Three Years in the Messy Middle: A Chronic Illness Anniversary

About this episode

In this episode, the host shares a deeply personal story about navigating chronic illness and an unexpected pregnancy that improved her symptoms.

Three years ago this Halloween, my life changed forever. What started as unexplained fatigue became an ME/CFS diagnosis that reshaped everything—my career, my body, my future. But then came the plot twist I never saw coming: an IUD pregnancy that actually improved my symptoms. In this deeply personal anniversary episode, I'm sharing the full story—from the Halloween 2022 moment I realized something was seriously wrong, to the shocking positive pregnancy test, the missing IUD mystery during my C-section, and how I figured out what probably happened (spoiler: menstrual cups and IUDs don't always play well together). This episode is for anyone navigating chronic illness, making impossible decisions about their future, or wondering if the universe might know better than they do. It's about grief and building simultaneously, trusting your path when you can't trust your body, and finding gifts in the places you least expect them. In This Episode: The Halloween 2022 turning point that marked my "before and after" What ME/CFS actually means (and why "chronic fatigue" doesn't capture it) How I learned to pace my energy and listen to my body after a lifetime of ignoring it The IUD decision…

People in this episode

Host: Practical Hug

Topics covered

• chronic illness
• personal story
• ME/CFS
• pregnancy
• health decisions
• trusting your body

Keywords

• chronic fatigue
• IUD
• pregnancy test
• energy pacing
• health journey
• symptom improvement

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: ME/CFS

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