Captain’s Log: The Beginning of a Chronic Health Journey
Captain’s Log, Stardate 2601.180825
This log was first recorded during a period of quiet exhaustion and has since been revisited as part of a larger mission—to document what it actually looks like to live, work, and keep going while navigating chronic health issues.
I originally shared this post on my personal blog, and later moved it to my work blog because, at the time, everything in my life felt intertwined. Health, career, stress, survival—it all overlapped. Now, as I officially launch Leveling Up Life, this story finally has a home that makes sense. This blog exists to hold all of it: the hard parts, the lessons, the chaos, and the growth.
Even knowing I’m not alone, the weight of it all still hurts. I’m exhausted—not just mentally, but physically. Years of chronic health issues have reshaped my body, my energy, and the way I move through the world. What began as something I learned to tolerate has become something I can no longer ignore.
Even though I know I’m not the only one who feels this way, it doesn’t make the struggle hurt any less. I’m exhausted from the overwhelming weight of life today. It’s not just affecting me mentally—it’s taking a huge toll on my physical health too.
My health struggles started back in 2013. It’s now 2025, and honestly, I can’t even remember the last time I felt “normal.” Lately, I find myself bringing this up more and more in conversations with my psychologist. Why now? Why, after all these years of grinning and bearing it, am I suddenly so focused on my medical issues?
The truth is, when no one can give you answers—or when no answers even exist—you learn to live with the pain. That’s one of the hardest parts of adulthood no one warned us about. Maybe they did, but I don’t think anyone imagined it could get this bad.
I want to share my story with the world—not just to get it off my chest, but because I know I’m not alone. I also want to hear from others who are going through something similar. Our health challenges aren’t always just about age, genetics, or lifestyle. They’re also shaped by the food we eat, the stress of trying to survive financially, and living in a society that seems more focused on profit than people.
Honestly, things were already rough long before COVID. The pandemic just poured gasoline on a fire that was already burning.
If you’ve been waking up every day feeling the way I do, you already understand. And if you don’t—well, maybe the phrase “ignorance is bliss” really does fit here.
This is a long story—too long for one post. So, I’ll start at the beginning of my medical journey, and if you’d like to follow along, I’ll be sharing more in upcoming posts.
Where It All Began
In 2013, a series of bad car accidents combined with a CrossFit injury left me with chronic back issues. No matter how much I stretched, exercised, or tried to push through, my back has never been the same. And since the opioid epidemic, doctors in the U.S. have been reluctant to prescribe pain medication—something I’m actually okay with, since I never wanted to risk addiction. I’ve seen too many people go down that road.
But what I’m not okay with is how overwhelming life has become. I used to wake up motivated to work out every day. Now, even though I know I need exercise to feel better, it feels like an impossible task.
On top of the back pain, in 2021 I suddenly began dealing with constant nausea. At first, I thought I had something stuck in my throat—it felt like a giant vitamin was lodged in there. A trip to Urgent Care led me down what would become a long and exhausting Gastroenterology journey.
I was eventually referred to an ENT who confirmed what I hadn’t realized: I wasn’t just dealing with reflux. I had Chronic GERD, worsened by years of being on Omeprazole since 2010. Back then, no one talked about long-term risks. I was told I’d need to take it daily, forever. Now, studies show it can actually make reflux worse over time—and sure enough, that’s what happened.
Even after lifestyle changes and surgery, I’m still dealing with symptoms every day.
The Hormone Factor
My ENT also suggested looking at my hormones. I’d been on birth control for over 20 years, and after my dosage was recently increased, I wondered if it could be making my nausea worse. Even though I never wanted children, I made the huge decision to stop taking it altogether. Honestly, it was terrifying, but I was desperate for relief.
Stopping did help—a little. But it wasn’t the cure I hoped for.
Around the same time, I had been prescribed Lyrica for pain and arthritis. While it helped somewhat, the side effects were brutal. I gained weight rapidly, hitting my heaviest at 186 pounds on a 5’5” frame—even though I was still working out daily. Eventually, I weaned myself off Lyrica, only to discover it comes with opioid-like withdrawal symptoms. That experience alone convinced me never to touch medications in that category again.
Where I Am Now
Even after getting off birth control and Lyrica, the nausea never fully went away. My weight loss journey is still ongoing—it’s better than it was, but my energy and motivation aren’t what they used to be. Healing feels harder than it should in a world where our food system and society work against us.
This is only the first chapter of my story. I’ll be sharing more about what I’ve tried, what I’ve learned, and where I’m headed next. If you’ve been through something similar, I’d love to hear your journey too. None of us should have to face this alone.
Stay tuned for the next part of my medical journey.
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