actually the first

0:02:52.880 --> 0:02:56.919
<v Speaker 2>time that I can recollect recognizing that there was an

0:02:56.960 --> 0:03:00.440
<v Speaker 2>issue regarding my reproductive health before I even knew what

0:03:00.440 --> 0:03:03.640
<v Speaker 2>reproductive health was. It wasn't until a couple of years

0:03:03.720 --> 0:03:06.160
<v Speaker 2>later that I was talking to some girlfriends at school

0:03:06.560 --> 0:03:11.120
<v Speaker 2>regarding just our period, just girl talk, and they had

0:03:11.160 --> 0:03:13.800
<v Speaker 2>brought up the topic of tampons, and I went into

0:03:13.800 --> 0:03:16.880
<v Speaker 2>detail regarding I thought there's something wrong with me because

0:03:16.880 --> 0:03:20.400
<v Speaker 2>I couldn't use them, and they told me, like, hey,

0:03:20.400 --> 0:03:23.679
<v Speaker 2>that's not normal to be bleeding. Still, that is kind

0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:25.840
<v Speaker 2>of what pequed my curiosity, and that I was as

0:03:25.919 --> 0:03:27.520
<v Speaker 2>young as like thirteen years old.

0:03:29.960 --> 0:03:34.720
<v Speaker 4>I can't imagine. First of all, eleven is young to

0:03:34.800 --> 0:03:38.800
<v Speaker 4>get your cycle and to have to kind of navigate

0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:42.600
<v Speaker 4>that in an environment where it's really obvious if you're

0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:47.160
<v Speaker 4>using something that's bulkier than a tampon, right, that must

0:03:47.160 --> 0:03:51.960
<v Speaker 4>have been difficult to process at that age.

0:03:52.200 --> 0:03:54.320
<v Speaker 2>It was really hard because for the longest time, I

0:03:54.360 --> 0:03:56.600
<v Speaker 2>really just thought that there was something wrong with me.

0:03:59.400 --> 0:04:03.240
<v Speaker 4>Already trying to navigate health challenges starting at only eleven

0:04:03.320 --> 0:04:07.840
<v Speaker 4>years old, Hally was also carrying the momentous weight of

0:04:07.880 --> 0:04:12.160
<v Speaker 4>having a terminally ill parent. My first question was going

0:04:12.240 --> 0:04:14.640
<v Speaker 4>to be didn't you go to your mother and did

0:04:14.640 --> 0:04:17.240
<v Speaker 4>you discuss your period with your mom? But your mom

0:04:17.360 --> 0:04:20.440
<v Speaker 4>had her hands full with something else. Can you talk

0:04:20.480 --> 0:04:24.280
<v Speaker 4>to me about what was happening with your father around

0:04:24.320 --> 0:04:25.200
<v Speaker 4>that same time?

0:04:25.680 --> 0:04:29.520
<v Speaker 2>My dad he had a rare form of cancer called paraganglioma.

0:04:30.200 --> 0:04:33.640
<v Speaker 2>He discovered that he had cancer when he was a teenager.

0:04:33.920 --> 0:04:37.360
<v Speaker 2>He beat it, and it resurfaced when I was really young.

0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:40.960
<v Speaker 2>I was like maybe seven eight years old, and the

0:04:41.040 --> 0:04:44.279
<v Speaker 2>cancer had spread to his brain and unfortunately it just

0:04:44.320 --> 0:04:48.799
<v Speaker 2>fantastasized and just took over his entire body. Around this time,

0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:52.120
<v Speaker 2>I was really diving headfirst into dance. That was my outlet.

0:04:52.200 --> 0:04:54.200
<v Speaker 2>That's what I used to cope with a lot of

0:04:54.279 --> 0:04:58.159
<v Speaker 2>the trauma of what was happening at home. And I

0:04:58.200 --> 0:04:59.680
<v Speaker 2>could have gone to my mom a course, and I

0:04:59.680 --> 0:05:02.240
<v Speaker 2>think I I did in many instances, but I didn't

0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:04.200
<v Speaker 2>want to burden her. I didn't want to bring this

0:05:04.279 --> 0:05:06.479
<v Speaker 2>up and ad extra stress to her. And again I

0:05:06.560 --> 0:05:09.240
<v Speaker 2>thought that I'm a girl, I'm a woman, you know, developing.

0:05:09.760 --> 0:05:12.320
<v Speaker 2>So I just kept it to myself for the longest

0:05:12.320 --> 0:05:14.640
<v Speaker 2>time that there was something occurring.

0:05:15.000 --> 0:05:18.279
<v Speaker 4>Because it wasn't just a question of tampons not working.

0:05:18.720 --> 0:05:21.480
<v Speaker 4>Your cramps were exceptionally painful.

0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:26.599
<v Speaker 2>Oh, for sure, it was debilitating. But I thought that

0:05:26.720 --> 0:05:29.120
<v Speaker 2>I was dramatic. I thought that I was just a

0:05:29.120 --> 0:05:32.520
<v Speaker 2>baby with a low pain tolerance, and talking to friends

0:05:32.560 --> 0:05:35.120
<v Speaker 2>and peers and people in dance class, people at school,

0:05:35.720 --> 0:05:38.279
<v Speaker 2>they would complain about cramps. But the way I was

0:05:38.279 --> 0:05:42.680
<v Speaker 2>feeling is that it was it was unbearable. I couldn't

0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:47.160
<v Speaker 2>get through my everyday life of school and dance and

0:05:47.360 --> 0:05:49.799
<v Speaker 2>normal things that my friends were able to do, no problem.

0:05:49.880 --> 0:05:53.600
<v Speaker 2>I was not able to do. And it was quite

0:05:53.680 --> 0:05:56.279
<v Speaker 2>embarrassing because I didn't know how to ask for help

0:05:56.320 --> 0:06:00.000
<v Speaker 2>and I didn't know how to get through the situation.

0:06:01.279 --> 0:06:06.880
<v Speaker 4>So you internalized all that I ignored it. So how

0:06:06.880 --> 0:06:09.760
<v Speaker 4>are you handling the pain during those teenage years in

0:06:09.839 --> 0:06:12.720
<v Speaker 4>late high school? Are you just taking over the counter

0:06:12.800 --> 0:06:13.400
<v Speaker 4>pain meds?

0:06:13.880 --> 0:06:17.320
<v Speaker 2>Yes, a lot of thailand all and ibuprofen, heating pads,

0:06:17.839 --> 0:06:20.880
<v Speaker 2>the works. I think that during this time in my life,

0:06:21.000 --> 0:06:25.000
<v Speaker 2>I was trying to figure out what was working best

0:06:25.000 --> 0:06:28.120
<v Speaker 2>for my body because I didn't know. And most people

0:06:28.200 --> 0:06:30.120
<v Speaker 2>are able to just take tilanol and keep going about

0:06:30.120 --> 0:06:33.159
<v Speaker 2>their day, and I didn't understand why I felt the

0:06:33.200 --> 0:06:35.520
<v Speaker 2>need to sit in the shower for five hours a day.

0:06:36.000 --> 0:06:38.560
<v Speaker 2>I was chronically fatigued. I couldn't keep up in my

0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:41.760
<v Speaker 2>dance classes. I was falling asleep in school. I really

0:06:41.760 --> 0:06:44.760
<v Speaker 2>didn't understand, but I was being told this is normal,

0:06:44.839 --> 0:06:46.640
<v Speaker 2>this is what you have to do. I didn't know

0:06:46.680 --> 0:06:47.159
<v Speaker 2>any better.

0:06:48.279 --> 0:06:53.680
<v Speaker 4>I can't imagine how that impacted you physically and emotionally

0:06:54.480 --> 0:06:57.360
<v Speaker 4>at that age, at a time when you were also

0:06:57.480 --> 0:07:03.120
<v Speaker 4>experiencing the trauma of watching your father fight that way.

0:07:03.560 --> 0:07:07.800
<v Speaker 2>My with dealing with it was just pushing it down

0:07:07.839 --> 0:07:10.720
<v Speaker 2>and ignoring it until it just bubbled over and it

0:07:10.760 --> 0:07:12.760
<v Speaker 2>got to a point where I couldn't take it anymore.

0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:16.640
<v Speaker 2>And it took many years of coming to a realization

0:07:16.880 --> 0:07:18.480
<v Speaker 2>that I needed help.

0:07:20.000 --> 0:07:22.960
<v Speaker 4>I know that before you got to that point, your

0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:24.760
<v Speaker 4>father eventually went into hospice.

0:07:24.840 --> 0:07:25.200
<v Speaker 2>He did.

0:07:25.920 --> 0:07:28.480
<v Speaker 4>And how old were you at that point, I was fourteen.

0:07:31.000 --> 0:07:37.080
<v Speaker 4>That must have been so painful on so many different levels.

0:07:37.520 --> 0:07:41.520
<v Speaker 2>It was really hard, and looking back, I didn't know

0:07:42.160 --> 0:07:46.560
<v Speaker 2>how to understand the situation as a life or death.

0:07:47.280 --> 0:07:49.239
<v Speaker 2>I mean, what kid can't like how do you explain

0:07:49.320 --> 0:07:53.640
<v Speaker 2>death to a child? Your dad is going to pass

0:07:53.680 --> 0:07:55.640
<v Speaker 2>away and you'll never be able to talk to him again.

