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 Friedreich’s Ataxia

When Sydni was 7 or 8 years old she started exhibiting symptoms of instability and difficulty walking. At 10 she was diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a rare inherited neurodegenerative disease. Both of her parents were unknowing carriers of the disease, giving birth to two children with FA. Over time 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 Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

At just 16 years old, Jonelle was hit by a drunk driver and suffered a broken neck. The only reason she survived is that a friend was driving behind her and rushed to her aid, holding her head in proper alignment to open the airway that had been cut off. 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 Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Andrew has struggled his entire life to understand his own mind. He developed learning disabilities as a child, and as an adult was diagnosed with mental health conditions like ADD, anxiety and depression, but the treatments proved ineffective. Dissatisfied with these diagnoses and the direction of his care, Andrew began 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 Chronic Migraines, Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and More

India is a retired nurse living with a complicated collection of health conditions. She was born with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome that went undiagnosed most of her life, and has experienced several related comorbidities including bronchiectasis. Her pain situation reached a fever pitch due to a Chiari malformation, where part of Read more…