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Jerry Fess

@fessupblog.bsky.social
1.4K followers 2.9K following 99 posts

I blog about depression, mental health, chronic illness & the messy reality of trying to get through it. Just honesty, hard days, and what I’m learning as I go. 👉 fessup.blog 👈 jerryfess.com 🏳️‍🌈🎶 🦋💙 #mentalhealth #depression #chronicpain #advocacy #doglover

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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The Unfinished Symphony fessupblog.substack.com/p/the-unfini... #depression #music #musician #chronicillness #chronicpain #cello #cellist #composer #life
fessupblog.substack.com
The Unfinished Symphony
The life I planned. The life I got. And all the music in between.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
@wordwitchlife.bsky.social Thank you for reposting my article!
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
I’m Afraid to Ask fessupblog.substack.com/p/im-afraid-... #chronicpain #pain #painmanagement #chronicillness #opioid #pagetsdisease #cervicalstenosis #stenosis
fessupblog.substack.com
I’m Afraid to Ask
I know I need to say something. I’m just terrified of saying the wrong thing.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
fessupblog.substack.com/p/the-enemy-... #Chronicpain #chronicillness #depression #advocacy #anxiety #mentalhealth
fessupblog.substack.com
The Enemy Within
When You Only Have Yourself
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
fessupblog.substack.com/p/running-in... #chronicpain #chronicillness #depression #advocacy #anxiety #mentalhealth
fessupblog.substack.com
Running in Place
What If Standing Still Isn’t Standing Still?
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
fessupblog.substack.com/p/the-chroni... #chronicpain #chronicillness #depression #psych #pain #anxiety
fessupblog.substack.com
The Chronic Pain Performance: The Final Act
I don't need a standing ovation. I just need you to believe me.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
The Waiting Room fessupblog.substack.com/p/the-waitin... #chronicpain #chronicillness #painmanagement #pergatory #depression #medical #selfadvocacy #anxiety #hope #losthope
fessupblog.substack.com
The Waiting Room
The place between suffering and healing has a waiting room.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The Price of Needing Help fessupblog.substack.com/p/the-price-... #chronicillness #chronicpain #bills #money #budgeting #debt
fessupblog.substack.com
The Price of Needing Help
Some debits don't show up on a bill.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
When Doctors Play Hot Potato fessupblog.substack.com/p/when-docto... #chronicpain #chronicillness #advocacy #medical #pain #primarycaremanagement #painmanagement
fessupblog.substack.com
When Doctors Play Hot Potato
When healthcare becomes an endless game of passing the patient.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
The Chronic Pain Performance fessupblog.substack.com/p/the-chroni... #chronicpain #chronicillness #pain #doctors #medical #painmanagement #advocacy #depression
fessupblog.substack.com
The Chronic Pain Performance
How Fear, Stigma, and Public Policy Changed What It Means to Ask for Pain Relief
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Nothing says “living my best life” quite like organizing your week around which doctor gets to poke you next. #chronicpain #chronicillness #humor #advocasy #depression
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
If you enjoy my blog and would like to help me keep writing, you can buy me a coffee! Every little bit helps, and I appreciate your support. #chronicpain #chronicillness #depression #anxiety #support #avdovcasy www.buymeacoffee.com/jerryfess
buymeacoffee.com
Jerry Fess is blogging at fessupblog.substack.com
I’m Jerry, a graphic artist, musician, composer, and dog lover living with my rescue dog Pepper in a small Midwestern town in Illinois. I write about the parts of being human that people often hide: l
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
I love being told to “reduce stress.” Excellent. Which bill would you like to pay? #chronicpain #chronicillness #depression
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
fessupblog.substack.com
fessupblog.substack.com
Fess UP! My Journal Out Loud | Substack
I write about depression, real-life struggles, and the lessons that come from living through both. Not polished. Not perfect. Just honest. This is me fessing up—out loud. Click to read Fess UP! My Jou...