0:07:55.680 --> 0:07:57.679
<v Speaker 2>And he's not going to be here for your wedding.

0:07:57.680 --> 0:07:59.760
<v Speaker 2>He's not going to be here for Bigie Bentz. So

0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:02.840
<v Speaker 2>I did my best with that, and I feel like

0:08:03.160 --> 0:08:05.240
<v Speaker 2>it made me and my family closer.

0:08:10.840 --> 0:08:14.760
<v Speaker 4>You were incredibly impacted by your interaction with the nurses

0:08:14.800 --> 0:08:16.560
<v Speaker 4>who treated your dad and house best.

0:08:16.760 --> 0:08:20.760
<v Speaker 2>Oh yeah, that's realistically what has led me to wanting

0:08:20.840 --> 0:08:24.120
<v Speaker 2>to continue my education in the healthcare field. The way

0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:26.320
<v Speaker 2>that they cared for my dad and the impact that

0:08:26.360 --> 0:08:28.880
<v Speaker 2>they had on me and my siblings and my mom.

0:08:29.200 --> 0:08:34.040
<v Speaker 2>They were really incredible. I just wanted to go into

0:08:34.080 --> 0:08:36.199
<v Speaker 2>a field in which I felt that I was making

0:08:36.440 --> 0:08:38.360
<v Speaker 2>an impact on other people as well.

0:08:38.840 --> 0:08:41.960
<v Speaker 4>So you have a clear vision of your future goals. Now,

0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:47.600
<v Speaker 4>becoming a nurse takes years and the expense of medical schooling.

0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:49.160
<v Speaker 4>How did you approach that?

0:08:49.600 --> 0:08:53.400
<v Speaker 2>So I actually joined the military, and that kind of

0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:57.320
<v Speaker 2>came out of left field in that moment. It was

0:08:57.360 --> 0:08:59.600
<v Speaker 2>what was right for me because I was knocking two

0:08:59.640 --> 0:09:02.360
<v Speaker 2>birds of one stone. I was getting an education at

0:09:02.400 --> 0:09:05.200
<v Speaker 2>the same time as continuing to have an amazing job,

0:09:05.280 --> 0:09:07.800
<v Speaker 2>and college was expensive. I wasn't sure how I was

0:09:07.840 --> 0:09:09.600
<v Speaker 2>going to pay for it. I had a single mom.

0:09:10.040 --> 0:09:11.800
<v Speaker 2>I was between a rock and a hard place, and

0:09:12.360 --> 0:09:14.400
<v Speaker 2>so I joined the military. And it was one of

0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:17.760
<v Speaker 2>the best decisions that I've made to continue my education

0:09:17.920 --> 0:09:19.960
<v Speaker 2>in healthcare, and that is kind of put me where

0:09:19.960 --> 0:09:20.480
<v Speaker 2>I am now.

0:09:22.160 --> 0:09:25.400
<v Speaker 4>Around that same time, you had already crossed paths with

0:09:25.440 --> 0:09:29.640
<v Speaker 4>the dashing man who would ultimately become your husband. Tell

0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:30.959
<v Speaker 4>me how you and Nick Mett.

0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:34.199
<v Speaker 2>So, me and Nick met at the gym. I was

0:09:34.360 --> 0:09:37.240
<v Speaker 2>training to leave for boot camp. I was not looking

0:09:37.280 --> 0:09:41.480
<v Speaker 2>for a relationship whatsoever. There were a couple instances in

0:09:41.520 --> 0:09:44.199
<v Speaker 2>which he tried to talk to me, and I wasn't

0:09:44.200 --> 0:09:46.319
<v Speaker 2>having it. I was just worried about how many push

0:09:46.400 --> 0:09:50.640
<v Speaker 2>ups I can do. And eventually we had a really

0:09:50.679 --> 0:09:55.160
<v Speaker 2>good conversation and I knew, like, this guy's gonna change

0:09:55.240 --> 0:09:57.040
<v Speaker 2>my life. And he did.

0:09:57.760 --> 0:10:01.000
<v Speaker 4>And like many lasting love stories, Haley and Nick find

0:10:01.000 --> 0:10:03.760
<v Speaker 4>out that they have the same dreams for their future,

0:10:04.240 --> 0:10:08.720
<v Speaker 4>including their professional goals. And you you also are a nurse,

0:10:09.400 --> 0:10:12.000
<v Speaker 4>I am yes. When did you realize that you guys

0:10:12.160 --> 0:10:13.600
<v Speaker 4>had so much in common?

0:10:14.400 --> 0:10:18.240
<v Speaker 1>Honestly, right off the bat, everything was just amazing from

0:10:18.240 --> 0:10:21.600
<v Speaker 1>the get go. You know, we just had great conversations,

0:10:22.120 --> 0:10:25.200
<v Speaker 1>had similar morals, ideas of what we wanted to do

0:10:25.280 --> 0:10:28.160
<v Speaker 1>in life, and just everything was, you know, kind of

0:10:28.600 --> 0:10:32.880
<v Speaker 1>almost perfect. She's one of the most warm, loving, intelligent,

0:10:33.360 --> 0:10:36.440
<v Speaker 1>she's focused, so she's just an overall an amazing person.

0:10:37.360 --> 0:10:42.240
<v Speaker 4>And you fell fast and furiously in love, very very fast.

0:10:42.679 --> 0:10:44.960
<v Speaker 2>We only dated for a few months before we got married,

0:10:45.000 --> 0:10:47.840
<v Speaker 2>and I know that's very controversial, and we got a

0:10:47.840 --> 0:10:50.319
<v Speaker 2>lot of pushback from family and friends who thought that

0:10:50.360 --> 0:10:52.959
<v Speaker 2>we were crazy, but truly, when you.

0:10:52.920 --> 0:10:57.920
<v Speaker 4>Know, you know, and no they did. Freshly wed, Haley

0:10:58.080 --> 0:11:05.520
<v Speaker 4>leaves her life behind. Tell me about your first night

0:11:05.559 --> 0:11:06.200
<v Speaker 4>at boot camp.

0:11:07.760 --> 0:11:12.959
<v Speaker 2>I think everybody's first night is really hard. It's very emotional.

0:11:14.760 --> 0:11:19.120
<v Speaker 2>You don't know what's happening. You're scared, and you're thrown

0:11:19.160 --> 0:11:22.640
<v Speaker 2>into this completely new situation and have no idea what

0:11:22.720 --> 0:11:27.319
<v Speaker 2>to expect. It was a bay of like thirty other

0:11:27.360 --> 0:11:29.760
<v Speaker 2>women and we all just got in our little beds

0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:33.640
<v Speaker 2>and we cried the first night. And I think anybody

0:11:33.640 --> 0:11:38.000
<v Speaker 2>who goes through boot camp can relate to that, because

0:11:38.600 --> 0:11:40.600
<v Speaker 2>you kind of regret what you sign up for the

0:11:40.600 --> 0:11:43.640
<v Speaker 2>first few weeks because it's a lot. It's a lot

0:11:43.679 --> 0:11:44.120
<v Speaker 2>to take in.

0:11:45.720 --> 0:11:53.240
<v Speaker 4>Tell me about how you navigated your cycle and your

0:11:53.320 --> 0:11:55.760
<v Speaker 4>pain during boot camp.

0:11:56.960 --> 0:11:59.720
<v Speaker 2>Up until this point, I had gotten a really good

0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:02.280
<v Speaker 2>self care during my cycles, and I really knew what

0:12:02.320 --> 0:12:04.199
<v Speaker 2>to expect it. I knew how to prepare for it.

0:12:04.720 --> 0:12:07.000
<v Speaker 2>I used to prep my body the day before I

0:12:07.040 --> 0:12:08.760
<v Speaker 2>was supposed to start my cycle, or a few days

0:12:08.760 --> 0:12:11.000
<v Speaker 2>before I would start my cycle, I would be taking

0:12:11.080 --> 0:12:12.280
<v Speaker 2>I'd be profen around.

0:12:12.040 --> 0:12:14.280
<v Speaker 4>The clock, because that would help you get ahead of

0:12:14.320 --> 0:12:14.600
<v Speaker 4>the pain.

0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:16.640
<v Speaker 2>Exactly. I had to get ahead of the pain to

0:12:16.679 --> 0:12:20.080
<v Speaker 2>be able to even function. I had sat down with

0:12:20.160 --> 0:12:23.920
<v Speaker 2>my recruiter a few weeks before leaving, and I remember

0:12:24.000 --> 0:12:26.360
<v Speaker 2>he had stated that I couldn't take any over the

0:12:26.400 --> 0:12:30.640
<v Speaker 2>counterramification with me, that anything I needed or wanted would

0:12:30.679 --> 0:12:33.120
<v Speaker 2>have to be prescribed by a medical professional when I

0:12:33.160 --> 0:12:37.080
<v Speaker 2>get there. So when I had got my first cycle,

0:12:38.400 --> 0:12:42.520
<v Speaker 2>I was brought to my knees in pain. It was horrible.

