Dear NADF Membership:

I hope this e-mail finds everyone well.

NADF received a call from Trisha Sorrells, a new producer for the Discovery Channel Program "Mystery Diagnosis". Mystery Diagnosis is about to start production for their second season, and is looking for stories to feature.

Again, this is a another exciting potential opportunity to educate the public about adrenal disease, and NADF's existence and mission: providing information, education and support to persons with adrenal disease.

To recap, I have copy and pasted parts of notices we sent out in March below to remind you what the program is about, along with new contact information.

""Mystery Diagnosis" focuses on people who have been living for years with an illness or condition that has been either undiagnosed or diagnosed incorrectly. Living in a constant state of pain, discomfort or fear most times there (sic) sanity was questioned by doctors and loved ones. Then one day they met a doctor who had the "ah-ha!" moment and correctly diagnosed the patient. We're not looking to bash the medical community in any way, we're not looking to hold a forum for patients with grudges against their initial doctor, rather we want to focus on a disease that was so tricky that it stumped the medical community."

More

"Every year, millions of Americans fall prey to real-life medical mysteries -- ailments that go undiagnosed or misdiagnosed for years. Their lives are thrown into turmoil -- sometimes their sanity is called into question -- as medical professionals struggle to understand their baffling conditions.


DISCOVERY HEALTH CHANNEL PRESENTS: MYSTERY DIAGNOSIS



MYSTERY DIAGNOSIS tells their stories. In each episode, we are confronted with three very different medical mysteries. The stories are told in intimate interviews with the patients themselves, their families, friends, and doctors.

In episode one:

• An infant born with a rare disorder that no one could understand. Every few months, she would gain more than 10 pounds in a few days and experience excessive hair growth, acne break outs and severe pain throughout her body. A few weeks later she would be completely back to normal. Her mother knew something was wrong, but the experts thought she was the one who was sick. After being misdiagnosed and stumping doctors all over the Pacific Northwest, the family finally received the answers they were looking for, and Samantha got treated.

• For this active college student, the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was devastating. It would mean a life full of debilitating pain. And the medications he was taking didn't seem to be working on his arthritis, but the side effects were wreaking havoc on his body. One final, excruciating flare-up sent him into emergency surgery and his long time girlfriend to the internet to do some research of her own. They confronted the doctors with her findings and discovered that his future was brighter than he had ever imagined.

• A forty-one year old nurse, had three episodes of internal bleeding before anyone would take her seriously. Even her husband and mother thought she was crazy. Not one of the long list of physicians she visited could find anything that would explain her seemingly unrelated symptoms. With persistence and courage, she followed her instincts until she found an answer to the question she had been asking for years: “What’s wrong with me?” - and she was able to find the experts who could help her.

In each personal story, the patients, doctors and everyone else involved discover the importance of being vigilant. They learn that medicine is more of an art than a science, and that the journey to diagnosis can be a twisted path full of many surprises.

Criteria for possible inclusion, and contact information:

Did you spend years searching for a diagnosis before finding one? Did you see doctor after doctor, desperately looking for an answer to the question "what is wrong with me?" If so, your story may be of interest for the new DISCOVERY HEALTH CHANNEL series “Mystery Diagnosis.” You must:

• have spent months or years searching for a correct diagnosis
• seen multiple doctors, gotten multiple diagnoses
• have ultimately reached a diagnosis that both you and your physician are satisfied with

The eventual diagnosis doesn't have to be rare or complicated, but the “journey” to solving the mystery should be tricky.

If this situation sounds familiar to you, and you are eager to tell your story, contact:

Trisha Sorrells at either 917-291-1197 or 212-247-4400 ext. 193. You can also e-mail her at griffith_corp@hotmail.com.

Things seems to be moving pretty quickly, so if you want to get your story out, get in touch with Trisha right away.

Cushing's Disease has already been covered. The program could be aired anytime after the start of October of this year, so if anyone notices that it's going to be on, please let us know, so we can let our membership know. Thanks!

Best of health and luck to all,

Melanie Wong
Executive Director
National Adrenal Diseases Foundation

NADF does not engage in the practice of medicine. It is not a medical authority, nor does it claim to have medical knowledge. In all cases, NADF recommends that you consult your own physician regarding any course of treatment or medication