We Haven’t Healed From the Pandemic—One Doctor's Story Shows Why

👉 Why Long COVID Is Still Being Dismissed — And What It Reveals About Our Healthcare System

We’ve all felt the urge to move on from the pandemic. To stop talking about it. To “get back to normal.”

But what if you couldn’t?

On this episode of the Outrage Overload podcast, I spoke with Dr. Zeest Khan, a highly trained cardiothoracic anesthesiologist who went from saving lives in overwhelmed ICUs… to becoming a long COVID patient herself.

Her story is honest, deeply human, and—honestly—hard to shake.

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🚨 Long COVID: Millions Affected, Still Misunderstood

Long COVID is real. It affects millions of people. And yet… it remains one of the most misunderstood and medically neglected conditions today.

Even Dr. Khan, someone deeply familiar with complex, life-threatening illnesses, struggled to get answers about her own debilitating symptoms. She told me something that stuck with me:

“I was having a hard time believing my own symptoms were real.”

If a doctor with her background couldn’t get believed—what chance do ordinary patients have?

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🏥 The Healthcare System Isn't Built for This

Dr. Khan’s experience reveals more than just the toll of long COVID. It exposes deeper issues baked into our healthcare system:

• How medical hierarchy silences patients

• Why doctors are punished for not having answers

• The unacknowledged trauma of frontline healthcare workers

• And how our culture punishes weakness—in others and ourselves

It also raises hard questions:

• Why haven’t we grieved the pandemic as a society?

• Why do we rush to forget instead of reflect?

• What does real healing look like?

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🎧 This Episode Isn’t Just About COVID

It’s about what happens when we pretend something never happened.
It’s about bias in medicine, burnout, silence, and the stories we refuse to tell.
It’s about listening to people who live with invisible pain.
It’s about making space for reflection—and maybe even grace.

And yes, it’s about long COVID, too.

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Or find it wherever you get your podcasts—just search Outrage Overload.

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Thanks for reading,
David

P.S. Know someone who needs to hear this? Forward it. It might be the first time they feel seen.

P.P.S. This wasn’t exactly planned, but it turns out we’re about halfway through a seven-week stretch that started May 30 with new Outrage Overload episodes every single week—rather than our usual every-other-week schedule with the occasional bonus. There’s just so much happening and a lot of timely content we didn’t want to sit on. I hope it doesn’t feel like too much all at once, and I really appreciate you sticking with us through this busy run!

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🇺🇸 We Hope You Had a Meaningful Memorial Day Weekend 🇺🇸

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We hope you had a chance to pause, reflect, and honor those who gave their lives in service to our country this Memorial Day weekend. Whether you spent time with loved ones, in quiet remembrance, or simply took a break to recharge—we’re grateful to have you as part of our community.

We took the holiday off, but “This Week in Outrage” will be back in June, and starting this Sunday June 1, you’ll have the chance to join us live during our recordings right here on Substack 4:30PM PT / 7:30PM ET.

It’s a great opportunity to interact with the hosts, ask questions, or share your thoughts—some of which we may read on the air. We always look forward to your insights and input.

Thanks for listening, and we’ll see you soon.

— Lisa and David