Part 1 of Dr. Hilary Merry’s Journey with EDS: Navigating the Healthcare System as a Veterinarian

In this episode of Occult Awareness, we explore the personal and professional life of Dr. Hilary Merry, a veterinarian who has bravely faced the challenges of living with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and multiple comorbidities. 
In part one, Dr. Merry shares her journey from experiencing early symptoms as a child to receiving a formal diagnosis at the age of 27. She opens up about the struggles and triumphs of navigating a healthcare system that often overlooks complex conditions, offering listeners a rare glimpse into the realities faced by those with invisible illnesses.

Additionally, Dr. Merry provides unique insights from her veterinary profession, highlighting parallels and contrasts between diagnosing complex conditions in animals versus humans.

• Introduction to Dr. Hilary Merry and her medical background
• Early symptoms and childhood experiences with undiagnosed EDS
• The long path to diagnosis and the impact on her personal and professional life
• Navigating the healthcare system: struggles with being heard and believed
• The role of comorbidities in complicating diagnosis and treatment
• The psychological toll of living with a chronic, invisible illness
• Advocacy and the importance of self-education and persistence in seeking care
• The intersection of veterinary and human medicine in understanding complex conditions
  • How veterinary medicine approaches diagnostic challenges
  • Comparisons between veterinary and human diagnostic processes
  • Insights from veterinary practice that could benefit human healthcare
• Advice for others facing similar health journeys and the significance of support networks

Tune in to hear Dr. Merry's inspiring story and gain insights into the intricacies of managing life with EDS and other complex health conditions, enriched by her dual perspective as both a patient and a veterinary professional.

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction to today's interview
• 1:19 Introduction to Dr.Hillary Merry and her childhood onset of EDS presentations
• 3:39 breathing issue with early onset
• 5:20 getting official diagnosis at age of 27
• 11:25 Rheumatologist helped with Diagnosis of EDS
• 15:25 her perspectives about psychogenic, functional neurological disorders
• 15:39 Her belief system and doubt about her Mental Diagnosis
• 21:04 Advocate for Reading the Record
• 22:53 host statement about misdiagnosis and the show's stands for mental health issues
• 23:17 Find out if underline physical issues exists
• 25:35 The reason why mortality due to EDS but not category into it
• 27:30 current testing & diagnosing issues in human medicine
• 30:31 human medicine pray on chronic patient's exhaustion in following through legal actions
• 32:25 Her love for Veterinary Care vs. most Medical Care for Human Medicine
• 34:22 Take years to realize the "abuse" in Medical Care
• 36:38 Comparison to Art in Capitalism Society
• 38:27 her experience and lessons in Believing it to be Psychological
• 40:11 The explaination of "it is all just psychological"