0:12:42.720 --> 0:12:44.960
<v Speaker 2>It was awful. It was one of the heaviest cycles

0:12:44.960 --> 0:12:48.560
<v Speaker 2>I've ever had. I was at a loss because I

0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:52.800
<v Speaker 2>didn't want to speak up, because when you're in boot camp,

0:12:53.720 --> 0:12:55.960
<v Speaker 2>you don't bring up your medical issues because you get

0:12:55.960 --> 0:13:00.440
<v Speaker 2>looked at like you can't hang. You're trying to be

0:13:00.480 --> 0:13:03.520
<v Speaker 2>a part of the military if you're crying about mental crops, like,

0:13:03.520 --> 0:13:04.920
<v Speaker 2>what are you going to do during war?

0:13:08.960 --> 0:13:12.239
<v Speaker 4>So what did you do? How did you manage?

0:13:12.520 --> 0:13:16.760
<v Speaker 2>I was trying to get through the pain by rationing

0:13:17.160 --> 0:13:20.760
<v Speaker 2>my protein bars, and I was trading them with other

0:13:20.800 --> 0:13:23.360
<v Speaker 2>girls to try and get their doses of tailanol. I

0:13:23.400 --> 0:13:25.240
<v Speaker 2>had a friend who had twisted her ankle a couple

0:13:25.320 --> 0:13:28.600
<v Speaker 2>weeks prior, and she had tailan al just in her locker.

0:13:29.400 --> 0:13:31.320
<v Speaker 2>But we're not allowed to share things, like you could

0:13:31.320 --> 0:13:33.560
<v Speaker 2>get a really big trouble for giving your medication to

0:13:33.559 --> 0:13:36.320
<v Speaker 2>other people. So I was slipping her my protein bars

0:13:36.360 --> 0:13:40.000
<v Speaker 2>and she would give me doses of thailand all. My

0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:43.800
<v Speaker 2>biggest fear was being sent home, especially over something that

0:13:44.080 --> 0:13:46.920
<v Speaker 2>I learned to manage. But I was put in a

0:13:46.960 --> 0:13:49.599
<v Speaker 2>position that all my resources were taken away from me

0:13:50.000 --> 0:13:51.880
<v Speaker 2>and I couldn't manage.

0:13:52.800 --> 0:13:56.520
<v Speaker 4>Unable to rely on the pain medication she so desperately

0:13:56.600 --> 0:14:00.680
<v Speaker 4>needed to function, Hallie is suffering more than ever and

0:14:00.960 --> 0:14:04.760
<v Speaker 4>under the scrutinizing eyes of her superiors and peers alike.

0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:08.520
<v Speaker 4>She writes to Nick every day while away at boot camp,

0:14:08.920 --> 0:14:10.840
<v Speaker 4>detailing her daily struggles.

0:14:11.360 --> 0:14:16.520
<v Speaker 1>In this letter, she wrote this May thirtieth of twenty twenty.

0:14:16.720 --> 0:14:20.040
<v Speaker 1>It states that when I woke up and I woke

0:14:20.120 --> 0:14:23.360
<v Speaker 1>up to a crime scene and physically dying, You see

0:14:23.400 --> 0:14:26.080
<v Speaker 1>me dying with Thailand hall, lots and lots of tile

0:14:26.200 --> 0:14:30.080
<v Speaker 1>hall right at four forty five. When NTI came in,

0:14:30.880 --> 0:14:34.400
<v Speaker 1>I immediately asked for a medical appointment to get some pain medicine.

0:14:35.560 --> 0:14:37.520
<v Speaker 1>They said I would have to go to the emergency

0:14:37.600 --> 0:14:39.840
<v Speaker 1>room an ambulance and they probably am making to spend

0:14:39.840 --> 0:14:42.880
<v Speaker 1>the night in the yar. Trust me, I'm dying a

0:14:43.080 --> 0:14:47.160
<v Speaker 1>slow death right now. I've been debating on just going

0:14:47.280 --> 0:14:49.320
<v Speaker 1>because they didn't sleep at all last night. I'm an

0:14:49.320 --> 0:14:50.720
<v Speaker 1>exhausted them in so much pains.

0:14:53.080 --> 0:14:55.160
<v Speaker 4>So when she said she woke up to a crime scene,

0:14:55.280 --> 0:14:59.880
<v Speaker 4>that meant that she had led all over typically. Yeah,

0:15:00.280 --> 0:15:02.440
<v Speaker 4>what was it like to be on the receiving end

0:15:02.520 --> 0:15:03.240
<v Speaker 4>of that though?

0:15:04.280 --> 0:15:08.200
<v Speaker 1>You know, getting the letter and reading it afterwards, it

0:15:08.240 --> 0:15:10.680
<v Speaker 1>makes you really like think and wonder, like, Wow, she

0:15:10.800 --> 0:15:14.120
<v Speaker 1>was going through hell during those time periods and she

0:15:14.240 --> 0:15:15.760
<v Speaker 1>just had to push through it. And I thought that

0:15:15.800 --> 0:15:19.680
<v Speaker 1>she's a strong and amazing woman, and honestly, I'm.

0:15:19.520 --> 0:15:20.240
<v Speaker 2>Very proud of her.

0:15:23.200 --> 0:15:27.040
<v Speaker 4>Haley, like many young women, was operating without a manual

0:15:27.080 --> 0:15:30.160
<v Speaker 4>when it comes to their own reproductive health, a far

0:15:30.320 --> 0:15:35.800
<v Speaker 4>too common phenomenon. Doctor Lucky Sekhan, fertility expert and intochronologist,

0:15:35.960 --> 0:15:37.160
<v Speaker 4>sees it all the time.

0:15:38.240 --> 0:15:41.960
<v Speaker 3>It's just been ingrained in the fabric of our society.

0:15:42.240 --> 0:15:45.600
<v Speaker 5>Women just needing to grin and bear it.

0:15:46.200 --> 0:15:48.200
<v Speaker 4>That's what was happening to Haley at boot camp. She

0:15:48.280 --> 0:15:51.920
<v Speaker 4>knew something was wrong, but her doctors kept prescribing pain

0:15:52.000 --> 0:15:55.640
<v Speaker 4>medications or telling her to soldier through it. Does that

0:15:55.800 --> 0:15:59.640
<v Speaker 4>surprise you And why do you think in general women

0:16:00.040 --> 0:16:02.119
<v Speaker 4>are used to having their pain dismissed.

0:16:03.480 --> 0:16:05.680
<v Speaker 3>I think it's only now that we're certain to have

0:16:05.720 --> 0:16:09.920
<v Speaker 3>these conversations and talk about how a lot of women

0:16:10.040 --> 0:16:14.760
<v Speaker 3>face dismissal and having their complaints ignored, and they themselves

0:16:14.800 --> 0:16:18.680
<v Speaker 3>are dismissing their own complaints. Sometimes people when I speak

0:16:18.720 --> 0:16:21.600
<v Speaker 3>to them, I'm like, tell me about your periods, And

0:16:21.920 --> 0:16:24.160
<v Speaker 3>a lot of women are like, yeah, it's fine.

0:16:24.960 --> 0:16:26.840
<v Speaker 5>What do you mean you miss school? What do you

0:16:26.840 --> 0:16:28.040
<v Speaker 5>mean you've missed days of work?

0:16:28.040 --> 0:16:30.640
<v Speaker 3>Because you're a period that's not normal? And so I

0:16:30.680 --> 0:16:33.920
<v Speaker 3>think it starts with early education. I think there's been

0:16:33.960 --> 0:16:38.400
<v Speaker 3>a lack of proper education there's just this focus on

0:16:38.480 --> 0:16:42.000
<v Speaker 3>avoiding teen pregnancy, and that's really what health class is

0:16:42.000 --> 0:16:45.600
<v Speaker 3>all about. I don't remember anyone really telling me an

0:16:45.600 --> 0:16:49.480
<v Speaker 3>irregular cycle, a really painful cycle, a very heavy period,

0:16:50.400 --> 0:16:52.920
<v Speaker 3>what is normal? What is abnormal? And what is a

0:16:52.960 --> 0:16:55.240
<v Speaker 3>red flag? And why is it important? There was none

0:16:55.280 --> 0:16:56.000
<v Speaker 3>of that education.

0:16:57.120 --> 0:17:01.000
<v Speaker 4>Having dealt with immobilizing menstrual pain since she was eleven,

0:17:01.520 --> 0:17:04.960
<v Speaker 4>Haley had normalized this as part of her life. Now,

0:17:05.000 --> 0:17:08.439
<v Speaker 4>eight years into this chronic battle, Halee is forced to

0:17:08.440 --> 0:17:11.760
<v Speaker 4>suffer through symptoms at boot camp without access to the

0:17:11.800 --> 0:17:15.320
<v Speaker 4>pain medication she's become reliant on to make it through

0:17:15.320 --> 0:17:20.960
<v Speaker 4>her cycles. That must have been psychologically grueling.

0:17:21.640 --> 0:17:26.800
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, my options were to speak up and look weak

0:17:27.640 --> 0:17:30.119
<v Speaker 2>or to get the help that I needed in that moment,

0:17:31.200 --> 0:17:35.280
<v Speaker 2>and it was hard. I wasn't willing to risk being

0:17:35.720 --> 0:17:38.400
<v Speaker 2>held back in boot camp, so I just kept pushing through.

