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Wondery | Ballen Studios

The human body is a miracle. But when it’s not working, it can be the stuff of nightmares. On this new series from master storyteller MrBallen, we’re sharing medical horror stories and diagnostic mysteries that are surgically calibrated to make your blood run cold.

From bizarre, unheard-of diseases and miraculous recoveries to strange medical mishaps and unexplainable deaths — you’ll never hear the phrase “heart-stopping” in the same way again. MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between MrBallen and Wondery, the award-winning company behind Dr. Death.

Follow MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Amazon Music, the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish for free every Tuesday. Prime members can listen to new episodes early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Or, you can listen episodes early and ad-free on Wondery+. Start your free trial in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or by visiting https://wondery.com/links/mrballens-medical-mysteries/ now.

MrBallen’s Medical Mysteries

A mother is terrified when her five-year-old daughter suddenly develops obsessive compulsive disorder, that leaves her completely unable to eat. Desperate to save her child, the mother embarks on a heart-pounding quest to find an answer before it’s too late.

Follow MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish for free every Tuesday. Prime members can binge episodes 57-64 early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Wondery+ subscribers can listen ad-free--join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 62 | Watch Out for the Worms

A couple’s young sons both experience sudden reversals in their physical development, leaving doctors scratching their heads. Nobody understands what’s wrong, because on the surface, the boys seem perfectly fine. But to find the answer, they have to look much deeper.

Follow MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish for free every Tuesday. Prime members can binge episodes 57-64 early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Wondery+ subscribers can listen ad-free--join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 63 | The Broken Sequence

No Reservations:

A Spanish marathon runner develops a mysterious obsession with gourmet food. But what seems like an innocent new passion may be more dangerous than he thinks.

The Game:

After going through her normal morning routine, an otherwise healthy woman finds herself at death’s door. In a mad rush to save the woman’s life, her doctors try to understand why her body is suddenly shutting down with no explanation.

Follow MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish for free every Tuesday. Prime members can binge episodes 57-64 early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Wondery+ subscribers can listen ad-free--join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 64 | No Reservations/The Bitter End

A heroin user wakes up one morning, feeling strangely stiff. At first, his symptoms are mistaken for drug intoxication. But within days, the man is completely unable to move – and completely terrified. His doctors realize they’re dealing with something much more serious than a bad trip, but they have no idea what.

Follow MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish for free every Tuesday. Prime members can binge episodes 65-72 early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Wondery+ subscribers can listen ad-free--join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 65 | Brain Freeze

Following the birth of her second child, a woman comes down with what appears to be a serious case of the flu. Though she gets better, the illness comes back every six months or so, like clockwork. The symptoms get worse over the years, but her doctors are no help, pushing the woman to the limits of her endurance. 

Follow MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish for free every Tuesday. Prime members can binge episodes 65-72 early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Wondery+ subscribers can listen ad-free--join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 66 | The Nest

The parents and grandmother of an infant boy are beside themselves when the baby starts crying, and won’t stop for hours on end. They know something has to be wrong, and they’re skeptical when the doctor says it’s just gas. As the boy weakens by the day, doctors realize that something is putting the baby’s life in danger, but what?

Follow MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish for free every Tuesday. Prime members can binge episodes 65-72 early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Wondery+ subscribers can listen ad-free--join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 67 | The Endless Cry

“Just Like the Movies”

A popcorn factory worker comes down with a painful, frightening rash on his arms – and then, he struggles to breathe. He and his wife are convinced something at his job is triggering these seemingly unconnected symptoms. But nobody believes them… until other workers start getting sick, too.

“Headache from Hell”

When a man in Orlando, Florida begins experiencing severe headaches, he figures it’s the same chronic migraines he’s dealt with for years. But this time, the pain won’t go away, and it turns out he’s dealing with something much more serious – and more revolting – than a headache. 

Follow MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish for free every Tuesday. Prime members can binge episodes 65-72 early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Wondery+ subscribers can listen ad-free--join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 68 | Just Like the Movies/Headache from Hell

When a recovering alcoholic nearly dies after falling down his basement stairs, it seems like the tragic result of alcohol withdrawal symptoms. But when he starts seeing people who are not there at his bedside, doctors realize the man has even bigger problems.

Follow MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish for free every Tuesday. Prime members can binge episodes 65-72 early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Wondery+ subscribers can listen ad-free--join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 69 | Too Much of a Good Thing

For his entire adult life, a successful businessman deals with a bizarre problem: whenever he bends over, he throws up. On top of that, he struggles with asthma-like symptoms. But no matter what techniques he tries or medicine he takes, the man can’t shake his symptoms, sometimes with embarrassing results.

Follow MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish for free every Tuesday. Prime members can binge episodes 65-72 early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Wondery+ subscribers can listen ad-free--join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 70 | It Comes Back

“A Clean Break”

 When a night out in Nepal leaves a tourist weak and hungover, he figures he’ll feel better after some rest and rehydration. But his stomach pain becomes unbearable, and he heads to the hospital. That’s when a doctor discovers a secret that the man didn’t even know he had.

“Look, Don’t Touch”

When dozens of children contract salmonella after visiting the Denver Zoo, doctors assume something there caused the outbreak. But when they investigate further, the answer turns out to be something that was supposed to be impossible.

Follow MrBallen's Medical Mysteries on Amazon Music or wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes publish for free every Tuesday. Prime members can binge episodes 65-72 early and ad-free on Amazon Music. Wondery+ subscribers can listen ad-free--join Wondery+ in the Wondery App or on Apple Podcasts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 71 | A Clean Break/Look, Don’t Touch

“Life in Paradise”

In 1993, a man living in a retirement community in Tennessee falls ill with what he thinks is the flu. But, within hours, he’s comatose and suffering from multiple organ failure. His doctor is stunned, and becomes even more perplexed when the man’s neighbor shows up with the same symptoms. Is it all just a coincidence? Or is a silent killer lurking in the community’s manicured grounds?

“The Stranger”

One day in 2014, an elderly Frenchman comes home to find a stranger hiding in his bathroom. The intruder doesn’t seem dangerous, although something about him feels…off. And when the man discovers who it is, it changes his life forever.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 19 | Life in Paradise/The Stranger

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