A friend recently apologized to Abby for something she didn't even realize she'd done — she never really understood what Abby had been living with, until it started happening to her too. That conversation is why this episode exists.

This is Abby's full medical story, told start to finish for the first time: 16 years of irregular labs, dismissed symptoms, negative tests that didn't match what her body was doing, a decade of infertility, hospitalizations with no follow-up, a rheumatologist who wouldn't treat her without a "significant" clot, and the moment a doctor looked her in the eye and said, "You are not crazy."

It's a story about invisible illness, the loneliness of the diagnostic odyssey, and what it costs — physically, emotionally, and relationally — to keep advocating for yourself when the answers haven't caught up yet. It's also a story about functional medicine, and why Abby now believes healthcare works best as a both-and, not an either-or.

If you've ever felt like your friends don't quite believe you, or your doctors have stopped listening, or your own body has become a stranger — this one's for you. And if you love someone living this story right now, this episode might change how you show up for them.

Next week: Abby sits down with Dr. Michelle Retz, the functional medicine doctor who helped her get her life back.