0:17:39.080 --> 0:17:42.720
<v Speaker 2>The pain got so bad. We were running in the

0:17:42.720 --> 0:17:45.879
<v Speaker 2>morning and I felt so fatigued, so I knew just

0:17:45.920 --> 0:17:48.159
<v Speaker 2>that cycle was just going to be really bad. I

0:17:48.200 --> 0:17:51.680
<v Speaker 2>remember we were standing in line getting ready to leave

0:17:51.720 --> 0:17:56.960
<v Speaker 2>the dorm and the cramps were getting unbearable. I remember

0:17:57.400 --> 0:18:01.560
<v Speaker 2>I was sweating, I was shaking. My vision started to

0:18:01.760 --> 0:18:06.160
<v Speaker 2>get very blurry, and I felt my knees were going

0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:10.560
<v Speaker 2>to give out. I pressed up against the wall and

0:18:10.800 --> 0:18:15.160
<v Speaker 2>just kind of slid down, and I remember within an instant,

0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:16.160
<v Speaker 2>it just kind of went black.

0:18:20.359 --> 0:18:24.159
<v Speaker 4>We'll be right back with Symptomatic, a Medical Mystery Podcast.

0:18:25.480 --> 0:18:30.639
<v Speaker 4>Now back to Symptomatic, a Medical Mystery Podcast. Halle is

0:18:30.640 --> 0:18:34.720
<v Speaker 4>fighting every day of boot camp with near incapacitating menstrual

0:18:34.800 --> 0:18:41.240
<v Speaker 4>cycle symptoms, heavy bleeding, intense fatigue, and indescribable pain, all

0:18:41.280 --> 0:18:45.960
<v Speaker 4>without access to pain medication. After weeks of discomfort, pile up,

0:18:46.359 --> 0:18:50.560
<v Speaker 4>Halle's body gives out. Take me to the moment you

0:18:50.720 --> 0:18:53.119
<v Speaker 4>passed out and when you came to.

0:18:54.960 --> 0:18:57.240
<v Speaker 2>I just kept pushing my body and I knew eventually

0:18:57.200 --> 0:19:00.719
<v Speaker 2>it was just going to give out. I remember we

0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:04.600
<v Speaker 2>were standing in line getting ready to leave the dorm

0:19:04.840 --> 0:19:08.960
<v Speaker 2>and the cramps were getting unbearable. I was sweating, I

0:19:09.080 --> 0:19:13.280
<v Speaker 2>was shaking, and my vision started to get very blurry,

0:19:13.920 --> 0:19:17.280
<v Speaker 2>and I felt like my knees were going to give out.

0:19:18.880 --> 0:19:21.600
<v Speaker 2>I pressed up against the wall and just kind of

0:19:21.600 --> 0:19:24.840
<v Speaker 2>slid down. Within an instant, it just kind of went black.

0:19:26.840 --> 0:19:32.480
<v Speaker 2>I lost consciousness for a few seconds. I remember looking

0:19:32.600 --> 0:19:36.920
<v Speaker 2>up and the dorm chief was there. She was really concerned.

0:19:37.320 --> 0:19:39.399
<v Speaker 2>She was just trying to, you know, give me some

0:19:39.480 --> 0:19:43.480
<v Speaker 2>space and getting everybody away from me. And she eventually

0:19:43.480 --> 0:19:47.040
<v Speaker 2>told the MTI Military Training instructor that something was wrong,

0:19:47.520 --> 0:19:50.320
<v Speaker 2>and they were already pushing me through to go to

0:19:50.400 --> 0:19:51.280
<v Speaker 2>the emergency room.

0:19:52.320 --> 0:19:55.760
<v Speaker 4>And what advice were you given?

0:19:57.080 --> 0:20:01.160
<v Speaker 2>They just kept passing the buck and I was there temporarily,

0:20:01.600 --> 0:20:04.320
<v Speaker 2>and I had started to open up about the painful

0:20:04.320 --> 0:20:08.520
<v Speaker 2>periods and how heavy that they are. Right away, they

0:20:08.560 --> 0:20:12.240
<v Speaker 2>always just say, oh, painful periods, It's normal. But once

0:20:12.280 --> 0:20:14.119
<v Speaker 2>I tried to open up more and express this is

0:20:14.119 --> 0:20:15.639
<v Speaker 2>getting to be a little bit too much, like it

0:20:15.760 --> 0:20:17.800
<v Speaker 2>just passed out because I had period cramps.

0:20:18.200 --> 0:20:20.120
<v Speaker 4>Was it a male doctor or a doctor?

0:20:20.400 --> 0:20:22.679
<v Speaker 2>He had told me, wait until you get to your

0:20:22.680 --> 0:20:24.840
<v Speaker 2>next duty station, which for me would have been tech school,

0:20:24.960 --> 0:20:26.280
<v Speaker 2>because I was going to be there just a little

0:20:26.280 --> 0:20:28.680
<v Speaker 2>bit longer. So his only advice was just to wait

0:20:28.760 --> 0:20:31.159
<v Speaker 2>until I saw somebody more permanent. And I think he

0:20:31.200 --> 0:20:33.040
<v Speaker 2>was looking out for me because he didn't want me

0:20:33.119 --> 0:20:36.600
<v Speaker 2>to get held back for medical reasons. So I can

0:20:36.640 --> 0:20:38.760
<v Speaker 2>look back and think this doctor, But at the same time,

0:20:38.960 --> 0:20:42.080
<v Speaker 2>it just reinforced the idea that nobody's taking me seriously.

0:20:42.680 --> 0:20:46.399
<v Speaker 4>It is a different level of pain to be told

0:20:46.520 --> 0:20:51.280
<v Speaker 4>by a male doctor that being incredible pain is just normal.

0:20:51.480 --> 0:20:54.720
<v Speaker 2>Yeah for a woman. Yeah. The entire time I was

0:20:54.720 --> 0:20:59.560
<v Speaker 2>in was if you cannot push through, then you shouldn't

0:20:59.560 --> 0:21:01.480
<v Speaker 2>be in the middle terry. And as much as I

0:21:01.520 --> 0:21:06.040
<v Speaker 2>would agree with that to a certain extent, it's agonizing

0:21:06.160 --> 0:21:10.119
<v Speaker 2>to have to live through it constantly and constantly being dismissed.

0:21:10.720 --> 0:21:13.200
<v Speaker 2>It just scared me, and it scared me into staying

0:21:13.240 --> 0:21:14.520
<v Speaker 2>silent for a long time.

0:21:15.200 --> 0:21:18.919
<v Speaker 4>Silently suffering, but feeling sure at this point something was

0:21:19.040 --> 0:21:22.439
<v Speaker 4>truly a miss. Haley took it upon herself to try

0:21:22.560 --> 0:21:24.199
<v Speaker 4>to get to the bottom of her symptoms.

0:21:24.920 --> 0:21:27.439
<v Speaker 2>For many years, I started to put puddlesle pieces together,

0:21:28.160 --> 0:21:30.879
<v Speaker 2>and I started to, I guess, like doctor Google. I

0:21:30.920 --> 0:21:33.800
<v Speaker 2>was googling my symptoms, googling some of the manifestations that

0:21:33.840 --> 0:21:36.920
<v Speaker 2>I had found dealing with my heavy periods. It kind

0:21:36.920 --> 0:21:41.440
<v Speaker 2>of pointed me into the direction of this really rare condition.

0:21:42.200 --> 0:21:45.920
<v Speaker 2>But it is so rare that anytime I brought it up,

0:21:46.080 --> 0:21:48.600
<v Speaker 2>I was immediately dismissed.

0:21:49.560 --> 0:21:53.160
<v Speaker 4>Although Hally feels certain that doctors should be looking into

0:21:53.240 --> 0:21:56.919
<v Speaker 4>this rare condition she believes that she might have. She

0:21:57.119 --> 0:21:57.879
<v Speaker 4>is dismissed.

0:21:58.760 --> 0:22:01.640
<v Speaker 3>People have hunches about their bodies, but they are lay

0:22:01.640 --> 0:22:04.760
<v Speaker 3>people and they're trusting the doctors and the experts. And

0:22:04.880 --> 0:22:07.960
<v Speaker 3>I think our healthcare system is set up to have

0:22:08.080 --> 0:22:08.879
<v Speaker 3>doctors fail.

0:22:09.760 --> 0:22:11.240
<v Speaker 5>It's not necessarily of doctor's faults.

0:22:11.280 --> 0:22:13.119
<v Speaker 3>It's the system that they're in that they only have

0:22:13.119 --> 0:22:16.400
<v Speaker 3>fifteen minutes with each patient, and that does not lend

0:22:16.400 --> 0:22:19.840
<v Speaker 3>itself to these complex discussions and the education that is

0:22:19.880 --> 0:22:22.560
<v Speaker 3>really needed, especially when people are coming in completely blind

0:22:22.680 --> 0:22:23.200
<v Speaker 3>and naive.

