Sickboy

This week we take a deep dive into the past and present of nurse practitioner Verena Rizg. A conversation that taps into the nuances and complexities of faith vs culture when approaching grief. The boys finally get schooled on the difference between LPN, RN and Nurse practitioner (turns out LPN does not stand for Lower Paid Nurse, sorry dad) and a very much needed dive into how race effects both giving and receiving care.

This week we sit down with Estelle Thomson. Good friend and Nova Scotia yoga instructor and artist. We spend a solid 10 minutes beating around the bush and awkwardly avoiding the topic at hand... The death of Tommy, Estelle's two year old son. It's a perfect example of how so many of us are effected by the inability to know how to broach the tough subject of death. Estelle is a power house of a woman who has so much to teach the world about life, loss, and how to face the harsh realities of death. Thank you Estelle. Thank you Tommy.

Christa Angell is not related to Criss Angel but she knows a pretty gnarly magic trick. Like being born with her bladder on the outside of her body! AKA Bladder Exstrophy. We dive into full bladder reconstruction using sections of large intestine, self catheterizing, life long pelvic issues, acupuncture and Ayurvedic practices. But most importantly a full blown ASMR session near the end.

Aren Morris has spent a career changing the lives of a bunch of snot nosed kids from Sackville. She was basically Jeremie's Robin Williams and he was her Matt Damon. This ex drama teacher/competitive improv coach is moving through life dealing with a crippling case of Rheumatoid Arthrisis. From beautiful physiotherapists to highly aggressive rub & tugs this conversation goes ALL over the map with laughs and love.

In July of 2017 Molly was newly engaged to her partner of six years and beginning to think about starting a family. One day, out of nowhere, she felt a weird pain in her left breast. She instinctively reached her hand to the site of the pain and felt an obvious lump protruding from her side. Breast Cancer wasn't the first thing to cross her mind... she was only 29... On this week we talk about Molly's experience being diagnosed, her physical treatment, and, even more importantly, Mammalgrams... they're like the animal crackers of boob exams...

This week is FULL of laughs, but don't get it wrong. Diabetes is not funny. Kylie joins the fellas in Halifax to drop knowledge on nearly 350 people about what life with diabetes is like. From the adorable sing songs at diabetes camp, to the most expensive liquids in the world, to Brian's Kale addiction, to giving yourself herpes, to shoving dirty needles into boys fingers, we this episode dives deep. Grab some Cineplex popcorn and an extra large coke and enjoy!

Tanya is your friendly neighbourhood family doc, or at least she was. She's been on leave for a good chunk of time because she's nasty boo boo in her blood. Leukaemia to be specific. This week we learn how cancer doesn't discriminate - doctors get it too! How being a doc can prepare you, in a way, for whats to come with cancer treatment. And we also find out that Brian really needs to deal with that twin brother health card identity fraud ordeal.

It might sound like a Lord Of The Rings character... however Tetralogy of Fallot is actually a combination of four congenital abnormalities in the heart. Sophie literally started from the bottom, now she here. And by bottom, we mean she was born in literally the worst rated hospital in her home country. A wild journey has brought her to where she is today! An exceptional young women with a funny foreign accent ;) To follow Sophie's story check out her blog: http://Achdandme.blogspot.com

Mylene is like a real life stretch armstrong! Although this may sound like a super power, it most certainly is not. Loose joints may help with flexibility but this is just a small part of life with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. From chronic pain, to insomnia, to jacked up adrenalin levels, the fellas and Mylene dive in deep into life with EDS!

Meet Laura! A part time mad food scientist, story telling, should be rapper living in New York. She lives with a rare genetic skin disorder called genetic skin disorder. Sure her skin is flakey and dry but it goes SO much deeper than just that. Horribly painful, constantly sloughing off, hours upon hours of daily maintenance. This week Laura leads the fellas through the meaning of Spoon Theory, stories of a painful childhood into adulthood, the difference between pain tolerance and threshold and much much more.

Alexis was born missing a large portion of her left arm. This didn't stop her from following her dreams of having her own successful YouTube cooking show. Nor did it stop her from doing anything she damn well pleases! Live from SAIT the fellas and Alexis have a giggle filled conversation about disability, naming your limbs, the benefit of having a stump for a kitchen tool, sex, stump biting and more.

Sh*t happens. And so does menopause! This week the fellas tap back into their female anatomy knowledge with the help of Shirley Weir, the founder of the online community Menopause Chicks. Her goal? Empowering women to navigate perimenopause and menopause with confidence and ease! Did you know that menopause isn’t just for old ladies? Did you know that the ovaries are different than the eggs? Of course you do. You’re not some dodo like Jer-Bear.

