Natalie Martinaitis
BA
Chronic Companions
Natalie Martinaitis
BA
Chronic Companions
Advocate Location
Columbia , MD 21046
Specialty
Survivor Support
Other Services
Medical Guidance
TeleAdvocacy Available
Offers FREE Initial Consultation
*Greater National Advocates Terms of Use Apply
How I Can Help
I can help guide you through your chronic illness journey by providing resources and speaking on your behalf. Some of the services I can offer are:
- helping you write MyChart messages to your doctor to ask questions or to advocate against medical malpractice
- be on call with you while you are in the hospital or doctor's office
- take complicated symptoms and provide a metaphor for you to offer your doctors as explanation
- listen to your stories and help you navigate through symptoms
- share information with you about a new or existing diagnosis
- helping you write MyChart messages to your doctor to ask questions or to advocate against medical malpractice
- be on call with you while you are in the hospital or doctor's office
- take complicated symptoms and provide a metaphor for you to offer your doctors as explanation
- listen to your stories and help you navigate through symptoms
- share information with you about a new or existing diagnosis
Important Information About Me
- I offer a FREE Initial Consultation
- I offer TeleAdvocacy Service
- My geographical area of practice is Telehealth Only
My Survivor Support Advocacy Qualifications
I am a survivor of Fibromyalgia, POTS, HSD, migraines, gastroparesis, FND, sleep apnea, chronic pain, endometriosis, anti-IgE (chronic urticaria), GERD
I have been trained and/or certified as a peer mentor.
I received my Patient Leader Certification in July, 2026.
I’m a writer who is good at conveying how it can feel to have these conditions. I advocate on my personal social media and help others to understand the importance of knowing about these conditions. I attended dysautonomia international 2026 virtually completed my health union certification.
Why I Became A Professional Health Care Advocate
I remember clearly the day I came home after an appointment with an MS doctor. At the time, I was having trouble breathing. I brought to the appointment an entire folder of my whole health history, spelled out through the notes of specialists over years of time. The doctor got up on the table, crossed her legs, and asked me if I had considered I might have anxiety. That was when I knew that there was something deeply flawed about the medical system. She told me she had another patient who was doing "much better" after therapy. I think about that other patient often and wonder how many conditions she might have that will never be diagnosed.
In 2022, everything changed when I developed hand, foot, and mouth disease. At first, I thought that the stinging, burning disease would be the worst of my problems, but the virus inside of me never truly left. A month after the disease seemed to have left my body, I developed shocks down my arms and severe pain that kept me awake most nights. I thought maybe I would have to drop out of college because every day was a new horror. Things only got worse, somehow. I then developed a rapid heart rate that would come on randomly, leaving me incapacitated in bed. I was diagnosed with POTS in 2023 after a tilt table test. I now have a service dog for POTS (named Aria after Aslan in Narnia!) who alerts and helps me during attacks, and I am happy to talk to you about any questions regarding service dogs. When I was diagnosed with POTS, many began to wonder about hypermobilty, and I was later diagnosed with HSD. I also have several conditions that affected me before this illness, such as dysmotility, chronic pain, and skeletal abnormalities (scoliosis, flat feet, etc).
I know there is still more to be discovered about me. I am a medical mystery, a zebra. We need reminders sometimes that we are not alone in this, and also sometimes we need help sorting through new diagnoses and symptoms. I refuse to let anyone end up like that girl who thought she only had anxiety, and who may never get fully better because she does not know the truth.
In 2022, everything changed when I developed hand, foot, and mouth disease. At first, I thought that the stinging, burning disease would be the worst of my problems, but the virus inside of me never truly left. A month after the disease seemed to have left my body, I developed shocks down my arms and severe pain that kept me awake most nights. I thought maybe I would have to drop out of college because every day was a new horror. Things only got worse, somehow. I then developed a rapid heart rate that would come on randomly, leaving me incapacitated in bed. I was diagnosed with POTS in 2023 after a tilt table test. I now have a service dog for POTS (named Aria after Aslan in Narnia!) who alerts and helps me during attacks, and I am happy to talk to you about any questions regarding service dogs. When I was diagnosed with POTS, many began to wonder about hypermobilty, and I was later diagnosed with HSD. I also have several conditions that affected me before this illness, such as dysmotility, chronic pain, and skeletal abnormalities (scoliosis, flat feet, etc).
I know there is still more to be discovered about me. I am a medical mystery, a zebra. We need reminders sometimes that we are not alone in this, and also sometimes we need help sorting through new diagnoses and symptoms. I refuse to let anyone end up like that girl who thought she only had anxiety, and who may never get fully better because she does not know the truth.
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