0:22:24.480 --> 0:22:27.120
<v Speaker 4>What are some of the clear symptoms that would show

0:22:27.200 --> 0:22:29.840
<v Speaker 4>up in someone with a reproductive anomaly.

0:22:30.720 --> 0:22:33.320
<v Speaker 3>If someone says something along the lines of I've always

0:22:33.359 --> 0:22:36.400
<v Speaker 3>had a hard time with sex or with using tampons.

0:22:37.000 --> 0:22:41.000
<v Speaker 3>If someone says they have really severe, painful periods that

0:22:41.040 --> 0:22:44.000
<v Speaker 3>don't respond well to medication, I mean that could mean

0:22:44.040 --> 0:22:46.400
<v Speaker 3>a lot of things. But a lot of these anomalies

0:22:46.440 --> 0:22:50.600
<v Speaker 3>can lead to a higher incidence of abnormal pain with MENSIS,

0:22:50.720 --> 0:22:54.360
<v Speaker 3>because you can have obstruction of the outflow that leads

0:22:54.440 --> 0:22:55.560
<v Speaker 3>to back pressure.

0:22:55.240 --> 0:22:57.680
<v Speaker 5>And that could be really extremely painful.

0:22:59.480 --> 0:23:02.240
<v Speaker 3>And I would say it's just anything unusual that doesn't

0:23:02.240 --> 0:23:05.480
<v Speaker 3>sound like a normal menstrual outflow pattern where you normally like, okay,

0:23:05.480 --> 0:23:08.760
<v Speaker 3>I have a period for five to seven days each month,

0:23:09.240 --> 0:23:10.959
<v Speaker 3>but if someone's like, no, I'm kind of bleeding all

0:23:11.000 --> 0:23:14.520
<v Speaker 3>over the place, I think that could be much more problematic.

0:23:16.040 --> 0:23:19.800
<v Speaker 4>All of these symptoms that doctor Lucky describes, Halle had

0:23:19.840 --> 0:23:23.280
<v Speaker 4>been living with now for almost a decade without any

0:23:23.320 --> 0:23:27.320
<v Speaker 4>answers or support. After a harrowing couple of months in

0:23:27.359 --> 0:23:31.720
<v Speaker 4>boot camp, Halle completes her training. So where were you

0:23:31.800 --> 0:23:36.480
<v Speaker 4>stationed Las Vegas? Just explain the stress of that position

0:23:37.080 --> 0:23:40.160
<v Speaker 4>and what a typical day looked like that you had

0:23:40.160 --> 0:23:43.119
<v Speaker 4>to get through even when your symptoms were in full flare.

0:23:43.760 --> 0:23:45.760
<v Speaker 2>The unit that I worked on was an impatient unit,

0:23:45.840 --> 0:23:50.040
<v Speaker 2>so we were a combined unit of ICU, Medsarge and

0:23:50.240 --> 0:23:54.240
<v Speaker 2>Labor and Delivery, and so it was very stressful. I'm

0:23:54.280 --> 0:23:58.120
<v Speaker 2>currently I primarily worked in the Medsarge section of this unit.

0:23:58.760 --> 0:24:01.800
<v Speaker 2>I was working twelve to fourteen hour shifts like it

0:24:01.840 --> 0:24:04.520
<v Speaker 2>was insane work. That's the hardest I've ever worked in

0:24:04.520 --> 0:24:07.400
<v Speaker 2>my entire life. I was mentally exhausted, I was physically exhausted.

0:24:07.720 --> 0:24:10.240
<v Speaker 2>So the days that I had my e mentional cycle

0:24:10.280 --> 0:24:12.639
<v Speaker 2>on top of it, I couldn't do it. There was

0:24:12.760 --> 0:24:16.680
<v Speaker 2>multiple instances where I felt like I was being targeted

0:24:17.200 --> 0:24:20.760
<v Speaker 2>because I needed time off. I got the worst assignments.

0:24:21.359 --> 0:24:24.640
<v Speaker 2>I was getting looked at differently, I was getting treated differently,

0:24:25.359 --> 0:24:27.800
<v Speaker 2>and so I did my best to push it down

0:24:27.880 --> 0:24:29.800
<v Speaker 2>and to push it aside and to deal with it.

0:24:29.840 --> 0:24:37.040
<v Speaker 2>But I broke. There was many times I would have

0:24:37.080 --> 0:24:39.119
<v Speaker 2>to just lock myself in this ply room and just

0:24:39.760 --> 0:24:43.320
<v Speaker 2>cry because going to the emergency room, they're not going

0:24:43.400 --> 0:24:46.320
<v Speaker 2>to do anything for me. I have period cramps, like

0:24:46.359 --> 0:24:49.480
<v Speaker 2>I've done that before. I've gone to seek help and

0:24:49.520 --> 0:24:51.919
<v Speaker 2>I'm just pushed aside.

0:24:52.000 --> 0:24:55.720
<v Speaker 4>And to have all of that while you feel like

0:24:55.800 --> 0:25:00.480
<v Speaker 4>people are rolling their eyes, yeah, every single time you

0:25:01.359 --> 0:25:02.439
<v Speaker 4>reach out for help.

0:25:02.800 --> 0:25:06.639
<v Speaker 2>Yeah, it was heartbreaking and it really made me question myself,

0:25:07.720 --> 0:25:10.720
<v Speaker 2>especially because I didn't have full access just to take

0:25:10.760 --> 0:25:13.160
<v Speaker 2>the day off and call off work and take care

0:25:13.200 --> 0:25:15.879
<v Speaker 2>of myself. Like I had to learn how to push

0:25:15.960 --> 0:25:20.960
<v Speaker 2>through and learn how to suppress these feelings and emotions

0:25:21.000 --> 0:25:24.840
<v Speaker 2>and not complain and just do whatever I could. You

0:25:24.880 --> 0:25:28.359
<v Speaker 2>take care of yourself, then you sacrifice your job. You

0:25:28.400 --> 0:25:30.760
<v Speaker 2>take care of yourself, and there's consequences.

0:25:31.240 --> 0:25:35.280
<v Speaker 4>How did this pressure to always act like you were, okay,

0:25:35.800 --> 0:25:36.880
<v Speaker 4>make you feel.

0:25:37.359 --> 0:25:41.080
<v Speaker 2>That really caused me to have anxiety for a lot

0:25:41.080 --> 0:25:44.359
<v Speaker 2>of my time in service, and especially because I didn't

0:25:44.400 --> 0:25:47.760
<v Speaker 2>have the answer yet. I was terrified of the unknown.

0:25:48.640 --> 0:25:51.920
<v Speaker 4>Right, And that anxiety comes from a really a very

0:25:51.960 --> 0:25:55.560
<v Speaker 4>real place, because you had already passed out while at

0:25:55.560 --> 0:25:58.960
<v Speaker 4>boot camp, which must have always been on the back

0:25:58.960 --> 0:26:02.240
<v Speaker 4>of your mind, and then one day you were in

0:26:02.480 --> 0:26:06.439
<v Speaker 4>so much visible agony that a colleague of yours was

0:26:06.600 --> 0:26:08.840
<v Speaker 4>really worried. Take me to that day.

0:26:09.760 --> 0:26:12.560
<v Speaker 2>So me and the specific coworker, she's a registered nurse,

0:26:12.600 --> 0:26:14.680
<v Speaker 2>she was one of our element leaders in the unit.

0:26:15.280 --> 0:26:17.240
<v Speaker 2>Me and her were working on a project together for

0:26:17.359 --> 0:26:21.200
<v Speaker 2>Nurse Tech Week. She saw I was like sweating and trembling.

0:26:22.240 --> 0:26:25.280
<v Speaker 2>She didn't know what was wrong. I just told her cramps,

0:26:25.480 --> 0:26:28.359
<v Speaker 2>and she asked a lot of follow up questions because

0:26:28.760 --> 0:26:31.040
<v Speaker 2>I think that she had struggled with bad mentional cramps

0:26:31.080 --> 0:26:35.159
<v Speaker 2>as well, asking what a my cycles look like. And

0:26:35.200 --> 0:26:37.680
<v Speaker 2>once I divulge him the information, she was like, yeah,

0:26:38.000 --> 0:26:39.080
<v Speaker 2>that's not normal.

0:26:40.840 --> 0:26:42.280
<v Speaker 4>What did you think when she said that?

0:26:43.200 --> 0:26:46.040
<v Speaker 2>I think having somebody just like validate that it's not

0:26:46.160 --> 0:26:48.720
<v Speaker 2>normal kind of was like, Okay, no, it's not normal.

0:26:48.720 --> 0:26:51.160
<v Speaker 4>You're right, and how old are you? At this time?

0:26:51.320 --> 0:26:53.960
<v Speaker 2>I was twenty two, so I've been dealing with this

0:26:54.080 --> 0:26:56.359
<v Speaker 2>for over ten years at this point. Just trial and

0:26:56.480 --> 0:26:59.399
<v Speaker 2>error of trying to figure out what works and what

0:26:59.480 --> 0:27:01.840
<v Speaker 2>doesn't work can led me there.

