What’s Actually Wrong With Me (And Why It Matters for Survival) | Episode 609
This One’s a Little Different
This is going to be a different kind of episode.
If you’re brand new, this might not be the best place to start. But if you’ve been listening for a while, you’ve probably heard me mention that something hasn’t been right.
Fatigue. Pain. Just feeling like absolute shit for months.
And I finally have answers.
I Thought It Was Just Getting Older
For the longest time, I chalked everything up to getting older.
I’m 44. I’ve got a physical job. I’ve got a six-year-old with the energy of a nuclear reactor.
Of course I’m tired. Of course I hurt.
That’s what I told myself.
But it kept getting worse.
Getting off the couch became a chore. Playing with my daughter became something I physically couldn’t do some days.
That’s when it stops being “just getting older.”
The Long Road to a Diagnosis
I tried a lot of things.
Checked testosterone. It was low-ish, not terrible, but enough that I went on TRT.
At first? I felt like a god.
Two months in, energy through the roof, felt amazing.
Then it all came back.
Pain. Fatigue. Everything.
That’s when I knew something else was going on.
I went through telehealth, got some blood work done, and one test came back just barely positive for something that could indicate lupus.
Barely.
Like right on the line.
So I go to a rheumatologist. They run a ton of tests—vials and vials of blood—and we wait.
Meanwhile, I’m feeding all this into ChatGPT, tracking symptoms, trying to figure it out. My wife is Googling like crazy, trying to prove it’s not lupus.
Because if you look up lupus?
It’s scary as hell.
The Answer: Not One Thing—Two
I finally sit down with the doctor and ask straight up:
“With everything you’ve got… do you know what’s wrong with me?”
She didn’t hesitate.
Rheumatoid arthritis. And lupus.
Both.
There’s even a name for it when they overlap—“rhupus.”
Lucky me.
Two autoimmune diseases. No cure. Something I’ll be managing for the rest of my life.
But here’s the thing…
Knowing is a huge weight off.
Knowing Changes Everything
Before, I was just throwing shit at symptoms.
Trying supplements. Trying random fixes. Guessing.
Now I know what I’m dealing with.
Now it’s not “what helps fatigue?” It’s “what helps this specific condition?”
That’s a massive difference.
Because now I can actually build a plan.
The Reality of Living With It
These diseases work in flares and remission.
Some days are okay.
Some days are bad.
And some days you just have to ride it out.
Right now, I’ve been in a pretty bad stretch. You’ve probably noticed episodes haven’t been as consistent.
That’s why.
I’ve felt like total garbage.
What’s Actually Helping (And What’s Not)
I’ve tried a ton of stuff.
Most of it didn’t do a damn thing.
The one thing that has consistently helped me function?
Kratom.
Without it, I’m basically stuck. In pain. Not moving.
With it, I can function closer to normal.
And yeah, people have opinions about that. I get it.
But when it’s the difference between working and not working… that matters.
Now I’ve been put on hydroxychloroquine, which is kind of the standard starting point for lupus.
The downside?
It takes months to fully kick in.
Which sucks when you feel like garbage right now.
I’ll likely end up pushing for something like prednisone in the short term just to get relief while that builds up.
Why This Matters for Prepping
This ties directly into survival.
If something goes wrong—real world, grid down, whatever—and I’m in a bad flare?
I’m not protecting anybody.
I’m not doing anything.
That’s a problem.
Health is a prep.
If you’ve got symptoms—fatigue, pain, weird stuff going on—go get checked.
Because if you don’t know what’s wrong, you can’t plan for it.
And if you can’t plan for it, it can take you out when it matters most.
I know now that I’ll likely be on medication long-term.
So guess what?
That becomes part of my preps.
I’m not running out of something I need to function.
That’s not happening.
Get Checked Before You Have To
If you’re dealing with symptoms and ignoring them, stop.
Go to the doctor. Get blood work. Figure it out.
Because this stuff doesn’t just go away.
And the longer it goes untreated, the worse it can get.
Including permanent damage.
You don’t want to figure this out in the middle of a crisis.
Handle it now.
This has been James from SurvivalPunk.com. DIY to Survive.
There's a raw, do-it-yourself energy at the heart of The Survival Punk Podcast, where preparedness isn't about paranoia but practical self-reliance. Hosted by Survival Punk, this isn't a polished lecture series; it's a conversation from the trenches of real-world resilience. Each episode digs into the tangible skills and knowledge you can use, covering ground from physical fitness and holistic health to the fundamentals of nutrition and beyond. Think of it as an education in personal sovereignty, delivered with a defiant spirit that challenges complacency. You'll hear straightforward discussions on building strength, sourcing better food, and developing a mindset that thrives outside conventional systems. This podcast operates on the principle that true freedom comes from capability, blending the ethos of punk with the hands-on nature of survivalism. It’s for those who believe getting informed and getting your hands dirty are the same thing. Tune in for a direct, unvarnished take on taking care of yourself and your community, no matter what comes next.
Author: Survival Punk
Language: en-us
Episodes: 20
shelter before fire Shelter Before Fire (Why You’ve Been Prioritizing It Wrong) | Episode 610 Quick Note Before We Start Before we get into this one—I want to apologize for the gap between episodes. I’ve been dealing wit…
Hard Fire Starting Fire Starting Under Real Conditions (Not YouTube Conditions) | Episode 608 You Think You Can Start a Fire—Until You Actually Try Everybody thinks they can start a fire. You’ve watched the videos. You’v…
budget bleeding You’re Not Broke — You’re Leaking Money Everywhere | Episode 607 It’s Not the Big Bills—It’s Death by a Thousand Cuts Most people think they’re broke because of the big stuff. Mortgage is too high. Car pa…
procrastination Prepping Is Mostly Procrastination | Episode 606 You’re Not Prepping—You’re Just Staying Busy Let’s get straight into it. Most of what people call “prepping” is just procrastination. It feels productive.…
exposure is relative Exposure Is Relative | Episode 605 Cold Isn’t the Enemy—Being Unprepared Is When people think about exposure, they imagine extreme situations. Snowstorms. Mountains. Survival movies. But exposure doe…
fitness myths Fitness Myths That Need to Die | Episode 604 When People Try to Stop Your Progress Before we even get into the actual fitness myths, there’s something that happens during almost every weight loss journey th…
tools part 2 The 10 Tools That Solve 90% of Problems (Part 2) | Episode 603 Picking Up Where We Left Off In the last episode, we talked about the first five tools that handle the majority of repairs around the house. Tod…
tools part 1 10 Tools That Solve 90% of Your Problems (Part 1) | Episode 602 Most problems around the house aren’t complicated. They’re just annoying. A loose screw, a dripping pipe, a stripped bolt, something that needs…
Perennials Plant Once, Harvest for Life | Episode 601 Growing food is one of the most important survival skills you can develop. A garden can feed your family, give you independence, and reduce your reliance on fragile s…
upgrade life The Upgrade Trap | Episode 600 It’s incredibly easy to fall into what I call the upgrade trap. Phones, laptops, TVs, cars — companies are constantly pushing the newest version of everything. The marketing te…
