When Doctors Don't Believe You: One Woman's Journey Through Medical Gaslighting and Finding Her Way to Healing

About this episode

Pam shares her painful journey through medical gaslighting and the importance of finding supportive healthcare professionals.

You know your body. You've lived in it your whole life. So what happens when you're experiencing 23 different symptoms — some of them truly bizarre — and your doctor looks you in the eye and says, "There is nothing medically wrong with you"? In this episode, I sit down with Pam, who experienced serious, life-altering adverse effects following her COVID vaccines. What followed was a painful journey through medical gaslighting, dismissal, and the relentless search for answers — all while the political climate made it even harder to be believed. But this is also a story about what happens when you finally find the right people. A naturopathic doctor who looked Pam in the eye and said, "That is medical gaslighting, and I'm sorry." A peer support group of people who got it completely. A therapist who helped her through one of the darkest seasons of her life. Pam shares what it felt like to be dismissed, how peer support became a lifeline, what she wishes she had known earlier, and why — no matter what you're going through — firing a doctor who isn't helping you is not just okay, it's necessary. Whether you're navigating COVID vaccine injury, long COVID, a chronic…

People in this episode

Host: Sarah Stasica

Guest: Pam

Topics covered

• medical gaslighting
• COVID vaccine injury
• chronic illness
• peer support
• mental health
• patient advocacy

Keywords

• medical gaslighting
• COVID vaccine
• chronic illness
• peer support
• mental health
• patient advocacy
• healthcare dismissal

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: naturopathic doctor, peer support group, therapist

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