Ep. 73: Life Before and After Diagnosis: Rewriting Your Story with Chronic Illness

In this Spoonie Chats episode, Rachel is joined by Christina Lisk, one of the top-downloaded guests from episode 6 of the SpoonFull of Strength podcast.Christina shares big updates since her first appearance: her ovarian vein transposition surgery has now been declared a success, and she’s received formal diagnoses of hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) and POTS. What once felt like “bad luck” running through generations is now understood as genetics—and that shift changes everything about how she sees her past, her body, and her future.Together, Rachel and Christina explore what it means to live a life that feels split into “before diagnosis” and “after diagnosis.” They talk about:The shock of a diagnosis that shatters your story overnightWhen your body slows down but your mind is still go-go-goRedefining success after you can’t work the way you used toLearning to ask for help and respect your limits (instead of self-abandoning for productivity)Advocating with doctors, using research wisely, and getting clear on what you want from your careChristina’s powerful concept of “catastrophic reconstruction”—rebuilding your identity after everything you believed about yourself breaksIf you’re still in the “before” phase—searching for answers, feeling gaslit, or terrified of what a diagnosis might mean—or if you’re trying to figure out who you are after everything changed, this conversation will make you feel seen.What’s one way you’ve changed—for better or for harder—since your diagnosis?Follow Christina on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/therunciblespoonie/Find her collaborative book here: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Seasons-of-Sisterhood-The-Magic-of-Our-Journey-to-Cameroon-Paperback-9781957296395/14151274823?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=0&adid=2222222229214151274823_0_0000000000_569516217&wmlspartner=wmtlabs&wl0=e&wl1=o&wl2=c&wl3=72843111714422&wl4=pla-2324642460507122%3Aaud-815770365&wl5=49079&wl6=&wl7=&wl10=Walmart&wl11=Online&wl12=14151274823_0&wl14=seasons+of+the+sisterhood+book&veh=sem&gclid=a35792ca181f1ca827dafbd6980e9b57&gclsrc=3p.ds&msclkid=a35792ca181f1ca827dafbd6980e9b57&sid=125a186c-449c-43ad-b2c5-7a7dcbab99c1 Follow SpoonFull of Strength at: Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/spoonfullofstrength/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@spoonfull.of.strength⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Shop SpoonFull's Etsy shop at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠SpoonFullofStrength.etsy.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Use code PODCAST for 20% off your entire order