Jastin Artis

13 Years of Fighting an Invisible Battle

Recently, I reviewed medical notes from a doctor who is helping me investigate what may be driving the chronic symptoms I've experienced for over a decade.

The notes listed fatigue, fibromyalgia, blurred vision, neuralgia, insomnia, temperature dysregulation, IBS, GERD, hormone issues, anxiety, depression, muscle pain, nerve sensitivity, and more.

I've known all of those symptoms individually.

What I wasn't prepared for was seeing them all together.

For years…

Author Note

This article discusses trauma, chronic illness, anxiety, digestive illness, identity loss, depression, and the emotional aftermath of surviving a medical crisis.

Nobody Prepares You For The After

The strangest part about almost dying isn't almost dying.

The strangest part is what happens afterward.

Everybody expects gratitude.

Nobody expects trauma.

People see the fact that you're alive.

They don't see what survival cost.

After I left the hospital, I kept waiting for life to feel normal again.

It never…

Author Note

This article contains discussions of medical trauma, near-death experiences, post-surgical complications, and long-term health struggles. This story is shared not for sympathy, but for truth. If you've ever survived something your body remembers more clearly than your mind, I hope you feel seen.

Nobody tells you what comes after.

They tell you about surgery.

They tell you about recovery.

They tell you about medication.

They tell you about physical therapy.

They tell you what to do if everything goes…

When most people think about strength, they imagine someone lifting heavy weight, overcoming obstacles, or refusing to quit.

For years, I thought strength looked something like that too.

Then chronic illness changed my definition completely.

Living with fibromyalgia and related health challenges has taught me that strength is often invisible.

Strength looks like getting out of bed after a difficult night.

Strength looks like showing up to work when your body feels heavy.

Strength looks like creating, leading…

The Strength People Don’t See

People often think strength looks loud.

They think it looks like pushing through without emotion.
Without tears.
Without slowing down.

But chronic illness changes your definition of strength completely.

Fibromyalgia forced me to realize that strength is not just physical. It’s mental, emotional, spiritual, financial, relational, all at once.

And honestly?

When I really sit back and think about it, my life has already required a level of strength long before fibro ever entered the…

“You Look Fine”: The Mental Weight of Invisible Illness

There’s a strange loneliness that comes with chronic illness when you still “look okay.”

People see you smiling.
They see you working.
They see you posting, creating, talking, showing up.

And because they can see those things, they assume the suffering must not be that serious.

But fibromyalgia doesn’t care what you look like on the outside.

It can make your nervous system feel like it’s under attack while you’re answering emails.
It can make you exhausted…

Trying To Work While Your Body Is At War

One thing people misunderstand most about fibromyalgia and chronic illness is this:

Working becomes survival before it becomes ambition.

Most people think work starts with skill.

But for people dealing with chronic illness?

Work starts with energy.

And if your body doesn’t have energy… everything becomes harder.

The Invisible Cost Of “Functioning”

Fibromyalgia affects sleep in ways many people don’t understand.

Sometimes it keeps you awake all night.
Sometimes it wakes you…

Slowing Down Without Giving Up

There’s a version of me before fibromyalgia that believed impact had to move fast.

Not rushed. Not chaotic.
But fast enough to feel momentum.

I thought success looked like constant movement: creating, networking, performing, studying, building, showing up everywhere at once.

Then fibromyalgia happened.

And suddenly, slowing down wasn’t optional anymore.

Learning That Rest Is Still Progress

One of the hardest things this journey taught me is that slowing down does not mean giving up.

…

There’s a version of me I’m fighting to become through all of this.

And honestly?

I don’t think he has ever existed before.

Not fully.

Fibromyalgia changed me.

Not just physically.

Mentally.
Emotionally.
Spiritually.
Relationally.
Creatively.

Everything.

But instead of destroying me…

It’s reshaping me.

I’ve always been fascinated by the idea of a Renaissance man.

Someone well-rounded.
Creative.
Disciplined.
Wise.
Curious.
Capable of connecting across worlds.

And lately, I’ve realized…

That’s exactly who I’m becoming.

Not because…

The Version of Me People Never See

There’s a version of me people see every day.

The smiling version.
The leader.
The creative.
The entrepreneur.
The motivator.
The one who keeps showing up.

And then there’s the version of me people don’t see.

The version fighting just to function.

The version calculating energy before taking a shower.
The version negotiating with pain before answering emails.
The version wondering if my body can handle the responsibilities attached to my purpose.

People see me talking.
Laughing.
Posting…