0:27:03.600 --> 0:27:08.480
<v Speaker 4>And for the first time since she started experiencing debilitating

0:27:08.560 --> 0:27:13.080
<v Speaker 4>period cramps, heavy bleeding, and all around crippling menstrual cycles,

0:27:13.480 --> 0:27:16.639
<v Speaker 4>Hally was able to convince a doctor to agree to

0:27:16.680 --> 0:27:20.880
<v Speaker 4>an ultrasound. That's a medical imaging technique that uses high

0:27:20.880 --> 0:27:26.080
<v Speaker 4>frequency sound weaves to create detailed images of internal body structures.

0:27:26.520 --> 0:27:28.440
<v Speaker 4>What was it like getting that ultrasound?

0:27:29.520 --> 0:27:35.399
<v Speaker 2>The ultrasound texts, I knew we're making small talk, chit chat,

0:27:35.840 --> 0:27:39.240
<v Speaker 2>talking about work, talking about life, and I noticed that

0:27:39.280 --> 0:27:42.680
<v Speaker 2>she had turned the screen away from me. I felt

0:27:42.760 --> 0:27:47.000
<v Speaker 2>that the energy in the room shifted. She got just

0:27:47.080 --> 0:27:49.800
<v Speaker 2>quiet and told me we're done. You can get dressed.

0:27:50.880 --> 0:27:55.000
<v Speaker 2>So as I was leaving, the radiology department had one

0:27:55.040 --> 0:27:56.879
<v Speaker 2>big room with a bunch of computer screens where all

0:27:56.880 --> 0:28:00.960
<v Speaker 2>the radiologists in rad tech sit to like review. All

0:28:01.040 --> 0:28:04.720
<v Speaker 2>of them were all surrounding like one computer, and as

0:28:04.760 --> 0:28:06.760
<v Speaker 2>I walked out the room, they all turned their head

0:28:06.760 --> 0:28:10.760
<v Speaker 2>and looked at me. I walked out of that ultrasound

0:28:10.760 --> 0:28:16.040
<v Speaker 2>thinking I had cancer because the family history with my dad.

0:28:16.520 --> 0:28:18.919
<v Speaker 2>I was convinced, did you think you were dying?

0:28:19.040 --> 0:28:19.320
<v Speaker 4>I did.

0:28:19.440 --> 0:28:24.080
<v Speaker 2>I thought I was dying. Every possible scenario went through

0:28:24.119 --> 0:28:26.399
<v Speaker 2>my head during this moment.

0:28:26.840 --> 0:28:30.919
<v Speaker 1>Hailey's father passed from cancer. And I think that was

0:28:31.240 --> 0:28:36.640
<v Speaker 1>a really great concern. There's clearly something wrong occurring. Could

0:28:36.640 --> 0:28:39.680
<v Speaker 1>it be linked? And I think it was scary. I

0:28:39.720 --> 0:28:42.160
<v Speaker 1>think that's the biggest thing to say. It was a

0:28:42.200 --> 0:28:43.479
<v Speaker 1>scary conversation to have.

0:28:45.680 --> 0:28:48.640
<v Speaker 2>And yeah, it was a Friday, so I was not

0:28:48.760 --> 0:28:51.920
<v Speaker 2>expecting to get my results and I was terrified that

0:28:51.920 --> 0:28:53.640
<v Speaker 2>I would have to sit with that during the weekend.

0:28:54.120 --> 0:28:56.640
<v Speaker 2>Another primary care doctor, another doctor actually worked as She

0:28:56.840 --> 0:28:58.920
<v Speaker 2>ended up calling me at like eight thirty at night

0:28:59.120 --> 0:29:01.720
<v Speaker 2>to give me the result on a Friday, on a Friday,

0:29:02.160 --> 0:29:05.560
<v Speaker 2>because I don't think anybody was expecting what they found.

0:29:06.320 --> 0:29:08.720
<v Speaker 4>Tell me exactly what she told you over the phone.

0:29:09.480 --> 0:29:12.280
<v Speaker 2>When I picked up the phone, she was like, I

0:29:12.320 --> 0:29:15.520
<v Speaker 2>wanted to tell you that we found that you have

0:29:15.680 --> 0:29:22.560
<v Speaker 2>uterust idelphis. I remember just sinking in my chair. I

0:29:22.680 --> 0:29:24.960
<v Speaker 2>knew it. I knew that that's what it was. That's

0:29:24.960 --> 0:29:26.160
<v Speaker 2>the only thing that made sense.

0:29:26.880 --> 0:29:31.440
<v Speaker 4>Uterist idelphus is a rare congenital condition where a person

0:29:31.520 --> 0:29:35.400
<v Speaker 4>is born with two uteruses, a condition so rare that

0:29:35.440 --> 0:29:39.960
<v Speaker 4>it's estimated to affect only zero point three percent of women,

0:29:40.440 --> 0:29:44.920
<v Speaker 4>so uncommon that many obstetrician gynecologists may never encounter a

0:29:44.960 --> 0:29:46.520
<v Speaker 4>case in their careers.

0:29:48.320 --> 0:29:51.040
<v Speaker 2>She had told me that on the ultrasound they had

0:29:51.080 --> 0:29:55.640
<v Speaker 2>saw that I have two complete sets of reproductive parts,

0:29:56.200 --> 0:30:03.560
<v Speaker 2>that I had two uteruses, two cervixes, and two vaginal openings,

0:30:04.400 --> 0:30:08.520
<v Speaker 2>and then each uterus each had their own ovary. My

0:30:08.600 --> 0:30:10.920
<v Speaker 2>next question was where do we go from here?

0:30:11.920 --> 0:30:13.640
<v Speaker 4>And what did they say?

0:30:14.600 --> 0:30:17.600
<v Speaker 2>She was really concerned about my kidneys because a lot

0:30:17.640 --> 0:30:21.560
<v Speaker 2>of people with malarium duct anomalies have issues with their kidneys,

0:30:21.840 --> 0:30:23.960
<v Speaker 2>So that was our next step. But other than that,

0:30:24.360 --> 0:30:26.440
<v Speaker 2>I don't think they knew enough to be able to

0:30:26.520 --> 0:30:28.520
<v Speaker 2>walk me through what this was going to look like

0:30:28.560 --> 0:30:32.080
<v Speaker 2>the rest of my life or moving forward trying to

0:30:32.080 --> 0:30:37.200
<v Speaker 2>start a family. And even though I got this diagnosis,

0:30:37.280 --> 0:30:41.400
<v Speaker 2>it just opened so many other questions up can I

0:30:41.440 --> 0:30:45.320
<v Speaker 2>have kids? Like is there a cure for this? Is

0:30:45.320 --> 0:30:46.520
<v Speaker 2>there a treatment for this?

0:30:47.680 --> 0:30:51.600
<v Speaker 4>After over a decade, Hallie finally has a name for

0:30:51.680 --> 0:30:55.080
<v Speaker 4>the condition that has made her life so painful at times,

0:30:55.480 --> 0:30:58.120
<v Speaker 4>but the condition is so rare that she'll need to

0:30:58.160 --> 0:31:01.880
<v Speaker 4>seek out a specialist in the field, someone like doctor

0:31:02.000 --> 0:31:02.880
<v Speaker 4>Lucky Scon.

0:31:03.600 --> 0:31:07.640
<v Speaker 3>When we form as embryos and as a fetus, we

0:31:07.720 --> 0:31:11.920
<v Speaker 3>don't just magically appear in a uterus overnight. There's a

0:31:12.120 --> 0:31:14.560
<v Speaker 3>very specific way that we go from a ball of

0:31:14.560 --> 0:31:17.959
<v Speaker 3>one hundred to two hundred cells into a fetus and

0:31:18.000 --> 0:31:21.560
<v Speaker 3>eventually a human being, a live born being with all

0:31:21.600 --> 0:31:25.400
<v Speaker 3>of our organs. And the way that our uterus forms,

0:31:25.520 --> 0:31:29.240
<v Speaker 3>it actually forms from two ducts that kind of come

0:31:29.280 --> 0:31:33.800
<v Speaker 3>together in fuse, and when that process is interrupted, which

0:31:33.840 --> 0:31:38.880
<v Speaker 3>can happen anywhere from late first trimester to mid second trimester,

0:31:40.080 --> 0:31:43.560
<v Speaker 3>your uterus may end up forming in a way where

0:31:43.600 --> 0:31:47.560
<v Speaker 3>there's an anomaly. It doesn't form a single cavity, and

0:31:47.640 --> 0:31:52.240
<v Speaker 3>so there's a very wide spectrum. There's like incomplete fusion

0:31:52.680 --> 0:31:55.880
<v Speaker 3>is having a uterine didelphus. You end up with two

0:31:55.920 --> 0:32:01.120
<v Speaker 3>separate uteruses and two separate cervixes, and you may even

0:32:01.200 --> 0:32:04.120
<v Speaker 3>have almost two separate vaginal canals because you can have

0:32:04.200 --> 0:32:06.680
<v Speaker 3>like a septim a wall of tissue dividing the vaginal

0:32:06.720 --> 0:32:07.560
<v Speaker 3>canal in half.

0:32:08.240 --> 0:32:11.480
<v Speaker 4>Even armed with an explanation, the rarity of the condition

0:32:11.720 --> 0:32:15.840
<v Speaker 4>presented new challenges for Haley and Mark, especially as a

0:32:15.880 --> 0:32:17.880
<v Speaker 4>young couple hoping to start a family.

