When you’re more than
just tired
You won't find fads or woo-woo here.
And you won’t get answers or absolutes.
Instead, you can meet a friend and find community.
The stressed sick project is a resource to help patients and caregivers navigate chronic pain, illness, and the profound frustration of broken healthcare systems. Because the stress of it all can make you sick and tired.
🔗 You may have landed here because of Luigi Mangione (more on that below)
By sharing personal stories and lessons learned from +20 years as both a patient and a caregiver, Maggie (founder) is driven to help keep you going.
You are not alone, and the lived experiences shared here are intended to support you in advocating for your best health.
Because there's no one-size-fits-all fix or health hack when you live with chronic illness. What works for one person might not for another, and that’s ok. The hope is that you find something here that resonates, something that you can adapt for your own journey to feeling a little bit better.
What drives me?
Saving you the time, money, and stress
I fumbled with over the past 20-odd years.
About Maggie
Hey. Hi.
I'm Maggie, the feisty heart behind the stressed sick project.
For over ten years, I lived with an undiagnosed chronic condition that wreaked havoc on my life and sent me on a medical wild goose chase. It felt very lonely. And it was extremely frustrating and stressful to constantly be grasping for answers.
Every day, I forced myself to function with sheer willpower, pushing myself past sheer exhaustion. And then burning out.
Multiple diagnoses and three surgeries later, the deep frustration I felt with the healthcare system was simmering in silent rage. And then it became quiet determination.
I became determined to help others save the time, money, and stress that I had fumbled through over the past 20-odd years.
That's how stressed sick came to be — creating a space to share what’s worked and to connect with others navigating chronic illness as patients or caregivers.
My approach is candid and skeptical, reflecting the realities of managing chronic illness and the daily challenges that come with it. My hope is to help you find more ease, even on the challenging days, as we learn along the way.
What do I do for work?
What do I do for fun?
Wait…what…
Why Luigi Mangione?
Read on
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Chronic stress eats you alive
I mean, this site is called “stressed sick” for a reason. I learned to meditate my way through emergency rooms and MRIs, and like teaching others the underestimated skill of calming the fuck down.
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10/10 pain and ER frequent flier status
Preparing for and healing from multiple surgeries for endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and adenomyosis. My treatment in the US and Canada for excruciating pain that’s not “all in your head.”
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A fucked up back and chronic pain
From herniated discs to compression fractures and five-alarm sciatica, here’s my journey with ~20 years of chronic back pain. Oh, and a missed diagnosis that almost led to spinal surgery.