Living with a Mysterious Seizure Disorder

Emily has been having mysterious seizures since she was 8 or 9 years old. Her preliminary tests all came back normal, and none of the adults responsible for her care pushed any further for a diagnosis. Over time the seizures blended into her daily life, becoming a normal occurrence in Read more…

Still Undiagnosed and More Confused than Ever

Jesse’s mystery illness continues to go undiagnosed, and recent liver biopsy results have plunged the situation into even murkier waters. In this episode of the Major Pain podcast he sits down with his partner Andi to discuss the evolving situation. They discuss the challenges of having an undiagnosed and elusive Read more…

Living with POTS and EDS

Zoe’s life changed dramatically at the beginning of 2021. In rapid succession she contracted Covid-19, suffered a concussion, and came down with mono. These three major stressors on her body caused a massive flare of chronic pain, functional difficulty and POTS symptoms (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome). At first her doctors Read more…

Living with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Between sophomore and junior year of college, Cheryl’s world turned upside down as she began to feel mysteriously unwell. She started losing weight at a frightening rate, getting down to 105 pounds. Her doctors refused to believe that she was ill, going so far as to call Cheryl’s parents and Read more…

Living with Nontraumatic Spinal Cord Injury and Sjogren’s Syndrome

Towards the end of 2020 Nic’s life took a bizarre turn. He had been a healthy father who enjoyed helping others as an EMT, but suddenly found himself in the midst of his own medical trauma. He started experiencing mysterious weakness and numbness in his legs, soon finding himself unable Read more…

Living with Erb’s Palsy

On the day she was born, Favor suffered an injury that would have permanent repercussions on her life. Her brachial plexus was damaged during birth, causing a condition called Erb’s palsy. The brachial plexus is a network of nerves in the shoulder that carries sensory information from the spinal cord Read more…

Living with Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Kelcie’s life has been frustratingly intertwined with her chronic pain journey. She was originally diagnosed with palindromic rheumatism in her late teens, which would eventually progress into rheumatoid arthritis. In her late 20s she slowly began to experience mysterious widespread pain, accompanied by exhaustion and brain fog. Being diagnosed with Read more…

Living with a Chronic Mystery Illness

Jesse Mercury has been experiencing bizarre health symptoms on and off for most of his life. His symptoms include cognitive impairment, inability to control his arms and legs, difficulty speaking, muscle spasms, extreme fatigue and chronic pain. Throughout his life these symptoms have become increasingly severe, to the point where Read more…