Essays & Reflections

After 26 Years of Pain, They Finally Called It By Its Name What happens
After 26 Years of Pain, They Finally Called It By Its Name

What happens when you've lived with chronic pain for more than two decades and finally hear a diagnosis that makes sense?

After 26 years of searching for answers, I found myself facing something I hadn't expected: the complicated relief of finally having a name for what I'd been living with.

This is where The Pain & The Protocol began, with a diagnosis, a little hope, and the realization that getting answers was only the beginning.

This Grinch’s Confession: Self-Care is a Lie We're constantly told to
This Grinch’s Confession: Self-Care is a Lie

We're constantly told to practice self-care, set boundaries, and make time for ourselves. But what happens when even those things feel like another obligation we don't have the energy to fulfill?

In this personal essay, I explore the exhaustion of pretending everything is fine, the complicated relationship between grief and chronic pain, and the frustration of being handed another list of things we're supposed to do to feel better.

Sometimes what we need isn't another self-care routine. It's...

I’m Building a Medical Team That Gives a Shit After nearly three decades of
I’m Building a Medical Team That Gives a Shit

After nearly three decades of chronic pain, I've learned that getting medical care and getting someone to actually listen are two very different experiences.

In this essay, I share what changed when I began assembling a medical team that takes my symptoms seriously, looks beyond the obvious answers, and treats me as a participant in my own care.

The pain hasn't magically disappeared, and the healthcare system certainly hasn't become less ridiculous. But having people in my corner has changed...