#76 When Pain Never Stops: A Survivor’s Story of Chronic Pain and Hope

In this deeply moving episode we explore the reality of chronic pain, the kind that reshapes identity, erodes independence, and too often leaves patients feeling invisible within the healthcare system. Joining us is Meredith Mangold, an inflammatory bowel disease and chronic pain patient advocate whose medical journey began in college and evolved into years of relentless, life-altering pain. Meredith lives with ulcerative colitis, chronic abdominal and pelvic pain, and a constellation of overlapping medical conditions that left her bedbound for years and searching desperately for answers. As a college student, Meredith landed in the ICU with toxic megacolon, a rare and life-threatening complication of inflammatory bowel disease. What followed were multiple major surgeries, escalating pain, and an exhausting cycle of treatments, including opioids, ketamine, spinal cord stimulation, and repeated detox attempts, none of which provided lasting relief. At her lowest point, Meredith’s pain hovered at an 8 out of 10 daily, her world narrowed to her bed and doctors’ appointments, and hope felt out of reach. In this conversation, Meredith courageously shares what it’s like to live with unrelenting pain, the emotional toll of medical trauma, and the devastating impact chronic illness can have on mental health, identity, and self-worth. She also opens up about medical dismissal, the difficulty of managing multiple diagnoses, and the isolation that so many chronic pain patients quietly endure. After years of setbacks, Meredith found a turning point through a personalized, multidisciplinary approach to pain management, one that treated her as a whole person, not just a diagnosis. While her pain hasn’t disappeared, it has become more manageable, allowing her to reclaim pieces of her life she once believed were gone forever. Today, Meredith is the founder of Empower Health Strategies, where she uses her lived experience to help healthcare organizations and digital health companies build more patient-centered solutions. Her story is a powerful reminder that progress doesn’t always mean being pain-free, sometimes it means being heard, believed, and given the chance to rebuild. In this episode, we discuss: What toxic megacolon is and why it’s so dangerous The physical and emotional realities of being bedbound with chronic pain Medical gaslighting, misdiagnosis, and navigating overlapping conditions The toll of long-term opioid use and repeated detox attempts How unmanaged pain contributes to depression, anxiety, and medical PTSD What changed when Meredith finally found a care team with “more ideas” How lived experience can become a powerful form of advocacy A message of hope for anyone who feels they’ve reached the end of the road This episode is for anyone living with chronic pain, loving someone who is, or working in healthcare and seeking to better understand the human cost of untreated and misunderstood pain. Meredith, thank you for your honesty, vulnerability, and advocacy. Your story gives voice to so many who are still struggling, and reminds us all that healing can take many forms. During the episode we mentioned Hopkins Medicine’s spotlight on Meredith and a previous episode of It Happened To Me, #40 Overcoming Crohn’s Through Pilates with Ryan Hodgkinson. Connect With Us: Stay tuned for the next new episode of “It Happened To Me”! In the meantime, you can listen to our previous episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, streaming on the website, or any other podcast player by searching, “It Happened To Me”. “It Happened To Me” is created and hosted by Cathy Gildenhorn and Beth Glassman. DNA Today’s Kira Dineen is our executive producer and marketing lead. Amanda Andreoli is our associate producer. Ashlyn Enokian is our graphic designer. See what else we are up to on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and our website, ItHappenedToMePod.com. Questions/inquiries can be sent to ItHappenedToMePod@gmail.com.