July 14, 2025 • 7 mins
After a long hiatus, I’m baaaaack -- and opening up about the journey that’s changed everything. In this episode, I share my fibromyalgia diagnosis, how I finally got doctors to listen, and what it’s like navigating life with chronic pain, PTSD, and being neurodivergent in a neurotypical world. Shoutout to Danielle Dellilo for seeing me before I saw myself. This one’s for anyone living with invisible condition... you’re not alone. 💜
xx,
w
xx,
w
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:01):
Life Fights with Wendy Wilde, your bite sized podcast filled
with lifestyle stories, personal stories, and a roundup of stories
Wendy talks about on the radio. Here's Wendy. Hey, friends,
I know it's been a while. If you're still subscribed,
thank you. If you're still tuned in you know, or
maybe you're stumbling across life Bits for the very first time,
thank you for being here. I have missed the space.
(00:23):
I have missed you. So the million dollar question is
where have I been? Well? That is that's a loaded question.
It's been a bit of a storm physically, mentally, emotionally,
but that's why we're here right This space is a
safe one. It's open. So I had some news that
I wanted to share with you, and you know, if
(00:44):
you look at it, it's kind of good news because
I received some long overdue clarity and I've been diagnosed
with fibromyalgia. This is something that this is not like new.
I've likely had this for a long time. The diagnosis
did not come easy. For like I mentioned, the longest
time I knew something was off, I was in constant
(01:06):
pain and the pain in my body was moving like
some days it was my feed some days it was
my hip my achilles, and I would address this pain
like if it was really that bad, I would go
to the doctor and say, hey, like can you do
something for my back? It really hurts, and I would
go to physical therapy, not really addressing the big picture
because there were other symptoms too, like, as you know,
(01:28):
I have terrible food sensitivities as well, I am hyper mobile.
My old doctor I kept going to was not really
listening to me. He had this unwritten rule that it
was like one symptom per visit. So a lot of
the times he would send me home with a prescription
to pepsid and I was like, thanks, buddy, Like, I
literally can get this at CVS. So when you know
(01:48):
that it's fibromyalgia, this is laughable because it's never going
to just be one thing. So I felt dismissed, and
then eventually I was like, oh, maybe I'm just being
dramatic or maybe I'm exaggerating. I really started to internalize
that and think, hey, maybe maybe it is all in
my head. Maybe I am just lazy, but deep down
(02:10):
and I'm glad that I snapped out of that mindset
because I knew better. I knew that something real was
going on. By the way, she's not here today obviously,
but we have to give a shout out to Danielle
DeLillo because she was the first one to say the word.
I don't know how she knew, but I think, you know,
just from me and her being such close friends and
(02:30):
us sometimes commuting together. She would see me struggling going
down the subway steps. It's funny because I can do
the aerial silks, I can still do a pull up,
but I can't turn a doorknob. So this invisible disability,
it's really funny because the way people perceive it, like
people think I'm really strong. People think that I can
(02:52):
do some amazing things, which I know that I can,
but sometimes just doing simple things are really difficult for me.
For instance, I can not palm of basketball or grapefruit.
That motion is just my elbow will will not. I
do not have the strength in my hand or my
arm to do that. But anyway, back to Danielle, she
said the word. She goes, this looks like fibro. Ma
(03:14):
yel jah, and you know what, she was right. So Danielle,
I cannot wait to have you back here on this podcast.
That moment kind of stuck with me. She really helped
give me that push that I needed to keep advocating
for myself. Now I finally found a doctor who took
an hour and she listened to everything about me. You know,
(03:35):
she connected all the things. You know. This diagnosis was
this strange mix of validation and grief, because on one
hand it was like, Okay, I'm not crazy. But on
the other it's like, Okay, it's not like there's a
cure or a real treatment for this. It's something you
have to manage. The biggest triggers, at least for me,
it's food, okay, not getting enough sleep, and stress. So
(03:59):
one of the hardest things I think for me is
I cannot sit or stand for long periods of time
without causing a flare up. So I've learned to listen
to my body. I move when I need to, I
rest when I need to, and I will not feel
guilty about it. I know that a long car ride
for me, a long train ride is just not feasible.
I will no longer push through because I need to
(04:22):
keep up with everyone else, because it's what's expected. I
think we've come to a place where people are just
more understanding. I need to protect that energy because I
have to. It's my health. It's a disability to be frank.
