92 : Why Do Doctors Dismiss Chronic Illness Patients? A Physician Becomes a Patient | Dr. Zeest Khan

What happens when a doctor becomes the chronic illness patient—and suddenly discovers the healthcare system doesn't have answers for her either?

Dr. Zeest Khan spent years caring for critically ill patients, managing cardiac surgery, and running her own medical practice. Then Long COVID changed everything. She went from leading her life and caring for others to depending on people just to help her get out of bed.

And when she turned to medicine for help, she experienced something millions of chronic illness patients already know: dismissal, uncertainty, and doctors who simply didn't know what to do next.

In this powerful episode of Autoimmune Adventures, Dr. Zeest Khan joins Stacy, Becky, and Alysia to talk about medical gaslighting from a physician's perspective, why doctors struggle to admit when they don't have an answer, and what happens when burnout, medical trauma, and fear collide inside the exam room.

We also talk about Long COVID symptoms, navigating medical uncertainty, the difference between genuine hope and toxic positivity, grieving the life you had before chronic illness, and why community can become a lifeline when illness leaves you feeling completely alone.

If you have ever left a doctor's appointment feeling dismissed, unheard, or wondering whether you were somehow asking for too much, this conversation is for you.

🎙️ In this episode: • Why chronic illness patients are so often dismissed or gaslit • What medical training teaches doctors about saying “I don't know” • How Dr. Zeest Khan's perspective changed when she became the patient • What Long COVID symptoms can actually look like • Why collaboration matters in the doctor-patient relationship • How to navigate healthcare when there is no perfect answer • Hope vs. toxic positivity in chronic illness • The grief and identity changes that come with becoming chronically ill • Why chronic illness community and connection matter

💛 Subscribe to Autoimmune Adventures for honest conversations about autoimmune disease, chronic illness, self-advocacy, and building a life that still belongs to you.

Remember: You are worthy of joy. Your disease does not define your life. You do.

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