Major Pain is the chronic illness podcast dedicated to sharing real stories of disability, chronic pain, and invisible illness. This show shares real stories of chronic pain, disability, and the struggle of living with an undiagnosed condition. Living with a health challenge can feel isolating, never meeting anyone going through something similar. Society pressures us to keep quiet about our health challenges. Sometimes even our doctors don’t understand our needs. It’s time to break through these norms and let our voices be heard. This is more than just a podcast; it is a movement to foster genuine understanding and empathy for the chronically ill and disabled community worldwide.
The Major Pain podcast is an ongoing project highlighting the experiences of our chronically ill and disabled community. Each week we ask our guest, “What is your major pain?” Through the resulting conversations we spread knowledge, awareness, empathy and community, proving time and again that you are not alone. In fact, there are countless individuals going through similar challenges. If you feel that you are the only person living through a rare disease or invisible illness, the only person for whom doctors can’t provide a diagnosis, or the only disabled person in a sea of able bodies, then this show is for you. We cover the complex realities of seeking diagnosis, navigating the healthcare system, and managing life with conditions ranging from autoimmune disorders to neurological differences.
Whether you have a Major Pain of your own, are a caregiver, or you’re looking to learn about medical conditions from the perspective of those experiencing them, this chronic illness resource is growing every week. You can subscribe on all major podcast platforms including Apple Podcasts and Spotify, or listen right here on our website. We believe that patient-led narrative is the strongest form of education and advocacy, offering insight that textbooks and clinical summaries often miss. We provide practical advice, emotional support, and a place where every struggle is validated.
Major Pain features interviews from real people living with chronic illness, chronic pain, undiagnosed conditions, rare disease, invisible illness, mental health challenges and disabilities of many kinds. The show is hosted and produced by Jesse Mercury, , a content creator with a long history of chronic undiagnosed illness. Jesse’s personal journey navigating the medical system and living with a complex condition is the driving force behind the podcast’s mission to ensure every voice is heard and every story shared. His commitment to high-quality audio and in-depth, respectful interviews sets the standard for disability advocacy in podcasting.
To truly understand the heart of Major Pain, we invite you to read this detailed description of our pilot episode, “Living with a Chronic Mystery Illness.” This foundational story outlines host Jesse Mercury’s personal struggle and the inspiration for the show.
Jesse Mercury has been experiencing bizarre health symptoms on and off for most of his life. What began as intermittent discomfort and strange neurological episodes gradually intensified into a pervasive, life-altering struggle. His documented symptoms include severe cognitive impairment, an inability to control his arms and legs, frequent difficulty speaking, painful muscle spasms, paralyzing extreme fatigue, and relentless chronic pain. This unrelenting cascade of symptoms has become increasingly severe, to the point where he is unable to hold down a job or plan for the future. This daily struggle is often unseen by the outside world and completely misunderstood by traditional medicine.
This personal crisis drove him deep into the frustrating world of undiagnosed conditions. Diagnostic testing consistently revealed no abnormalities, creating a profound and disheartening paradox. For many years, he met with constant pushback from doctors who doubted that any of these symptoms were real. This experience of medical gaslighting being dismissed, miscategorized, or told his symptoms were psychosomatic is a common trauma shared by the chronically ill community.
The pursuit of answers led him through numerous speculative and conflicting theories, including mold poisoning, fibromyalgia, conversion disorder, and Lyme disease. This difficult journey, marked by diagnostic delay and a desperate search for a name for his suffering, illuminates the core crisis faced by listeners of this chronic illness podcast. The lack of proper acknowledgment became the central challenge of his young adult life.
In the pilot episode, Jesse sits down with his partner, Andi Alhadeff, to discuss this journey. They explore the emotional toll this mystery illness has had on their relationship, the strain of caregiving, and the frustrations of working through a healthcare system that is ill-equipped to deal with difficult cases. The ultimate reality that launched the podcast is this: now that this mystery illness has progressed to the point that doctors are finally acknowledging its existence, they still cannot provide any diagnosis, treatment, or recommendations on how to move forward. It highlights the urgent need for systemic change in chronic care.
This powerful and candid conversation established the core mission of Major Pain: to turn personal struggle into collective patient advocacy and ensure that every voice, especially those with undiagnosed illness and chronic pain, is heard and validated. We stand together to share knowledge and reclaim patient narratives.
Listen to the full pilot episode, “Living with a Chronic Mystery Illness,” to hear the complete story that launched the Major Pain podcast.
Parish Armstead was only 7 years old when the first signs of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) appeared. This is a painful inflammatory skin condition that causes boil-like abscesses and scarring, which can occur anywhere that hair Read more
For Tim Cummings, growing up with a brother who lived with epilepsy often felt like there was a mysterious presence in their shared childhood room. Seizures would often affect his brother Matthew in the middle Read more
In The Paper Bag Plan, the new film from writer/director Anthony Lucero, a father named Oscar (Lance Kinsey) who discovers he has cancer, decides to teach his disabled son Billy (Cole Massie) to become a Read more
In the lifespan of this podcast we have never heard a story quite like Alia’s. Up until she was 27, she was living a healthy, active life. She was a vegetarian since the age of 15, and Read more
Tara Sundem took the first steps on her journey to co-founding Hushabye Nursery while working as a neonatal nurse practitioner in neonatal intensive care units. She would help care for babies suffering from neonatal abstinence Read more
Stacey is seemingly living the dream. Working as a social media manager and patient advocate for Rare Patient Voice, she balances work with being a wife, mother, dog mom, caregiver, and pursuing her goal of Read more