The Long Haul with Summer

After a mild COVID infection, nurse Laci Arnett developed debilitating Long COVID symptoms that left her unable to work or drive. Despite more than 25 years in healthcare, she struggled to find answers as medical tests came back normal and doctors suggested psychiatric explanations.In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, Laci shares what it was like to go from caring for patients to fighting to be believed. She discusses the emotional toll of medical dismissal, voluntarily admitting herself to a psychiatric unit, and how chronic illness changed her life.She also talks about finding strength through her faith, writing her book Undiagnosed: From Nurse to Patient, and eventually meeting Dr. Jordan Vaughn, whose approach helped her finally feel heard and supported.It's a powerful conversation about Long COVID, navigating healthcare, and the importance of compassion when patients are searching for answers.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

After COVID, John Armstrong’s health kept getting worse. Severe fatigue, brain fog, memory problems, and crashes began affecting his work, his family, and his ability to be the active father and provider he had always been.After seeing doctor after doctor without getting a clear explanation for everything he was experiencing, John was nearly ready to stop looking. Then his wife convinced him to try one more doctor.That appointment changed the direction of his care.John shares his experience being treated for Long COVID, later discovering Lyme disease and iliac vein compression, undergoing treatment and stenting, and gradually seeing parts of his life return.He and Summer also talk about the emotional side of chronic illness, losing trust in your own body, grieving the person you used to be, and why finding the right people to keep asking questions can matter so much.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

Aimee Knight watched her once-active father go from exercising and traveling to requiring significant oxygen support as his health rapidly declined.Eventually, his family was given two options: lung transplant or hospice.In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, Aimee shares why she refused to stop searching for answers, how her family crossed state lines to pursue another path, and what happened after her dad began treatment.She and Summer also discuss the realities of advocating for a seriously ill family member, the importance of informed consent when conventional options have been exhausted, and the meaningful time her family was able to spend together along the way, including a trip to Las Vegas that once seemed impossible.Although his story did not end the way his family hoped, Aimee explains why she still sees his journey as a story of hope, perseverance, and a legacy that continues through the Microvascular Research Foundation.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

You wake up feeling good, finally have some energy, and try to catch up on everything you haven’t been able to do. Then, hours or even days later, you crash.In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, Summer explains post-exertional malaise (PEM), why it can be delayed, and why it can feel so different from ordinary fatigue.Drawing from her own experience with Long COVID, Summer talks through the many forms of exertion that can contribute to a crash, including physical activity, mental work, socializing, emotional stress, travel, errands, and even several smaller activities adding up throughout the day.She also explains the energy envelope, Spoon Theory, pacing, and the boom-and-bust cycle that can happen when you use more energy than your body can currently tolerate.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

What if symptoms like brain fog, fatigue, heart racing, pelvic pain, and orthostatic intolerance have a vascular connection that is being overlooked?In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, Summer sits down with interventional radiologist Dr. Brooke Spencer to explore pelvic venous disease, iliac vein compression, and the emerging research into their potential connection with Long COVID and POTS.Dr. Spencer explains why the venous system has historically received less attention than the arterial system, how impaired venous return and venous pooling may contribute to symptoms across multiple organ systems, and why vascular compression can sometimes be missed on conventional imaging. She also discusses ongoing research, the limitations of what is currently known, and why better data, education, and collaboration are essential as physicians work to understand these complex patients.Summer also shares her own experience after an earlier scan was read as normal, and why looking at imaging in the context of the patient’s symptoms can make such a significant difference.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

Long COVID patients are often told to push through their symptoms, build their endurance, or keep going until their bodies adjust.But for patients experiencing post-exertional malaise, pushing past their limits can lead to an even harder crash.In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, Dr. Robert Groysman joins Summer to explain the connection between post-exertional malaise, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and the energy problems many Long COVID patients experience.Dr. Groysman shares how his own experience with Long COVID led him to look beyond traditional medical specialties for answers. He explains why PEM is different from ordinary fatigue, why physical activity is not the only thing that can trigger a crash, and why pacing can be such an important part of protecting a patient’s baseline while working toward recovery.Summer and Dr. Groysman also discuss why standard rehab can sometimes backfire, the challenges of identifying mitochondrial dysfunction, and why treating Long COVID often requires looking at multiple systems rather than addressing symptoms one at a time.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

Summer had sent countless patients to Denver for iliac vein stents. She had watched the procedure, shadowed the team, and explained iliac vein compression in clinic more times than she could count. Then her own name appeared on the schedule.After an earlier scan was read as normal, Summer later learned she had severe iliac vein compression and Nutcracker syndrome. In this personal return episode of The Long Haul with Summer, she shares the symptoms that changed her daily life, what it was like to undergo the procedure herself, and the improvements she noticed within days.Recovery was not a straight line. Summer also opens up about the difficult MCAS flare that followed, the slow process of learning to trust her body again, and how becoming the patient changed the empathy and perspective she will carry into caring for others.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

What if the gut symptoms many Long COVID patients experience are not just IBS, anxiety, or “functional” problems?In this episode, Dr. Vaughn interviews gastroenterologist Zach Spiritos about the overlooked connection between Long COVID, mast cell activation, gut barrier dysfunction, food reactions, dysautonomia, and chronic GI symptoms.They discuss why traditional scopes and imaging often fail to explain what patients are feeling, how COVID may disrupt the gut and immune system, and why symptoms that are often dismissed as stress or anxiety may have a deeper biological explanation.This conversation also explores IBS, MCAS, motility issues, microscopic colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, GLP-1 medications, probiotics, prebiotics, and why asking “why did this happen?” may be one of the most important questions in medicine.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

On this deeply personal update, I'm opening up about why I’ve been away—and what’s really been happening behind the scenes.After reaching the best shape of my life, everything took an unexpected turn. What started as metabolic issues quickly spiraled into something much more complex. From new autoimmune concerns to a COVID reinfection, I’ve been dealing with severe fatigue, brain fog, and debilitating crashes that have completely changed my day-to-day life.After months of testing, treatments, and trying to piece things together with my medical team, we finally have some answers—but they come with new challenges. I’m now facing significant vascular complications and heading to Denver for a procedure that I hope will put me back on the path to healing.This episode is about transparency, resilience, and the reality of living with long COVID. I’ll also be documenting this next phase of my journey—sharing what I learn, what helps, and what recovery really looks like.Thank you for being here, for your support, and for walking this journey with me. More updates soon.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/

When patients are told their labs are “normal” but they still feel sick, where do they turn next? In this episode of The Long Haul with Summer, Summer talks with Dr. Ben Edwards about root-cause medicine, why symptom management often misses the bigger picture, and how issues like inflammation, gut health, mitochondria, and lifestyle can play a major role in healing. This is a thoughtful conversation for patients and providers looking beyond the standard model of care.Learn more about the Microvascular Research Foundation and how you can help at https://mvresearch.org/