0:32:18.640 --> 0:32:22.120
<v Speaker 1>There wasn't a lot of research. That was the scary part,

0:32:22.440 --> 0:32:26.080
<v Speaker 1>because it's so rare. We won't have exact answers.

0:32:26.560 --> 0:32:31.880
<v Speaker 4>What changed for you, guys once you had the diagnosis

0:32:33.040 --> 0:32:34.040
<v Speaker 4>Several things.

0:32:35.200 --> 0:32:39.480
<v Speaker 1>I think mindset. I think that's been the biggest thing

0:32:40.240 --> 0:32:43.520
<v Speaker 1>is that now it's like, Okay, now we have a diety,

0:32:43.800 --> 0:32:46.680
<v Speaker 1>we know where we're going towards, we have direction.

0:32:47.400 --> 0:32:50.280
<v Speaker 4>Were you tempted to call every single doctor who dismissed you?

0:32:50.920 --> 0:32:55.600
<v Speaker 2>I was angry for sure, because it went from you

0:32:55.680 --> 0:32:58.560
<v Speaker 2>have painful periods and I'm sorry, that's part of being

0:32:58.560 --> 0:33:02.560
<v Speaker 2>a girl, get over it, to more, Wow, this is

0:33:02.600 --> 0:33:05.560
<v Speaker 2>so rare, this is so crazy. Can I bring in

0:33:05.600 --> 0:33:09.640
<v Speaker 2>the students. Can we do a pelvic exam? They actually

0:33:09.640 --> 0:33:13.320
<v Speaker 2>want to know my experience versus trying to dismiss it

0:33:13.400 --> 0:33:18.360
<v Speaker 2>and minimize my experience. I feel like, especially regarding my

0:33:18.440 --> 0:33:20.520
<v Speaker 2>fertility and what I know now, I feel like if

0:33:20.560 --> 0:33:23.680
<v Speaker 2>I had these answers years earlier, I could have planned

0:33:23.800 --> 0:33:26.720
<v Speaker 2>our future differently and so of course I was angry,

0:33:26.760 --> 0:33:30.200
<v Speaker 2>but I was more upset I was treated so poorly

0:33:30.720 --> 0:33:33.640
<v Speaker 2>the entire time based off of the research that I found.

0:33:34.120 --> 0:33:38.440
<v Speaker 2>It's really hard to have kids because it's so high risk. Luckily,

0:33:38.520 --> 0:33:43.400
<v Speaker 2>I've been working with some really good doctors. They're fully

0:33:43.400 --> 0:33:47.240
<v Speaker 2>on board with helping us conceive and getting us to

0:33:47.280 --> 0:33:51.240
<v Speaker 2>our goals, but they're not beating around the bush with

0:33:51.280 --> 0:33:53.480
<v Speaker 2>the fact that it's going to come with its own challenges,

0:33:54.080 --> 0:33:58.160
<v Speaker 2>and it has. We've had four miscarriages, so that's where

0:33:58.200 --> 0:34:02.680
<v Speaker 2>we're at right now. Sorry, Yeah, it's hard. It's really hard.

0:34:04.160 --> 0:34:08.480
<v Speaker 2>Infertility is something that a lot of women don't talk

0:34:08.480 --> 0:34:11.720
<v Speaker 2>about enough. It's more common than you think.

0:34:17.920 --> 0:34:22.000
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, it's terrible. It's like it's one of the artist

0:34:22.040 --> 0:34:25.520
<v Speaker 1>pains to go through, especially when you are trying for

0:34:25.560 --> 0:34:31.759
<v Speaker 1>a family, and that's the biggest thing. It's it's difficult,

0:34:31.840 --> 0:34:35.839
<v Speaker 1>and we want to make sure that you know that

0:34:36.200 --> 0:34:40.560
<v Speaker 1>other people understand that it's okay to talk about it occurring,

0:34:41.440 --> 0:34:43.880
<v Speaker 1>and I think it brings together a sense of community.

0:34:43.920 --> 0:34:47.000
<v Speaker 1>At the same time, you can find groups of people

0:34:47.160 --> 0:34:50.640
<v Speaker 1>that you know, you're able to communicate the same situation

0:34:50.920 --> 0:34:52.360
<v Speaker 1>and grief with one another.

0:34:53.640 --> 0:34:58.600
<v Speaker 4>Women often describe the experience of infertility as isolating. Do

0:34:58.640 --> 0:34:59.399
<v Speaker 4>you feel that way.

0:35:00.080 --> 0:35:03.560
<v Speaker 2>It's hard because people want to understand and they want

0:35:03.600 --> 0:35:06.399
<v Speaker 2>to support you, but until you've been through it, like

0:35:06.880 --> 0:35:10.359
<v Speaker 2>you just don't understand. It makes me feel like less

0:35:10.360 --> 0:35:14.880
<v Speaker 2>than a woman that I have trouble conceiving, feeling like

0:35:14.960 --> 0:35:17.640
<v Speaker 2>not enough in the way that society is built, in

0:35:17.680 --> 0:35:20.880
<v Speaker 2>the way that society looks at women as mothers, and

0:35:21.680 --> 0:35:23.640
<v Speaker 2>they paint this label that being a mother is one

0:35:23.640 --> 0:35:25.879
<v Speaker 2>of the most rewarding things that you can do as

0:35:25.880 --> 0:35:29.160
<v Speaker 2>a woman. It's devastating to know that that's going to

0:35:29.160 --> 0:35:30.080
<v Speaker 2>be a challenge for me.

0:35:38.560 --> 0:35:42.440
<v Speaker 4>How did things change for you once you finally had

0:35:42.480 --> 0:35:43.279
<v Speaker 4>a diagnosis.

0:35:44.200 --> 0:35:47.000
<v Speaker 2>I think it definitely gave me more of a voice

0:35:47.239 --> 0:35:51.000
<v Speaker 2>to stand on and to advocate for myself, saying, no,

0:35:51.120 --> 0:35:53.400
<v Speaker 2>there's something wrong, Please do your job, and please do

0:35:53.480 --> 0:35:55.960
<v Speaker 2>it well, because this is my life and this is

0:35:56.000 --> 0:35:58.040
<v Speaker 2>something I've been struggling with for for too long, and

0:35:58.840 --> 0:36:01.440
<v Speaker 2>I don't put up with it anymore. I'm not afraid

0:36:01.440 --> 0:36:02.560
<v Speaker 2>to stand up for myself.

0:36:03.840 --> 0:36:08.680
<v Speaker 4>As an expert on navigating infertility, doctor ccon offers this

0:36:08.840 --> 0:36:12.080
<v Speaker 4>advice to women struggling with reproductive health issues.

0:36:12.960 --> 0:36:16.360
<v Speaker 3>I think it's always helpful to write things down. I

0:36:16.400 --> 0:36:19.480
<v Speaker 3>think a menstrual diary, which is probably a term that

0:36:19.520 --> 0:36:21.840
<v Speaker 3>a lot of you have not heard of, is a

0:36:21.880 --> 0:36:25.000
<v Speaker 3>brilliant thing to have, whether you're dealing with a didelphus

0:36:25.080 --> 0:36:30.440
<v Speaker 3>uterus or endometriosis or irregular cycles. Having objective tracked data,

0:36:31.040 --> 0:36:33.080
<v Speaker 3>no one can dispute that this is right in front

0:36:33.120 --> 0:36:36.040
<v Speaker 3>of you. Now here's a pattern, and this is not normal.

0:36:36.680 --> 0:36:39.160
<v Speaker 3>I think you have to be willing to get second opinions.

0:36:39.640 --> 0:36:43.640
<v Speaker 3>If something sounds like you're getting a BS answer, go

0:36:43.719 --> 0:36:46.480
<v Speaker 3>see someone that isn't going to make you feel insecure

0:36:46.640 --> 0:36:48.640
<v Speaker 3>about their answers, and that's going to make you feel

0:36:48.640 --> 0:36:52.440
<v Speaker 3>like this person knows what they're doing. Knowledge is power,

0:36:52.719 --> 0:36:55.440
<v Speaker 3>regardless of what your goals are. I think understanding your

0:36:55.440 --> 0:36:57.480
<v Speaker 3>body is going to bring you a sense of relief

0:36:57.560 --> 0:37:00.640
<v Speaker 3>and validation, and it can help you plan the future.

0:37:00.760 --> 0:37:03.279
<v Speaker 3>It can help change the trajectory of what you might

0:37:03.360 --> 0:37:07.120
<v Speaker 3>have done otherwise. This is a shared experience of many

0:37:07.160 --> 0:37:10.080
<v Speaker 3>many women, and we have to help each other. And

0:37:10.280 --> 0:37:13.239
<v Speaker 3>we should also pay it forward and welcome conversations with

0:37:13.280 --> 0:37:16.200
<v Speaker 3>our friends and our family members and speak openly about

0:37:16.200 --> 0:37:18.560
<v Speaker 3>our bodies and the things we're experiencing because you never

0:37:18.600 --> 0:37:19.520
<v Speaker 3>know who it's going to help.

