Overcoming Illness: A Story of Validation and Healing

So… after five years (yes, you read that right) of fighting with doctors, explaining my symptoms over and over, and being told “it’s nothing,” I am finally — FINALLY — getting answers.

I didn’t even realize how much I needed that validation until my therapist gently said: “Maybe you haven’t processed any of this because you’ve been through so much trauma, back-to-back, without ever stopping.”
And… she’s not wrong.

The truth is, I don’t give myself permission to focus on me. I’m a lifelong people-pleaser, always putting everyone else first — even when I’m literally running on fumes.

Flashback to COVID:

At the height of the pandemic, I had a pituitary tumor. Ended up in the hospital for two weeks with no visitors allowed. When I finally got out, I left with a Staph infection in my brain (yep, you read that right) and a PICC line in my heart for round-the-clock antibiotics.

My husband — bless that man — was basically my private nurse.

And while I should have been resting, you know what I did?
Became Maid of Honor in my brother’s wedding… and also basically the wedding planner.

So picture this: I’m hooked up to IV drips, battling exhaustion, and still planning bridal showers, dress fittings, and all the wedding magic. Oh, and all this was still during COVID. Because of course it was.

When I Couldn’t Work

After all of that, when I realized I couldn’t work, the negative self-talk hit hard. I was so mean to myself, like I was failing somehow. I tried to push my body to “bounce back,” but instead, I just got sicker.

The symptoms piled on:

• Fainting
• Low blood pressure
• Migraines
• GI problems
• Fatigue so deep I didn’t know it was possible
• Memory issues
• Chronic pain

I knew something was wrong. I told my endocrinologist the tumor had messed me up — and she told me it hadn’t. Which, okay, but… it was the size of a golf ball. It flattened my pituitary gland into a pancake. It almost made me blind. But sure, it didn’t affect me at all.

So, I went searching for answers myself. And after five years of being passed from doctor to doctor, here’s where we’re at:

• Gastroparesis
• Fibromyalgia
• Chronic Migraine
• Constantly in fight-or-flight mode
• ADHD

Do I love getting these diagnoses? Absolutely not. But every time one comes, I feel this weird mix of sadness and gratitude — because finally, finally, I’m being heard.

Now my focus is learning how to navigate this whole new health landscape… and maybe the hardest part of all:

Learning to set boundaries and put myself first.

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If you’re reading this and you’ve been dismissed by a doctor, or told “it’s nothing,” or made to feel like you’re just overreacting — I see you. You are not making it up. Keep advocating for yourself.

I don’t know exactly where this road leads, but I do know one thing: I’m not walking it quietly anymore.

💜
Kimmie