How does one live while born with huge hole in their infant heart? When your heart fails how do you survive?! Medical advancements have come a long ass way! The fellas sit down this week with Callie, a west coast gal who has had countless surgeries to fix a broken heart. Not through love loss, just through a congenital heart defect.

Unlike Bob Marley, Oliver went through with removing a hunk of one of his cancer ridden digits. Unfortunately that didn't stop the cancer. From fingernail, to lymph and beyond Oliver has the ""Bad"" skin cancer. Was it from a mole? Too much sun? Well, chances are it was hereditary. Oliver is a well spoken dude who continuously drops knowledge on the fellas in this weeks episode.

""This is going to get really intimate, really fast."" This week we are talking about the vagina! Specifically a painful vagina. Michelle has spent her whole life experiencing an extremely sensitive and painful vulva. From excruciating ""Q-tip tests"", to discomfort from tampons, to the near impossibility of sex, it's been a rough road to recovery. The good news is, PVD can be treated! And spoiler alert - this episode has a happy ending.

What is it like to have a 4 year old living with complex medical issues? Tough as sh*t. But Kaiti is a BAMF Mother! Her beautiful little daughter Layla was once considered a ""Floppy baby"". She is unable to hold her neck up, sit, stand, walk, talk. After a 2.5 year search between Ontario and BC she was accepted to the Undiagnosed Disease Network at UCLA and were able to finally walk away with a diagnosis. She has PCH2d. It's a progressive, life limiting diagnosis. Parenting a first born is never easy. But nothing can prepare someone for parenting a first born who may die before their 5th birthday.

Tracy is not pregnant. She may look pregnant, but she for sure is not. So don't ask her how far along she is. Don't touch her belly and exclaim ""Ohhhh he's gonna be a soccer player"". So why does she look pregnant? Why does her pee look like coca-cola? Why does she need blood thinners or have countless blood transfusions? Because Tracey lives with a rare life threatening disease called Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH).

Audrey Parker is a woman with a plan. With stage 4 breast cancer that has spread to her bones and her brain, she has decided to end the suffering on her own terms. Today, Audrey Parker dies through the service known as MAID (medical assistance in dying) and she is doing it with grace. Audrey is and will forever be one of the most gracious and beautiful guests we've ever had on our show and we are a million times more rich in LIFE for taking some time to talk to her about death.

We have landed in Vancouver and kick it off with a doozy of a recording! We chat with Ken about how one day it started with a cough and the next thing you know he's been on dyalisis for 22 months. Kidney failure? Nah. Heart failure. Wait... no Kidney issues for sure. But what about the vegetables in his heart? Er... Vegetation in the heart? All we know is, Ken was all sorts of messed up.

Bif Naked is a celebrated and notorious performer in music, TV, film, and dance, and a tireless advocate and Humanitarian. Orphaned in India, emancipated by punk rock, and empowered by surviving breast cancer, kidney failure, heart surgery, divorce, and surviving as a Woman in The Entertainment Industry for twenty-five years, Bif has transcended any and all obstacles placed in her path to become one of the world's most unique, recognizable and beloved icons.

Is he beatboxing? Oh... no, he just has a stutter. This week on the podcast we sit down and talk with Matt! He lives with a severe stutter. Matt dives deep into his history with this frustrating speech disorder. A compelling conversation that unpacks the struggles of prolonged sounds & syllables while speaking including a healthy dose of secondary behaviours like physical ticks! We touch on Mario Kart, strategically curating your vocabulary, horribly insensitive teachers, Billy Madison and more!

Looking for some Thanksgiving dinner conversation? YOU'VE come to the right place. Colon mucus, bloody stool, the difference between anus, colon and rectum. This week the fellas travel to Toronto for a LIVE recording from Movember Canada and chat with their new poo pal Effie! This shit filled episode dives into her experience in being diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. From making brown 25 times a day, to going into remission she's been through the ringer and back!

Jewelia is a kindhearted and thoughtful meditation teacher, who (like all of us) owes half of her genetic makeup to her Dad - a world renowned sports psychologist with Alzheimer's disease. Wait, what?! Alzheimer's is the most common cause of dementia and memory loss and after that opening statement there's probably a billion questions you might have but perhaps the most puzzling one we had was: how does Jewelia tell her dad that he's sick and have him remember he's sick? Chew on that for a minute... Alzheimer's can be one of the most difficult things to watch a loved one suffer with, but simultaneously there are some genuinely comedic moments. Join us as we sift through those stories with Jewelia and get to know her experience with all of it!

Ever wonder what it's like to pee out of your belly button? Brian's mom never did until she was corralled through a Chinese CT scan factory and realized she may have Bladder Cancer. This week we speak to Marie, Brian's MOM! She's a foul mouthed cutie pie and although she was a bit nervous to speak openly this ended up being one of our favourite episodes of the year. From 16"" catheters to cat buttholes, this episode gets weird.

