Medical Stories
Diagnosis Delayed
S6 • E7 Jun 23, 2024
At first, Jeff assumed his fatigue and sore muscles were normal signs of getting older in his thirties, until a test showed he had immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy, a rare kidney disease. Thankfully, Jeff, now 40, was able to lean on his wife, Joy, who helped him adjust his lifestyle to handle his illness. In Stuart, Florida, Medical Stories takes a look at how Jeff and Joy have navigated the challenges of living with a seemingly invisible disease and redefined their relationship in the process. Meanwhile, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Medical Stories visits 47-year-old Stacey, who's been living with a neurological disorder called myasthenia gravis (MG) since she was a young girl. As an adult, she's continued to battle symptoms like a lack of muscle control and breathing problems. In "Diagnosis Delayed", Stacey opens up to Medical Stories how she coped with MG as a child, and how her family, including her two sons, David and James, empowered her to manage the disease later in her life. "Diagnosis Delayed" also features in-depth commentary from renowned experts Jai Radhakrishnan, MD, MS, Professor of Medicine, Director, Clinical Services of the Nephrology Division, Columbia University Medical Center, and James Howard, MD, Professor of Neurology, UNC School of Medicine.