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
The Six-Pill Countdown fessupblog.substack.com/p/the-six-pi... #chronicillness #chronicpain #abandonment #medical #opioids
fessupblog.substack.com
The Six-Pill Countdown
Six pills left. And you already know what’s coming.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Fessupblog.Substack.Com
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
Nobody tells you how much grief there is in chronic illness for things that technically still exist: your body, your independence, your plans, your old routines, even your idea of who you thought you’d be. It’s a strange kind of mourning because there was never a funeral. #chronicpain #chronicillnes
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 05/09/2026
There should be frequent-flyer miles for medical appointments. At the very least, I should have earned a free MRI by now! 😂 #chronicpain #chronicillness
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
My body and I are currently in a toxic relationship, but unfortunately neither of us can afford to move out. #chronicpain #chronicillness
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
People hear ‘pain medication’ and immediately start thinking about addiction. Chronic pain patients hear ‘pain medication’ and think: maybe I can shower, go grocery shopping, visit my mom, or just exist without every movement becoming a negotiation. #chronicpain #chronicillness
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
I wish doctors asked ‘What is this stopping you from doing?’ as often as they ask ‘How bad is the pain from 1 to 10?’ Because sometimes the better measure of pain is the size of the life it has taken away. #chronicpain #chronicillness
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Reposted by Jerry Fess
Steven Beschloss @stevenbeschloss.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
“Remember, the Constitution doesn’t begin with, ‘I, the president.’ It begins with, ‘We, the people.’ ” —Gloria Steinem at the 2017 Women’s March
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 28/08/2026
The Chronic Pain Performance: The Final Act fessupblog.substack.com/p/the-chroni... #disability #chronicpain #chronicillness #pain #advocacy #mentalhealth
fessupblog.substack.com
The Chronic Pain Performance: The Final Act
I don't need a standing ovation. I just need you to believe me.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
Want an easy way to support my work? Buy me a coffee!!! buymeacoffee.com/jerryfess
buymeacoffee.com
Jerry Fess is writing at fessupblog.substack.com
I’m Jerry, a graphic artist, musician, composer, and dog lover living with my rescue dog Pepper in a small Midwestern town in Illinois. I write about the parts of being human that people often hide: l
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 23/08/2026
The Chronic Pain Performance, Act Two fessupblog.substack.com/p/the-chroni... #chronicpain #chronicillness #psychiatric #painaudition #depression #mentalhealth #mentalillness #pain #advocasy #chronicpainperformancepart2
fessupblog.substack.com
The Chronic Pain Performance, Act Two
When Being Doubted Makes You Doubt Yourself
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 19/08/2026
I don't think I want a completely different life. I think I want to stop fighting the life I have long enough to actually enjoy some of it. #chronicpain #chronicillness #mentalhealth #depression #advocasy
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 18/08/2026
Where Is God? fessupblog.substack.com/p/where-is-g... #chronicillness #mentalhealth #chronicpain #disabilities #disabled #god #absent #miracles
fessupblog.substack.com
Where Is God?
And Where Is My God-Damned Miracle?
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Reposted by Jerry Fess
Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
The Chronic Pain Performance open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #chronicpain #chronicillness #stigma #pain #opioids
open.substack.com
The Chronic Pain Performance
How Fear, Stigma, and Public Policy Changed What It Means to Ask for Pain Relief
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
The Chronic Pain Performance open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #chronicpain #chronicillness #stigma #pain #opioids
open.substack.com
The Chronic Pain Performance
How Fear, Stigma, and Public Policy Changed What It Means to Ask for Pain Relief
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Am I Even Likable? open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #mentalhealth #depression #friendship #chronicillness #lonliness #selfdoubt
open.substack.com
Am I Even Likable?
A Short Journal Entry on Friendship, Loneliness, and Self-Doubt
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
When Doctors Play Hot Potato open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #chronicillness #chronicpain #mentalhealth #anxiety #doctors #specialists #referrals #hotpotato
open.substack.com
When Doctors Play Hot Potato
When healthcare becomes an endless game of passing the patient.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 16/07/2026
The Waiting Room open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #depression #mentalhealth #chronichealth #chronicpain #anxiety #waitingroom #purgatory
open.substack.com
The Waiting Room
The place between suffering and healing has a waiting room.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 15/07/2026
Running in Place open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... NEW post!! #depression #mentalhealth #chronicillness #caregiving #graditute #standingstill #runninginplace #fyp #struggle
open.substack.com
Running in Place
What If Standing Still Isn’t Standing Still?
