The Chronic Truth

Kim Nash

If chronic illness has ever made you feel lost, alone, or like your body is working against you, this podcast is for you. The Chronic Truth is a weekly show dedicated to helping chronic illness patients find hope, resilience, and community in the middle of their toughest seasons.Every Friday, Kim Nash opens up about her own health journey and sits down with real patients who have faced the darkest moments of their diagnosis and found their way through.Join us for conversations about navigating uncertain diagnoses, managing life with chronic pain, invisible illness, autoimmune conditions, and so much more.Not without a fight. Together, WE are STRONG.

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28 episodes
weekly
Avg 30 min
English

Episodes 28

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#81
May 15 · 25 min
The Prepared Patient: Three Things Every Chronic Illness Patient Needs Before a Specialist Visit
Eric Butcher was told to get his affairs in order at 38. He had cirrhosis, Alpha-1 Antitrypsin deficiency, and five years. That was 15 years ago. His MELD score has dropped from 15 to 8 through lifestyle changes, community, and getting off medications that were quietly compounding the damage. Now he's built The Prepared Patient, a navigation framework for chronic illness patients who are tired of 15-minute appointments that go nowhere. He joins Kim Nash to talk Alpha-1, insurance gatekeeping, how to advocate without being labeled difficult, and why community is the most underrated medicine there is. CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction and Podcast Milestone 01:04 Eric Butcher's Journey with Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency 08:57 Navigating Chronic Illness and Healthcare Challenges 15:55 Advocating for Yourself in Healthcare 20:48 Community Support and Personal Struggles 22:54 Conclusion and Resources CONNECT & RESOURCES 📱 @EricButcherOfficial The Chronic Truth Podcast: 🌐 Website: chronictruthpodcast.com 📱 Instagram: @ChronicTruthPodcast 📘 TikTok: @chronictruthpodcast 💬 Share Your Story: Testimonials 📋 Community Survey: Survey Production: Podcast Mechanic
#80
May 8 · 40 min
"Recovery Doesn't Mean Cured" | Two Decades of Schizoaffective Disorder
Jason Jepson was 19 when he had a psychotic break at an Army base in the Mojave Desert. He's 45 now, living independently, volunteering, writing a blog cited by academic journals, and traveling to Portugal with his family. His mother, Maye, is a trained counselor who became an expert in schizoaffective disorder overnight, started a Facebook group called Parenting Through Mental Illness, and trains law enforcement through NAMI on how to respond to mental health crises. Together, they join Kim Nash for a conversation that covers the full arc: diagnosis, crisis, the trust partner model, long-acting injectables, triggers, and why recovery doesn't mean cured, it means living. CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction to Mental Health Advocacy 02:05 Jason's Journey: From Army Life to Diagnosis 05:50 Understanding Schizoaffective Disorder 10:03 The Role of Family in Mental Health 14:12 Becoming a Trust Partner 17:59 Advocacy and Community Engagement 24:09 Navigating Law Enforcement and Mental Health 29:47 Medication Management and Recovery 34:02 Daily Routines and Coping Strategies 38:13 Conclusion and Call to Action CONNECT & RESOURCES 📝 Jason's Blog: jasongepps.blogspot.com 👥 Facebook Group: Parenting Through Mental Illness The Chronic Truth Podcast: 🌐 Website: chronictruthpodcast.com 📱 Instagram: @ChronicTruthPodcast 📘 TikTok: @chronictruthpodcast 💬 Share Your Story: Testimonials 📋 Community Survey: Survey Production: Podcast Mechanic
#79
May 1 · 30 min
Stress Is Your Teacher, Not Your Enemy
