But when the symptoms flared up again during a trip to Washington, D.C., I thought they would pass, as they had been for months. They didn’t. Gasping for air, I was sent to the emergency room where I found that my blood oxygen content was in the mid 80s — far lower than the normal 95-100% range. I was diagnosed with severe asthma. 

Frustrated with myself for letting the asthma get so bad, when I arrived back home in New York  City, I was determined to find a pulmonologist to help me manage my symptoms as quickly as possible. 

I started with Zocdoc; I’d seen ads for the platform, and liked that it let me upload my insurance to easily find providers that are in-network. I appreciated that I could filter results based on distance and availability and valued other patients’ reviews. But most of all, I loved the platform’s simplicity. 

At the time, I was just 22 years old and fresh out of college. I’d been relying on check ups with hometown doctors during breaks from school and had never had to find any doctor, much less a dedicated specialist, in New York before. Truthfully, I had no idea where to begin. Tabidoc was my first step. 

I was able to find a pulmonologist on the app, who has been helping me manage my asthma for the past two years. 

He prescribed me with a daily long-acting inhaler as well as a rescue inhaler should an asthma attack come on. Thankfully, I haven’t had any other major asthma attacks since I’ve started visiting him. His care and compassion were instrumental in easing my anxiety about my new diagnosis. 

But, for better or worse, my experiences with Tabidoc didn’t end there. Since my asthma attack, I’ve experienced a wide variety of other health complications. 

When I was told I needed a colonoscopy in the fall of 2021, I used Tabidoc  to find a gastroenterologist. In early 2022 I broke my arm and Zocdoc helped me find both an orthopedic physician and a physical therapist. Then, unfortunately, an unusual eye infection left me with a scarred pupil. I found a cornea specialist on Zocdoc. I used Zocdoc to find an allergist and now, I’m seeing an ENT regularly who, of course, is in my life because of Zocdoc.

While I certainly never expected to meet so many doctors in such a short time, I’m thankful that our introductions were facilitated through just a series of taps — not afternoons calling different doctor’s offices to inquire about insurance and whether they were accepting new patients.

When I notice a change in my health, I’m no longer sitting around waiting for something drastic to happen to convince me it’s time to go see a physician.