In this episode, we sit down with Julesy Roach, a mental health therapist, mom of two, in the Washington, D.C. area. Julesy specializes in supporting people with complex, often dismissed conditions like pineal cysts, Lyme disease, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, POTS, and MCAS—but that work was born from her own brutal medical journey.

She shares how lifelong exhaustion, migraines, and then Lyme disease spiraled into 24/7, unbearable head pressure, vision loss, cognitive decline, and a level of pain that had her Googling physician-assisted suicide. Along the way she was repeatedly told it was “just anxiety” or depression, dismissed by local neurosurgeons, and left to question her own sanity—until she dug through old records, found an “incidental” pineal cyst, and connected with specialists who finally believed her.

Julesy walks us through consulting with multiple surgeons, the fight with family fear and medical skepticism, and ultimately choosing high-risk brain surgery. The moment she woke up from anesthesia, the crushing headache that had her bedridden was gone—and five years later, every single symptom has resolved. Now, as both therapist and former patient, she talks about medical trauma, the emotional toll of not being believed, why patient stories are critical for changing physician education, and her message to anyone still in the thick of it: you know your body, don’t give up, and you deserve real help and emotional support.

Content Note: This episode includes discussion of suicidal thoughts and medical trauma related to chronic illness and severe pain.

💡 Resources & Links:

Visit our website: pinealstories.com

Learn more about pineal cyst symptoms and advocacy

Share your story or contact us: pineal.stories@gmail.com

🎵 Credits:

Music: "What I Waited For" by Kikoru – Licensed via Epidemic Sound

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