Dean Graves has spent 20+ years teaching one idea: the condition of the body is a manifestation of the mind. As a meditation teacher, mental health counselor, and author, he works with veterans, trauma patients, and chronic pain sufferers who are ready to stop fighting their bodies and start understanding them. This conversation covers consciousness, the ego mind, how stress works as a teacher, and a set of trauma-clearing techniques he learned from a Serbian psychologist that can dissolve a lifelong pattern in 10 minutes. For anyone living in chronic pain who wonders if there's more to healing than medication, this one is for you. CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Introduction to the Chronic Truth Podcast 01:10 Meet Dean Graves: A Holistic Healer 03:32 Understanding Consciousness and Healing 09:10 The Mind-Body Connection in Healing 15:41 Stress as a Teacher 17:00 The Power of Meditation 20:21 Defining Happiness and Bliss 23:04 Pain, Energy, and Healing 24:24 Exploring Dean's Books and Teachings 27:11 The Role of Medication in Healing 28:34 Conclusion and Resources CONNECT & RESOURCES 🌐 Website: ddeangray.org The Chronic Truth Podcast: 🌐 Website: chronictruthpodcast.com 📱 Instagram: @ChronicTruthPodcast 📘 TikTok: @chronictruthpodcast 💬 Share Your Story: Testimonials 📋 Community Survey: Survey Production: Podcast Mechanic
#78
April 24 · 30 min
11 Years to Diagnose, 7 Organs Fused: The Endometriosis Reality Nobody Warned You About
Ruthy spent years being dismissed before passing out from pain and finally landing in the office of a surgeon whose bio said: If you're in pain, please come see me. The MRI showed seven internal organs fused. She built The Yellow Hub: a global specialist map with over half a million views so no one else would have to find the right doctor by accident. Now, as co-founder of Ma Pott Health, she's bringing AI-powered symptom forecasting to endometriosis patients so they can manage their lives around the disease instead of being controlled by it. Chapters/Timestamps: 00:00 Introduction to Chronic Truth Podcast and Ruthy's Journey 06:55 The Birth of the Yellow Hub and Community Support 14:12 Understanding Endometriosis: Diagnosis and Treatment Challenges 21:58 Innovative Solutions: AI and Patient Empowerment 25:48 Life After Diagnosis: Managing Chronic Pain and Daily Life CONNECT & RESOURCES 🌐 Website: theyellowhub.org 🌐 Website: ma-pott.com The Chronic Truth Podcast: 🌐 Website: chronictruthpodcast.com 📱 Instagram: @ChronicTruthPodcast 📘 TikTok: @chronictruthpodcast 💬 Share Your Story: Testimonials 📋 Community Survey: Survey Production: Podcast Mechanic
#77
April 17 · 31 min
From Billion-Dollar Projects to End-Stage Liver Disease: How Lorrinda Gray-Davis Became an Advocate
Lorrinda Gray-Davis went from managing billion-dollar construction projects to crash-landing in an ER with end-stage liver disease, then inoperable liver cancer, then a high-risk transplant that was only possible because of clinical trials. As president of TRIO and vice chair of OPTN's Patient Affairs Committee, she's turned that journey into systems that actually help: a peer-to-peer transplant support meeting running six years online, and the Transplant Medication Navigator, which has taken medications from hundreds of dollars to single digits for patients who didn't know they had options. This one is packed with information the transplant community needs and isn't hearing anywhere else. CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Facing the Diagnosis: A Life-Changing Moment 06:51 Navigating the Transplant Journey 14:12 Empowerment Through Advocacy and Support 19:56 Understanding the Transplant System 25:49 Living Life After Transplant: A New Perspective CONNECT & RESOURCES 🌐 Website: trioweb.org 💊 Transplant Medication Navigator: transplantmedicationnavigator.com 📧 Email: ldavis@trioweb.org The Chronic Truth Podcast: 🌐 Website: chronictruthpodcast.com 📱 Instagram: @ChronicTruthPodcast 📘 TikTok: @chronictruthpodcast 💬 Share Your Story: Testimonials 📋 Community Survey: Survey Production: Podcast Mechanic
#76
April 10 · 28 min
How Chronic Illness Changes Everything in a Relationship and How to Navigate It
