Rewriting the Narrative

For years, I brought my body to the table —
and they only saw a checklist.

They didn’t ask why.
They didn’t ask what happened.
They didn’t ask how I was really doing.

They asked about symptoms.
They ran a test.
They handed me a label — or worse, a pill —
and sent me on my way.

I was told I was “fine.”
But I wasn’t.

I was exhausted.
Inflamed.
Disconnected.
Unseen.

Here’s what I’ve learned:

You can’t heal a woman by ignoring her story.
You can’t medicate away the root.
And you sure as hell can’t fix what you refuse to listen to.

I’ve been the grand rounds patient —
the “interesting case” that made med students take notes.

I’ve watched them point at my skin,
marvel at my rare condition,
and miss the human being underneath it.

I’ve sat in doctor’s offices,
desperate for relief —
and left with nothing but shame.

I’ve tried the pills.
The referrals.
The repeat visits.
The waiting.

What I didn’t get?

Answers.
Connection.
Validation.
Relief.

It took me years — and so much trial and error —
to learn that healing doesn’t come from the system.

It comes from truth.
From reclaiming your voice.
From saying, “I’m not crazy — I’m inflamed.”

I now believe this with everything in me:

What we call “mental illness” is often a body crying out for balance.
For nourishment.
For safety.
For someone to ask,
“What’s your story?” — not just, “What’s your symptom?”

So many of the things we normalize —
brain fog, chronic fatigue, bloating, burnout, low mood, irritability —
aren’t just “life as a woman.”

They’re warning signs.
They’re invitations.
They’re truth, speaking through the body.

And the longer we ignore them,
the louder they get.

This is why I’m doing things differently now.
Not perfectly.
Not overnight.
But from a place of deep, radical self-respect.

I don’t want a bandage.
I want restoration.

I don’t want a prescription.
I want understanding.

I don’t want to be dismissed.
I want to be heard.

Because what’s at stake isn’t just my health.

It’s my future.
My joy.
My ability to show up fully for this one sacred life.

This isn’t about rage.
It’s about reclaiming.

And I’m not waiting on the system to do that for me.

With heart,
Rebecca