Major Pain

Today we kick off the sixth season of Major Pain by catching up with previous guests Danni, Courtney, Joan and Kaitlyn.

Danni is a baker who was risking extreme pain every time she would eat, and doctors had no idea why. She returns to the show with a huge update: she finally has a diagnosis! She tells us how a pocket of fluid around her heart and shortness of breath final...

Justin Goodman is on a mission with his organization Project 55: to educate, equip and empower the 55% of adults with mental health struggles that aren’t getting the care they need. His journey to this mission was a tumultuous one, in which he has overcome addiction, learned to manage Bipolar II, and faced the lifelong challenge of Scheuermann’s disease. Justin is now focused on helping oth...

As a baby, Sarah didn’t know that her diagnosis with asthma would be the first in a long list of diagnoses that would eventually grow to over twenty.  Today she manages these conditions with the help of her husband Dan and cat Daisy.  She juggles her self care with working as a fundraiser for a charity organization and screening films for the South by Southwest film festival.  When...

Several years ago, Janene was at a golf tournament when something terrifying happened. Out of nowhere her feet began to burn, as if she were walking on hot coals. She discovered that blisters were spreading across her feet at an alarming rate, as if she were being burned by an invisible fire. As the blisters continued to spread she rushed to the doctor, but nobody had any idea what was going on. After ...

In this episode of Major Pain, we continue our talks with people dealing with hidradenitis suppurativa.  Today we talk to Angel, a mother of five who has had multiple health challenges.  A self described “homestead mom”, Angel loves to grow vegetables in the garden and make her own food like butter whenever she is able.  She stays busy homeschooling her autistic son while rai...

Parish Armstead was only 7 years old when the first signs of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) appeared. This is a painful inflammatory skin condition that causes boil-like abscesses and scarring, which can occur anywhere that hair follicles grow. These abscesses are known to reform in the same spot even when surgically removed, or connect with each other through tunnels under the skin called tracts. This ...

For Tim Cummings, growing up with a brother who lived with epilepsy often felt like there was a mysterious presence in their shared childhood room. Seizures would often affect his brother Matthew in the middle of the night, a terrifying experience for young Tim to witness. It felt like there was a doorway or a portal opening, connecting Matthew to an unseen realm. This feeling would haunt Tim well into...

In The Paper Bag Plan, the new film from writer/director Anthony Lucero, a father named Oscar (Lance Kinsey) who discovers he has cancer, decides to teach his disabled son Billy (Cole Massie) to become a grocery bagger in the hopes of landing his first job and beginning a life of independence. This is a deeply personal story, inspired by Anthony’s experience growing up with a disabled brother who...

In the lifespan of this podcast we have never heard a story quite like Alia’s. Up until she was 27, she was living a healthy, active life. She was a vegetarian since the age of 15, and an avid gym-goer who continued to hit personal bests on lifts. Using her degree in philosophy with an emphasis in biomedical ethics, she works as a Research Data Coordinator for Oncology Research in ...

Tara Sundem took the first steps on her journey to co-founding Hushabye Nursery while working as a neonatal nurse practitioner in neonatal intensive care units.  She would help care for babies suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), what used to be referred to as babies born addicted to various drugs.  The truth is that these babies are born dependent on these drugs but not addicte...

Stacey is seemingly living the dream. Working as a social media manager and patient advocate for Rare Patient Voice, she balances work with being a wife, mother, dog mom, caregiver, and pursuing her goal of a happy healthy home on the islands of Hawaii. For most people the normal struggles with preparing for your oldest to graduate high school and your youngest to enter middle school are enough. Stacey...

Brenda Snow was diagnosed with relapsing multiple sclerosis (MS) in the early 1990s, during an era when treatment was minimal and the condition was poorly understood—a time often marked by a ‘diagnosis and adios’ approach. Like many facing chronic illness, her diagnostic journey was filled with medical gaslighting and doctors refusing to listen. But her journey reveals a deeper truth:...

Joan, or as she is better known on the internet Joan of Heart, is an enthusiastic content creator who is best known for her YouTube channel Pedal Playhouse. There she shares her passion for effect pedals not just by reviewing them, but demonstrating what they are capable of along with a healthy mix of comedic animations to keep the video fun and interesting.

Joan actually...

Bonnie is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Washington state as well as a nationally registered and board certified art therapist.  As an undergrad in psychology and art, Bonnie knew she wanted to help people but was initially hesitant to take on the graduate school needed to become an art therapist.  After years of working with organizations helping connect people with the resource...

Hannah is still trying to live her life as any other 22 year old would, dancing with friends, enjoying the outdoors, and loving the cows on her family farm. She hopes to share this positive view of life with chronic illnesses on her public Instagram page beyond.the.label_0 to help show other young people with challenging diagnosis that joy and a life worth living are still possible.  In this episo...

Willemijn lives with a rare condition called visual snow syndrome, or VSS. She sees static in her entire field of vision, no matter if her eyes are open or closed. This constantly moving static is black and white, similar to that of an old TV. The static itself is only one symptom out of many that Willemijn experiences, including blurred motion, after images and tinnitus, a constant ringing in the ears...

Today we are kicking off the fifth season of Major Pain! Jesse reflects on the past year before we jump into three interviews with previous guests, updating us on their health journeys.