I was cheating with food. I did not realize that
gluten was such a big trigger for me. So a
(04:44):
lot of the times, you know, we have this free
food and I'm so grateful they're so nice to us
here in the office. Wednesdays is free lunch, right, and
if there was pizza, I was like, I'm gonna have
some pizza, even though I knew I shouldn't. I would
take some lactate hope for the best, but you know what,
between the gluten and the dairy, there's no amount of
lactape that's going to fix that. So now that I've
gotten this diagnosis, I'm taking that a lot more seriously,
(05:05):
and I'm cooking all of my own food for the
most part, or you know, only allowing myself to have
the things that I know are not triggers for sure.
I'm also prioritizing rest and like I said, just making
sure that I stretched the legs when I need to.
And I'm also walking. The doctor for some reason, was
(05:27):
not impressed by the aerial silks, and she wants me
to walk. So we're doing that, and we're also trying
to do some work at the gym as well, you know,
and layer this on top of being neurodivergent, which we've
talked about in this space before. I've mentioned the AUDIHD.
It just like adds another dimension to everything. The funny
thing was when I was at the doctor and she goes,
do you have sensitivity to light? I was like, well, yeah,
(05:50):
that's like my thing is that when the lights are
too bright, it can set me into a panic. I
didn't realize this was also a symptom of fibromyalgia as well.
You know, add a little PTSD into the mix. That
you really got a full house here. I'm not really
ready to share that story just yet, but I will,
and I can say this. You know, trauma really can
rewire your brain. It reshapes just how you move in
(06:14):
this world, and sometimes just existing takes everything you've got.
So why I'm back here on the mic. I do
not talk about this stuff on KTU really that much.
I mean beyond saying oh, I'm gluten free, dairy free,
because it's really just not the place for it. We
have thirty seconds tops to mention things, and you know,
we keep it kind of quick, but that's what this
(06:36):
podcast is for. So if you're listening and you've been
through something like this, an invisible illness, a chronic illness,
maybe you've been dismissed by doctors, maybe you've been dismissed
by a partner. Maybe you've had to mask your pain
so you can identify with others and make them feel comfortable.
If you push through things your body was begging you
(06:57):
not to. That's why we're here today. Is this a
new chapter of life fights? I mean it is for us,
I guess the ones who are just figuring it out
day by day. You know, the people who are living
with these invisible conditions. You have a body or a
brain that doesn't follow the rules. That's why we're here.
So I just wanted to give you the update. I'm
(07:18):
getting so emotional now, my gosh. So thank you so
much for coming by, for listening to this. If it
resonates with you, if you're looking to feel a little
bit less alone, feel free to reach out anytime I
am on social You can DM me at Wendy Wild
Radio and I would love to hear your story.
Life Fights with Wendy Wilde, your bite sized podcast filled
with lifestyle stories, personal stories, and a roundup of stories
Wendy talks about on the radio. Here's Wendy. Hey, friends,
I know it's been a while. If you're still subscribed,
thank you. If you're still tuned in you know, or
maybe you're stumbling across life Bits for the very first time,
thank you for being here. I have missed the space.
(00:23):
I have missed you. So the million dollar question is
where have I been? Well? That is that's a loaded question.
It's been a bit of a storm physically, mentally, emotionally,
but that's why we're here right This space is a
safe one. It's open. So I had some news that
I wanted to share with you, and you know, if
(00:44):
you look at it, it's kind of good news because
I received some long overdue clarity and I've been diagnosed
with fibromyalgia. This is something that this is not like new.
I've likely had this for a long time. The diagnosis
did not come easy. For like I mentioned, the longest
time I knew something was off, I was in constant
(01:06):
pain and the pain in my body was moving like
some days it was my feed some days it was
my hip my achilles, and I would address this pain
like if it was really that bad, I would go
to the doctor and say, hey, like can you do
something for my back? It really hurts, and I would
go to physical therapy, not really addressing the big picture
because there were other symptoms too, like, as you know,
(01:28):
I have terrible food sensitivities as well, I am hyper mobile.
My old doctor I kept going to was not really
listening to me. He had this unwritten rule that it
was like one symptom per visit. So a lot of
the times he would send me home with a prescription
to pepsid and I was like, thanks, buddy, Like, I
literally can get this at CVS. So when you know
(01:48):
that it's fibromyalgia, this is laughable because it's never going
to just be one thing. So I felt dismissed, and
then eventually I was like, oh, maybe I'm just being
dramatic or maybe I'm exaggerating. I really started to internalize
that and think, hey, maybe maybe it is all in
my head. Maybe I am just lazy, but deep down
(02:10):
and I'm glad that I snapped out of that mindset
because I knew better. I knew that something real was
going on. By the way, she's not here today obviously,
but we have to give a shout out to Danielle
DeLillo because she was the first one to say the word.
