Avery’s Acromegaly: “It’s All in Your Head”… but Something Is Actually in My Head!

Avery was gearing up for senior year of college when she began to notice painful changes in her body. Her initial symptoms included difficulty sleeping and intense jaw pain. Avery also began to notice growth in her facial features, hands and feet. She thought these changes could be from another Read more…

Jesse Mercury on Starting the Major Pain Podcast and Seeking a Diagnosis for Mystery Illness

This week on the Major Pain podcast, our host Jesse is interviewed for a change! This interview is taken from a recent rheumatoid arthritis summit hosted by Andrea Dunn. She asks Jesse what inspired him to create the Major Pain podcast, inquires about his health journey and recent diagnosis of Read more…

Jessy’s Disabling Mystery Illness

Jessy has been living with a disabling mystery illness that has turned his life upside down. He experiences extreme fatigue, brain fog, tremors and intense pain. His body has become so unreliable that he requires a wheelchair to navigate the world. And yet, his doctors have no idea what is Read more…

Living with Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome

Raven’s journey to be diagnosed with cyclic vomiting syndrome (CVS) was deeply traumatic, not only due to their debilitating disease but from the way doctors treated them along the way. CVS is characterized by episodes of intense vomiting that can be severe enough to warrant emergency care. Raven says it’s Read more…

The Infuriating Contradictions of Undiagnosed Illness

Courtney refers to herself as a hot potato patient, being passed from specialist to specialist in search of a diagnosis to her mystery illness, but none of these providers have been willing to keep digging until an answer is found. She used to be an avid globe trotter while working Read more…

Season 3 Premiere! Catching Up With Previous Guests

This week we kick off the third season of Major Pain by catching up with previous guests! First we’ll check in with Andrew, who originally appeared in December 2021 to discuss mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). He has been slowly improving since then, feeling as if a new self is Read more…

Level 10 Pain, the Mayo Clinic, Aphasia and Sarcoidosis: Claudia’s Journey So Far

Claudia Alick is an activist and influencer with a transmedia social justice practice, creating spaces for entertainment, education and empowerment by and for marginalized communities. While working as a disability advocate in 2009, Claudia found themself suddenly experiencing what they describe as mysterious level 10 pain, accompanied by mobility issues Read more…

Stacy’s Chronic Illness Duo: Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Endometriosis

Stacy has been diagnosed with two chronic illnesses, but getting those diagnoses was an uphill battle. In 2019 she started experiencing extreme exhaustion, brain fog and weight fluctuations, but repeated visits to multiple doctors revealed nothing. In her tenacity to uncover the truth she started researching potential tests to request, Read more…

Living with POTS, HEDS, Rapid Gastric Emptying and More

Katherine has been chronically ill her whole life, but didn’t realize it until the situation became debilitating in college. She was always a flexible kid, able to twist, contort and bend in all sorts of unusual ways. In high school she started experiencing chest pain and heart palpitations, but was Read more…

Finally Diagnosed: Her Genetic Condition Hid in Plain Sight for Decades

When Ashley scheduled an interview for the Major Pain podcast to discuss her chronic illness, she was prepared to talk about living with an undiagnosed disease. But to her shock, just weeks before recording her interview, a rheumatologist officially confirmed a diagnosis. Ashley found herself looking back on her life Read more…