0:37:20.239 --> 0:37:22.040
<v Speaker 4>How do you feel when you were able to give

0:37:22.080 --> 0:37:25.680
<v Speaker 4>a patient who has clearly been shuffled through the system

0:37:25.760 --> 0:37:29.560
<v Speaker 4>without answers some kind of clarity or direction.

0:37:30.120 --> 0:37:32.279
<v Speaker 3>When someone walks through my door and you can just

0:37:32.360 --> 0:37:35.720
<v Speaker 3>see it on their face, they're confused. They're not entirely

0:37:35.760 --> 0:37:38.480
<v Speaker 3>convinced they're going to walk out with answers like they

0:37:38.520 --> 0:37:42.680
<v Speaker 3>are jaded. I used to think fertility treatment is so complicated.

0:37:42.680 --> 0:37:46.840
<v Speaker 3>There's all these fancy tools and treatments. It's actually pretty simple.

0:37:47.320 --> 0:37:50.160
<v Speaker 3>This is why this issue exists. Here are the potential

0:37:50.200 --> 0:37:53.400
<v Speaker 3>problems and here are the solutions and strategies as we

0:37:53.480 --> 0:37:55.719
<v Speaker 3>move forward. And when you keep it simple and you

0:37:55.800 --> 0:37:58.279
<v Speaker 3>lay it out like that, and someone walks out with

0:37:58.360 --> 0:38:02.240
<v Speaker 3>tangible tools and they feel so in control after feeling

0:38:02.280 --> 0:38:05.120
<v Speaker 3>so out of control for so long, that is, by

0:38:05.160 --> 0:38:07.880
<v Speaker 3>and large the most important thing that I.

0:38:07.719 --> 0:38:08.720
<v Speaker 5>Love about my career.

0:38:08.840 --> 0:38:11.560
<v Speaker 3>That I will never get tired of doing what I'm doing.

0:38:13.440 --> 0:38:17.720
<v Speaker 4>Now, Haley has access to better pain treatment, personalized fertility planning,

0:38:18.080 --> 0:38:20.880
<v Speaker 4>and a health plan made just for her. A specialist

0:38:20.960 --> 0:38:23.680
<v Speaker 4>might even recommend surgery to help her conceive and carry

0:38:23.719 --> 0:38:26.920
<v Speaker 4>a child for the first time. She's looking ahead with

0:38:26.960 --> 0:38:30.360
<v Speaker 4>hope and plans to use her experience to help others.

0:38:31.160 --> 0:38:33.360
<v Speaker 4>And are you still pursuing nursing.

0:38:33.719 --> 0:38:37.240
<v Speaker 2>I am. I graduate next year with my bachelor's in nursing.

0:38:37.360 --> 0:38:40.279
<v Speaker 2>I am so excited to be done with school, but

0:38:41.280 --> 0:38:44.960
<v Speaker 2>I am so excited for my future as a registered nurse.

0:38:45.719 --> 0:38:49.400
<v Speaker 2>I hope to make an impact in the woman's health world.

0:38:50.719 --> 0:38:55.640
<v Speaker 2>My education, my background, my diagnosis, everything combined has made

0:38:55.719 --> 0:38:59.799
<v Speaker 2>me more compassionate. My relationship with my patients is far

0:38:59.840 --> 0:39:03.719
<v Speaker 2>to different than the relationships between other healthcare providers and

0:39:03.760 --> 0:39:06.160
<v Speaker 2>their patients because I feel like I take the time

0:39:06.680 --> 0:39:13.160
<v Speaker 2>to really sit down and validate their feelings. First and foremost, Nick, what.

0:39:13.040 --> 0:39:16.520
<v Speaker 4>Do you hope that people take away from your shared story?

0:39:16.640 --> 0:39:24.080
<v Speaker 1>Yeah, I want them to really look out and identify

0:39:24.120 --> 0:39:26.560
<v Speaker 1>that they may not be the only ones who are

0:39:26.560 --> 0:39:30.800
<v Speaker 1>going through something, and if they do have a health condition,

0:39:31.120 --> 0:39:34.560
<v Speaker 1>that they should try and seek out. Further answers to.

0:39:34.520 --> 0:39:38.759
<v Speaker 4>That nobody should ever get comfortable with being dismissed in

0:39:38.840 --> 0:39:41.560
<v Speaker 4>terms of health concerns under person.

0:39:42.040 --> 0:39:42.680
<v Speaker 1>I agree.

0:39:44.360 --> 0:39:48.080
<v Speaker 4>And finally, what do you want people to take away

0:39:48.120 --> 0:39:48.960
<v Speaker 4>from your story?

0:39:50.040 --> 0:39:52.240
<v Speaker 2>I want people to know that it's okay to advocate

0:39:52.280 --> 0:39:57.040
<v Speaker 2>for yourself. Sometimes you are your only advocate, and when

0:39:57.080 --> 0:40:00.560
<v Speaker 2>you know something is wrong, something could be wrong. Don't

0:40:00.600 --> 0:40:02.600
<v Speaker 2>take no for an answer, and don't let them tell

0:40:02.640 --> 0:40:06.840
<v Speaker 2>you your symptoms are normal and minimize it and minimize

0:40:06.840 --> 0:40:10.120
<v Speaker 2>your experience, especially if you are a woman, because I've

0:40:10.160 --> 0:40:13.279
<v Speaker 2>seen how hard it is to fight the fight trying

0:40:13.320 --> 0:40:17.280
<v Speaker 2>to get the care that you need and that you deserve.

0:40:18.800 --> 0:40:21.920
<v Speaker 2>My name is Haley Griffith, and for twenty two years

0:40:21.960 --> 0:40:28.520
<v Speaker 2>I struggled with being diagnosed with uterist idelphis.

0:40:30.520 --> 0:40:34.600
<v Speaker 4>You can find Haley on TikTok at Haley Underscore Griffith.

0:40:35.120 --> 0:40:38.840
<v Speaker 4>You can follow doctor Luckysecon at Lucky dot c con

0:40:39.120 --> 0:40:41.880
<v Speaker 4>and look out for her new book, The Lucky Egg,

0:40:42.239 --> 0:40:46.759
<v Speaker 4>coming out January thirteenth, twenty twenty six. Coming up on

0:40:46.840 --> 0:40:50.919
<v Speaker 4>next week's Symptomatic Ian Steadman suffered thirty two years through

0:40:50.960 --> 0:40:56.120
<v Speaker 4>whole body rashes, debilitating migrains, joint pain, and hearing loss

0:40:56.120 --> 0:40:59.839
<v Speaker 4>without a clear diagnosis. His mother, Barb, had gone over

0:41:00.120 --> 0:41:04.560
<v Speaker 4>sixty years with the same symptoms. After nearly two hundred doctors'

0:41:04.600 --> 0:41:08.960
<v Speaker 4>visits and decades of frustrations, they had resigned to believe

0:41:09.040 --> 0:41:13.000
<v Speaker 4>there were no answers, that is until Ian's daughter Leah

0:41:13.120 --> 0:41:17.360
<v Speaker 4>was born, covered in that all too recognizable rash.

0:41:17.600 --> 0:41:21.560
<v Speaker 6>One in three people untreated just don't wake up. My

0:41:21.640 --> 0:41:24.000
<v Speaker 6>mom's over thirty six, so she seems to have bucked

0:41:24.000 --> 0:41:27.000
<v Speaker 6>the trend. I'm running up against it and now I've

0:41:27.000 --> 0:41:30.520
<v Speaker 6>got a kid, so there's three of us. If it

0:41:30.600 --> 0:41:33.960
<v Speaker 6>wasn't for Leah being sick, I may be the one

0:41:33.960 --> 0:41:34.359
<v Speaker 6>in three.

0:41:35.719 --> 0:41:39.840
<v Speaker 4>Ian reignited his search for answers and saved his family.

0:41:41.440 --> 0:41:44.160
<v Speaker 4>As always, we would love to hear from you. Send

0:41:44.239 --> 0:41:46.960
<v Speaker 4>us your thoughts on this episode, or share a medical

0:41:46.960 --> 0:41:51.480
<v Speaker 4>mystery of your own at Symptomatic at iHeartMedia dot com,

0:41:51.920 --> 0:41:56.040
<v Speaker 4>and please rate and review Symptomatic wherever you get your podcasts.

0:41:56.480 --> 0:41:59.680
<v Speaker 4>We'll see you next time, and until then, be well.

0:42:00.880 --> 0:42:06.000
<v Speaker 4>Symptomatic a medical mystery podcast, is a production of iHeartMedia's

0:42:06.080 --> 0:42:11.040
<v Speaker 4>Ruby Studio. Our show is hosted by me Lauren Bright Pacheco.

0:42:11.440 --> 0:42:15.600
<v Speaker 4>Our executive producers are James Foster, Matt Romano, and myself.

0:42:16.360 --> 0:42:21.480
<v Speaker 4>Our supervising producers are Ryan Ovadia, Haley Aliah Ericsson, and

0:42:21.640 --> 0:42:26.239
<v Speaker 4>Daniel Ainsworth. This episode was written by Haley Aliah Erickson

0:42:26.640 --> 0:42:28.920
<v Speaker 4>and edited by Daniel Ainsworth,