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Help me get to 1000 followers! #depression #mentalillness #chronicillness #mentalhealth #chronicpain #hope #advocasy #faith
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
"All human life has its seasons and cycles, & no one's personal chaos can be permanent. Winter, after all, gives way to spring and summer, though sometimes when branches stay dark and the earth cracks with ice, one thinks they will never come, that spring, and that summer, but they do, and always."
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
What If You Hate the Journey? How Long Until It Ends? open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #depression #chronicillness #hope #journey #mentalhealth
open.substack.com
What If You Hate the Journey? How Long Until It Ends?
Just a Life of Endurance. For What? Empty Promises?
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Waiting on a Wish? open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #chronicillness #chronicpain #depression #medication #mentalhealth #hope #mundane
open.substack.com
Waiting on a Wish?
Or maybe this is it.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Emotionally Overdrawn open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #chronicillness #mentalhealth #depression #finances #money
open.substack.com
Emotionally Overdrawn
On financial shame, survival mode, and trying to stay afloat
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
The Enemy Within open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... NEW POST! #depression #mentalillness #mentalhealth #chronicillness #relationships #friendships
open.substack.com
The Enemy Within
When You Only Have Yourself
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
NEW POST!!! The Price of Needing Help open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #mentalhealth #money #financialhelp #friendship #depression #debt #disability
open.substack.com
The Price of Needing Help
Some debits don't show up on a bill.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
Move On open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #mentalhealth #acceptance #depression #relationships #movingon #lettinggo
open.substack.com
Move On
Sometimes the simplest answer is the hardest one to accept.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
RUINED open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #friendship #abandonment #friend #mentalhealth #anger #resentment NEW POST!!!!!!!!!
open.substack.com
RUINED
A friendship, an ending, and what survived.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
When Wegovy Took More Than My Appetite open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #mentalhealth #wegovy #anhedonia #depression #weightloss #joyless
open.substack.com
When Wegovy Took More Than My Appetite
My experience with Wegovy, anhedonia, and the search for a middle ground.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
What If You Hate the Journey? How Long Until It Ends? open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... NEW POST: #mentalhealth#chronicillness#platitudes#existentialism#Depression #journey
open.substack.com
What If You Hate the Journey? How Long Until It Ends?
Just a Life of Endurance. For What? Empty Promises?
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
I Give Up open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... NEW POST #mentalhealth #depression #chronicillness #existentialism #givingupisneveranoption
open.substack.com
I Give Up
No lessons. No silver linings. Just this.
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 06/06/2026
The Strange Part of Caregiving: I Understand Too Much open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #caregiving #empathy #empathic #existentialdread
open.substack.com
The Strange Part of Caregiving: I Understand Too Much
When someone you love is asking the same questions you are still trying to answer yourself
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
No Fats. No Fems. Just Fabulous! open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #gay #pride #aging #confession #mentalhealth
open.substack.com
No Fats. No Fems. Just Fabulous!
Confessions of a Formerly Young Gay Man
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 01/06/2026
ABCDEFGLP-1 open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #mentalhealth #depression #chronicpain #chronicillness #GLP1Journey #GLP1 #brainfog #sideeffectsmayinclude#wegovyweightlossjourney #wegovy #ozempic #weightloss #liverdiseasetreatment #cognition
open.substack.com
ABCDEFGLP-1
On weight loss, brain fog, chronic illness, and wondering what counts as “healthy”
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Blown Away open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #mentalhealth #emotionalsupportanimal #science #humor
open.substack.com
Blown Away
An Ode to My Emotional Support Fan
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Jerry Fess @fessupblog.bsky.social · 30/05/2026
Emotionally Overdrawn open.substack.com/pub/fessupbl... #mentalhealth #depression #finances #money #mentalillness
open.substack.com
Emotionally Overdrawn
On financial shame, survival mode, and trying to stay afloat
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