Symptomatic: A Medical Mystery Podcast

Out of nowhere, Heather Bardeleben felt a jolt in her chest. She spends the next 12 hours in excruciating pain, suffering through what feels like a vice clamping down on her chest. Despite these alarming symptoms, doctors dismiss her condition as stress, anxiety…even acid reflux. It doesn’t take long for these symptoms to escalate - and Heather, only 48 years old, is faced with death.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com.

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You can learn more about Dr. Sharonne Hayes and the Mayo Clinic Women’s Heart Clinic athttp://www.mayoclinic.org/. More information about support and education for women with heart disease can be found at WomenHeart: the National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease athttp://www.womenheart.org/http://www.womenheart.org and about cardiovascular disease and research the American Heart Association athttp://heart.org/.

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Grace Sullivan was only 17 when she was hit by unexplained bouts of uncontrollable vomiting that would last for days, even weeks. Countless trips to the ER, tests with no conclusive results, and no clear indicator for the root cause. After 19 hospitalizations in the span of two years - Grace believed she may never get better…especially when it became clear that the thing causing these episodes was something she had become completely reliant on.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com.

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You can learn more about Dr. Andrew Meltzer's work on CHS here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39985554/. If you or a loved one are struggling with addiction, you can find resources at http://usa.gov/substance-abuse.

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Travis Bolt was a charismatic kid with an old soul…and a natural talent for music. When Travis turns eight years old, he begins to experience uncontrollable muscle movements that continue to escalate in intensity. He starts getting in trouble in school, injuring himself inadvertently, and faces years of medical trial treatments that create new health problems. All the while, Travis endures relentless bullying at school—not only from fellow students, but from teachers as well, the result of ignorance and a lack of understanding about his condition—until he stumbles upon an unconventional treatment that changes everything.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com.

Travis's music was provided by Gravel Road Records and can be found on your favorite streaming platforms by searching Travis Bolt. His new album is called Burning Bridges.

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If you'd like to learn more about the Tourette's Association of America, you can find them at tourette.org.

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Let's revisit one of our favorite episodes from Season 1. Zach was your average 11-year-old who loved pizza, sports, and going fishing with his Dad until an incident at a baseball game changed his life forever. As an illness quickly takes hold and wreaks havoc on his body, it’s a race against the clock to figure out what’s happening and save Zach’s life. All new medical mysteries are back next week!

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To find out more information on Sepsis, visitSepsis.org.

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This is part two of Len Geiger’s story. The last we heard from Len, he was flying over the handlebars of his mountain bike only three months after receiving a miraculous lung transplant that had saved his life.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com.

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You can learn more about Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency through the Alpha-1 Foundation athttps://alpha1.org/ or http://alphaid.com/ where you can request a free Alpha-1 test kit.

If you want to learn more about life saving organ donations you can go to Donate Life America athttps://donatelife.net/ orhttp://organdonor.gov/.

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Len Geiger was a perfectly healthy, athletic young man with no signs of illness…but when Len enters his late twenties he starts falling ill with chronic chest infections. By age thirty - Len begins to experience breathlessness so debilitating he can barely walk across a parking lot. 10 years after the onset of symptoms, Len is dying from lungs that can no longer function due to a disease often overlooked in testing.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com.

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You can learn more about Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency through the Alpha-1 Foundation athttps://alpha1.org/ or http://alphaid.com/ where you can request a free Alpha-1 test kit.

If you want to learn more about life saving organ donations you can go to Donate Life America athttps://donatelife.net/ orhttp://organdonor.gov/.

See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Brendon Paradis began to lose his vision out of nowhere. Doctors spend decades trying to stop the unexplained hemorrhaging in his retina with no success. Brendon has attempted to come to terms with his fate but when his son Keegan begins to show a more rapidly advancing version of this mystery condition, they reignite the search in a race against the clock to save Keegan’s vision.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com.

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You can learn more about ROSAH and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at https://www.niaid.nih.gov/

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All new episodes full of medical mysteries are coming soon. Join host Lauren Bright Pacheco as we explore new stories in which patients become investigators, survivors become advocates, and exceptional doctors become heroes. Tune in for season 5 of Symptomatic, starting on September 22nd.

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Sarah Marshall knew from only a few months into her fourth daughter Phoebe's life that something was definitely wrong. By the time Phoebe was six, Sarah began to fear for her daughter's life. She underwent countless tests, dozens of surgeries, and was in and out of the hospital for years. Phoebe’s health was declining and no one could tell their family what was wrong. Desperate for answers and unwilling to give up on her daughter, Sarah contacted the Undiagnosed Diseases Network - a decision that would change their lives forever.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

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You can find more information about the Undiagnosed Diseases Network Foundation at https://udnf.org/.

You can learn more about the Model Organisms Screening Centers (MOSC) and Dr. Hugo Bellen’s work at https://flypush.research.bcm.edu/lab/

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Michelle Shapiro had built a career helping others get healthy when she was hit with a debilitating health crisis. Doctors were unable to identify the cause of her symptoms - no matter how hard Michelle pushed for answers. So unwell that she could barely function - Michelle made it her mission to get to the bottom of what was going on only to find that the condition she was experiencing is still being understood by the medical community.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

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You can follow Michelle on social media @michelleshapirord and on her website http://michelleshapirord.com. You can take the Highly Sensitive Body quiz here: https://michelleshapirord.com/hsb-quiz

Dr. Tania Dempsey can be found on instagram @drtaniadempseymd and online at http://drtaniadempsey.com. Her podcast is called Mast Cell Matters.