I don't know how she knew, but I think, you know,
just from me and her being such close friends and
(02:30):
us sometimes commuting together. She would see me struggling going
down the subway steps. It's funny because I can do
the aerial silks, I can still do a pull up,
but I can't turn a doorknob. So this invisible disability,
it's really funny because the way people perceive it, like
people think I'm really strong. People think that I can
(02:52):
do some amazing things, which I know that I can,
but sometimes just doing simple things are really difficult for me.
For instance, I can not palm of basketball or grapefruit.
That motion is just my elbow will will not. I
do not have the strength in my hand or my
arm to do that. But anyway, back to Danielle, she
said the word. She goes, this looks like fibro. Ma
(03:14):
yel jah, and you know what, she was right. So Danielle,
I cannot wait to have you back here on this podcast.
That moment kind of stuck with me. She really helped
give me that push that I needed to keep advocating
for myself. Now I finally found a doctor who took
an hour and she listened to everything about me. You know,
(03:35):
she connected all the things. You know. This diagnosis was
this strange mix of validation and grief, because on one
hand it was like, Okay, I'm not crazy. But on
the other it's like, Okay, it's not like there's a
cure or a real treatment for this. It's something you
have to manage. The biggest triggers, at least for me,
it's food, okay, not getting enough sleep, and stress. So
(03:59):
one of the hardest things I think for me is
I cannot sit or stand for long periods of time
without causing a flare up. So I've learned to listen
to my body. I move when I need to, I
rest when I need to, and I will not feel
guilty about it. I know that a long car ride
for me, a long train ride is just not feasible.
I will no longer push through because I need to
(04:22):
keep up with everyone else, because it's what's expected. I
think we've come to a place where people are just
more understanding. I need to protect that energy because I
have to. It's my health. It's a disability to be frank.
I was cheating with food. I did not realize that
gluten was such a big trigger for me. So a
(04:44):
lot of the times, you know, we have this free
food and I'm so grateful they're so nice to us
here in the office. Wednesdays is free lunch, right, and
if there was pizza, I was like, I'm gonna have
some pizza, even though I knew I shouldn't. I would
take some lactate hope for the best, but you know what,
between the gluten and the dairy, there's no amount of
lactape that's going to fix that. So now that I've
gotten this diagnosis, I'm taking that a lot more seriously,
(05:05):
and I'm cooking all of my own food for the
most part, or you know, only allowing myself to have
the things that I know are not triggers for sure.
I'm also prioritizing rest and like I said, just making
sure that I stretched the legs when I need to.
And I'm also walking. The doctor for some reason, was
(05:27):
not impressed by the aerial silks, and she wants me
to walk. So we're doing that, and we're also trying
to do some work at the gym as well, you know,
and layer this on top of being neurodivergent, which we've
talked about in this space before. I've mentioned the AUDIHD.
It just like adds another dimension to everything. The funny
thing was when I was at the doctor and she goes,
do you have sensitivity to light? I was like, well, yeah,
(05:50):
that's like my thing is that when the lights are
too bright, it can set me into a panic. I
didn't realize this was also a symptom of fibromyalgia as well.
You know, add a little PTSD into the mix. That
you really got a full house here. I'm not really
ready to share that story just yet, but I will,
and I can say this. You know, trauma really can
rewire your brain. It reshapes just how you move in
(06:14):
this world, and sometimes just existing takes everything you've got.
So why I'm back here on the mic. I do
not talk about this stuff on KTU really that much.
I mean beyond saying oh, I'm gluten free, dairy free,
because it's really just not the place for it. We
have thirty seconds tops to mention things, and you know,
we keep it kind of quick, but that's what this
(06:36):
podcast is for. So if you're listening and you've been
through something like this, an invisible illness, a chronic illness,
maybe you've been dismissed by doctors, maybe you've been dismissed
by a partner. Maybe you've had to mask your pain
so you can identify with others and make them feel comfortable.
If you push through things your body was begging you
(06:57):
not to. That's why we're here today. Is this a
new chapter of life fights? I mean it is for us,
I guess the ones who are just figuring it out
day by day. You know, the people who are living
with these invisible conditions. You have a body or a
brain that doesn't follow the rules. That's why we're here.
So I just wanted to give you the update. I'm
(07:18):
getting so emotional now, my gosh. So thank you so
much for coming by, for listening to this. If it
resonates with you, if you're looking to feel a little
bit less alone, feel free to reach out anytime I
am on social You can DM me at Wendy Wild
Radio and I would love to hear your story.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com