13 Years of Fighting an Invisible Battle

Recently, I reviewed medical notes from a doctor who is helping me investigate what may be driving the chronic symptoms I've experienced for over a decade.

The notes listed fatigue, fibromyalgia, blurred vision, neuralgia, insomnia, temperature dysregulation, IBS, GERD, hormone issues, anxiety, depression, muscle pain, nerve sensitivity, and more.

I've known all of those symptoms individually.

What I wasn't prepared for was seeing them all together.

For years…

Author Note

This article discusses trauma, chronic illness, anxiety, digestive illness, identity loss, depression, and the emotional aftermath of surviving a medical crisis.

Nobody Prepares You For The After

The strangest part about almost dying isn't almost dying.

The strangest part is what happens afterward.

Everybody expects gratitude.

Nobody expects trauma.

People see the fact that you're alive.

They don't see what survival cost.

After I left the hospital, I kept waiting for life to feel normal again.

It never…

Author Note

This article contains discussions of medical trauma, near-death experiences, post-surgical complications, and long-term health struggles. This story is shared not for sympathy, but for truth. If you've ever survived something your body remembers more clearly than your mind, I hope you feel seen.

Nobody tells you what comes after.

They tell you about surgery.

They tell you about recovery.

They tell you about medication.

They tell you about physical therapy.

They tell you what to do if everything goes…