In medicine, straightforward cases are usually straightforward, and what usually works… usually works.

But what if it hasn’t for you? No patient wants to be an “interesting case.” You can struggle in the system for years – or for the rest of your life.

Doug’s Story

Doug Lindsay got sick at 21 and spent the next 11 years home bound and bed bound... until he figured out what was wrong, developed novel treatments to keep it at bay, and eventually developed the innovative surgery used to treat his rare autonomic-adrenal condition.

During Doug's 14-year medical odyssey he

• Worked with 35 senior faculty at 28 institutions

• Developed new uses for 5 existing prescription drugs

• Won a national first court case protecting patients’ rights

• Developed 2 successful, innovative adrenal surgeries.

All of that took Doug from wheelchair to walking and back to school. Now Doug is a nationally recognized speaker – onstage at TEDx, Stanford Medicine X, Dell Medical School UT-Austin, and others - who provides Personal Medical Consultant Services to a few select clients.

A note from Doug on his journey through the medical system

When I realized the medical system didn’t have a plan for me or my family, I made one for us. I researched our conditions and collaborated with doctors and scientists. I figured out our problems involved the autonomic nervous system and the adrenal glands, and then I figured out what to do about it for each of us.

• ME: Developed surgery for my case which took me from wheelchair to walking after 11 years home bound.

• MY MOM: Predicted to live only 6 months; she lived another 8 years because of our work.

• MY AUNT: Healthier now at 71 then she has been since her 20s because I developed a new use for an old drug for her case.

I Take This Work Personally

When I was a kid, my mother Barbara and my aunt Jeanne were sick. I did all I could for my mom. I was a good caregiver, but beyond that I couldn’t do much. My mom suffered from chronic pain and muscle rigidity. She was too weak to open our front door. My aunt couldn’t tie her shoes in her 30s. For years neither could leave the house or take the stairs. The doctors had decades to help them, but after all that time, they still didn’t even know what was wrong.

When I got sick with the same thing, I was 21. It was terrifying. The doctors failed me too. I spent the next 11 years homebound and bed bound. They had no answers for me either.

I could have given up, but I took my illness as a chance to help us all. I read and researched. I figured things out. I devised novel treatments and partnered with doctors and scientists. I invented the concept for a surgery to fix me. People thought the things I was trying to do were impossible. But I proved them wrong. First I got us answers, and then I got us help.

I took the fight to get my family and me better care, better treatment, and better health very personally. If I take your case, I’ll take it personally too.