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What began as intermittent rashes that popped up years apart turned into excruciating, long term flare ups with no reprieve for Kristen Willard. Unable to sleep, shower, or even put on pants - Kristen’s quality of life plummeted. With no common trigger to explain the debilitating flares, she was forced to endure for months on end without relief. After decades and at the end of her rope, Kristen seeks answers one last time.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic .

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

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You can learn more about Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria at http://chronic-urticaria.org/ and you can find the Global Allergy & Airways Patient Platform at http://gaapp.org/.

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Rockstar Casey McPherson and his family were shocked to the core when his daughter Rose was diagnosed with a rare genetic mutation that has no known treatment. Faced with the possibility of losing his daughter, the front man of the Flying Colours dropped everything to devote his life to trying to find a cure before time runs out.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

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You can learn more about AlphaRose at http://www.alpharose.com, To Cure A Rose Foundation at http://www.tocurearose.org and TCAR RareLabs at http://tcarrarelabs.org.

You can follow Casey @casey.mcpherson on instagram.

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For as long as Cienna Ditri can remember, she has had random bouts of “heavy legs”and loss of vision. As she got older - that sensation grew into episodes in which she could not move altogether. Cienna was passing out multiple times a day and frequently losing vision. After a slew of misdiagnoses - she was unsure she would ever understand the cause…until one doctor found the needle in the haystack.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

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You can learn more about Periodic Paralysis at http://periodicparalysis.orgYou can follow Cienna at @chronicallyperservering on instagram, tiktok, facebook, and youtube.

You can find Cienna’s substack “In Rare Form” at http://chronicallypersevering.substack.com

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Ian Stedman suffered 32 years with full body rashes, debilitating headaches, joint pain and hearing loss without a clear diagnosis. His Mother Barb had gone over 60 years with the same symptoms. After hundreds of doctors visits and decades of frustration - they had resigned to believe there were no answers. That is until Ian’s daughter, Lia was born covered in that all-too-recognizable rash. Ian re-ignited his search for answers in an effort to save his family.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

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You can learn more about the Canadian Autoinflammatory Network at www.autoinflammatory.ca

SickKids CA can be found online at www.sickkids.ca

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From the moment Hailey got her period, she could tell that something was different about her. Suffering debilitating menstrual cramps and a flow so heavy she would pass out from blood loss…Hailey spent half of every month fighting to stand up. When she joined the Air Force as a medic, Hailey did not predict how agonizing her symptoms would become… and how harrowing her journey to a diagnosis would be as a woman in a male dominated field.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

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You can find Hailey on tik tok @Hailey_griffith

You can follow Dr. Lucky Sekhon @lucky.sekhon and look out for her new book, “The Lucky Egg”, releasing on January 13th, 2026.

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Nika spent half her life battling a shape-shifting condition that plagued her in various ways for nearly two decades. Fighting chronic pain, fevers, fatigue, and even strokes. In her 30s, after a series of lymphoma scares, Nika thought she was going to die without answers. But, 17 years, 26 doctors and 37 procedures later - Nika was finally able to name her faceless foe.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/Symptomatic.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

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To find out more about IgG4-RD, you can check out IgG4ward! Foundation’s website at https://igg4ward.org/

You can also find Nika Beamon on her website here.

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New season. New mysteries. Host Lauren Bright Pacheco returns to uncover the hidden truths behind chronic and rare illnesses. These are the stories of symptoms that defy explanation and the people who refuse to give up. Look out for new episodes of Symptomatic starting November 4th!

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We’re celebrating Dr. David Fajgenbaum and revisiting one of our most impactful stories. David was just named to the TIME100 Health list and has a powerful new TED Talk—milestones that reflect the empathy, curiosity, and determination at the heart of his work.

Once a college quarterback and competitive weightlifter, David became critically ill at 25. When standard treatments failed to keep him out of the ICU, he and his friend Grant raced to save his life by repurposing existing drugs and laying the foundation for Every Cure. His journey shows what’s possible when we ask tough questions, share our experiences, and refuse to give up.

We hope this re-release reminds each of us that we can make a difference—in our own lives and in the lives of others.

We’ll see you very soon for a brand-new season of Symptomatic. Until then, take care and be well.

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If you’re looking for information on Castleman disease or want to learn more about the work of Grant, David, and the Every Cure team, visit http://everycure.org

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Just when Trent starts to believe the worst is behind him, an unexpected twist turns his world upside down. He’s forced to confront new challenges that test his resilience and make decisions that could change the course of life for him and his family forever.

We want to hear from you! Share your own medical mystery or tell us about the episode you connected with the most at Symptomatic@iheartmedia.com or drop us a voice note at https://www.speakpipe.com/symptomatic.

DISCLAIMER: By submitting your voice note using the link provided, you acknowledge that we have permission to potentially include that audio in future content.

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To find out more about CIDP and Trent’s amazing story and advocacy at http://trentfielder.com.

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Trent was a vibrant and successful insurance assessor when his life took an unexpected turn. While working under a car, he sensed something was off. It wasn’t until later that day -- when his legs stopped responding while driving -- that the severity of the situation hit him. What followed was a baffling health crisis that turned his world upside down. With two newborn twins at home, Trent's sudden immobility brought his worst fears to life.

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To find out more about CIDP and Trent’s amazing story and advocacy at http://trentfielder.com.

See https://omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.