When chronic illness enters a relationship, it doesn't ask permission, and no one gives you a manual for what comes next. Lisa Gray is a licensed marriage and family therapist, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome patient, and author of Thriving in a Relationship When You Have a Chronic Illness. She joins Kim Nash to talk about why both partners are grieving (just differently), how to stop fighting each other and start fighting the illness together, and what to do when your partner won't accept your diagnosis. Packed with practical tools for newly diagnosed patients, caregivers, and couples at every stage. CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Navigating Chronic Illness and Relationships 07:14 Grief and Acceptance in Chronic Illness 14:06 Communication Strategies for Couples 20:57 Tools for Thriving in Relationships 26:23 Finding the Right Therapist CONNECT & RESOURCES 🌐 Website: LisaGrayAuthor.com (both books available) 📚 Books: Available on Amazon, independent bookstores, and LisaGrayAuthor.com 📱 Instagram: @LisaGrayMFT (chronic illness content) 🗂️ Find a chronic illness therapist: chronicillnesstherapists.com The Chronic Truth Podcast: 🌐 Website: chronictruthpodcast.com 📱 Instagram: @ChronicTruthPodcast 📘 TikTok: @chronictruthpodcast 💬 Share Your Story: Testimonials 📋 Community Survey: Survey Production: Podcast Mechanic
#75
April 3 · 38 min
65 Million Americans Have Chronic Pain and Most Don't Know the Real Cause
Dr. Bruce Gillis spent over a decade proving what too many doctors still refuse to accept: fibromyalgia is a real, diagnosable immune deficiency — not a made-up condition affecting neurotic women. His FM1 blood test, covered by Medicare and most major insurers, gives patients a definitive rule-in diagnosis. His supplement Imbix targets the gut-brain axis and has helped people off wheelchairs, off anti-psychotics, and out of decades of suffering — with zero confirmed adverse effects. This conversation covers fibromyalgia, long COVID, interstitial cystitis, the dangerous drugs the FDA did approve, and why 65 million Americans are still suffering when they don't have to be. CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Understanding Fibromyalgia and Its Prevalence 02:50 The Science Behind Fibromyalgia Diagnosis 06:03 Innovative Blood Tests and Their Impact 08:59 The Role of Immune System in Chronic Pain 12:01 Treatment Options and Patient Experiences 15:01 Challenges with Traditional Medical Approaches 17:58 The Future of Fibromyalgia Treatment 19:26 Understanding Interstitial Cystitis and Diagnosis Challenges 21:56 The Importance of Accurate Testing and Lab Accreditation 23:59 The Mental Health Impact of Chronic Pain 26:59 The Role of Big Pharma in Patient Care 29:56 Empowering Patients with Information and Resources 32:08 Connecting with Dr. Gillis and His Work CONNECT & RESOURCES 🌐 fm1test.com The Chronic Truth Podcast: 🌐 Website: chronictruthpodcast.com 📱 Instagram: @ChronicTruthPodcast 📘 TikTok: @chronictruthpodcast 💬 Share Your Story: Testimonials 📋 Community Survey: Survey Production: Podcast Mechanic
#74
March 27 · 24 min
She Was Dying and Didn't Know It: One Woman's Liver Transplant Story
Eileen Flynn Wagner survived five Hep C treatments, a near-fatal liver failure, and a transplant she almost didn't live to receive, and eight years later, she's still navigating the aftermath. Her kidneys are now at 20% function, she gets stents replaced every three months, and she carries a partially collapsed lung she's never once felt. She joins Kim Nash to speak candidly about why a combined kidney-liver transplant should have been done from the start, the anti-rejection medications patients aren't fully warned about, and why waking up from surgery turned her into a lifelong voice for organ and tissue donation. CHAPTERS / TIMESTAMPS 00:00 Eileen's Journey with Hepatitis C and Transplantation 07:25 The Impact of Interferon Treatment 08:29 The Need for Simultaneous Kidney and Liver Transplants 12:21 Current Health Status and Ongoing Challenges 15:44 Advocacy for Organ Donation 19:31 Life After Transplant: Lessons Learned CONNECT & RESOURCES 🌐 Organ Donation: organdonor.gov The Chronic Truth Podcast: 🌐 Website: chronictruthpodcast.com 📱 Instagram: @ChronicTruthPodcast 📘 TikTok: @chronictruthpodcast 💬 Share Your Story: Testimonials 📋 Community Survey: Survey Production: Podcast Mechanic

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