You know what sucks? Cellulitis, Chronic Edema and Varicose Veins. Think about it... Constant swelling in your feet and legs. An inability to pump blood from your extremities. The need to wear cumbersome compression socks. But you know whats sucks even more? A priapism. So, things could always be worse. Our friend and member of PEI's Racoon Bandit, Fraser, pops by to talk about his struggles with Chronic Edema! Stay tuned to the very end to hear a full play through of the Racoon Bandit song, Twist In The Wind based off of the night Fraser, suffering from sepsis and a wild fever, almost flung himself out his apartment window.

Imagine you ate a meal but instead of the food doing what it normally would do (travel through the entire digestive system) it just became stuck within your non working esophagus. As if your body was trying to mimic an emperor penguin by storing food for your baby. Except when you inevitably regurgitate your food, there is no baby penguin to receive it... because your a human woman. This is Kelsey's life. She suffers from Achalasia.

Pour a glass of wine, turn the lights down low, light some vanilla scented candles, turn on Brooklyn Nine-Nine and stick a ""vaginal dilator"" into your hoo-haw. Sounds like an enjoyable night? Well for our guest Molly it is quite painful. Vaginismus is a physical/mental condition causing extremely tight vaginal tissue making it nearly impossible for any sort of vaginal penetration. An issue, to say the least.

This conversation is straight up bananas. Aaron is a rare breed. One of the rarest. One of only two Canadians who live with XLP syndrome. A rare and scary disease that can end Aarons life in the blink of an eye. We learn that mono is a herpe. BMT is not a tasty sandwich. The oldest person who has ever lived with XLP made it to 42. Genetics are bonkers. Get ready to have your mind blown wide open.

According to the Canadian Medical Association, obesity has been declared a chronic medical disease! So how does one treat said disease? ""EASY! Eat better and exercise more"" right? Think again. Crystal has been managing obesity for years and takes some time to drop knowledge on the fellas!

In light of some feedback from the medical professional community regarding our latest episode Taylor and Jeremie sit down to discuss Chronic Lyme Disease and how it is viewed in the world of science and medicine. Big thank you to everyone who has contributed to the conversation! This is what this podcast is all about! Meghan and the experiences she has faced over the past few years are not up for debate. That was her experience and hers alone.

This week we sit down with the ever so lovely Meghan to talk all about Lyme disease. From tick bites, to Mexican medicinal vacations, to blended up food - we go through the awful disease that comes from those pesky little ticks. Like an out of control hotel party where the cops just can’t quite figure out how to shut it down, Lyme is a pain in the rear.

*Trigger Warning* This week we tip toe into some very sensitive and challenging subject matter. Wade lives with PTSD which stems from childhood abuse/trauma. What does one do to climb such a seemingly insurmountable obstacle in life? Athletics, yoga, therapy and simply finding people to hold space. ""S'Wade"" gets hella vulnerable with us, and made for a special and thought provoking episode.

This week on Sickboy: What happens with your debt when you die? How can you take charge of your financial independence when you're sick? Will Jeremie ever become comfortable with money and numbers? Come along for the ride and find out how to plan for the unexpected in this week's episode with special guest, John Burris from Atlantic Credit Unions!

Katie is your typical goofy fun loving gal living in Vancouver. She likes to laugh, she likes to sing, she likes to crack jokes. But for the past few years she's been dealing with huge pain in her ass... er... sacrum. This week we dive into living with a Giant Cell Tumor AKA Tuner AKA TOUMAHHHH (pronounced with an Arnold accent). Bet ya $20 she can't get through this episode without talking about CrossFit. We also talk about Taylors affinity for doo-doo photography. Important stuff people.

What happens when one of your kidneys was locked up within your pelvis? We asked Breanna the news lady and she said “get a new kidney.” Obviously. But that tiny pelvic kidney will just stay where it is… smushed up into your ovaries. ER buckets for puking, Barium enema’s and weak nerd ass organs. This episode has it all.

Sarah Simpson is one of those people you meet and immediately ask yourself “DID WE JUST BECOME BEST FRIENDS?” She also happened to have a mega wacky cancer called “pseudomyxoma peritonei”. Luckily Dr. Sugarbaker is a real human/god in the world of surgery and creater of the MOAS (Mother Of All Surgeries) where they remove as many oragns you can live without! Can YOU guess them all? Also “jelly belly” sounds fun, but heck no it ain’t and Tinder for sperm donors is kind of a thing. Enjoy one of our favourite LIVE shows of all time from Squamish, BC. OH CANADA!

When we met Larry he was literally shaking in his boots. Could have been from the excitement of recording an episode of Sickboy, but it's more likely due to the Parkinson's disease. It's an episode full of horrible puns and we touch on, hallucinations, gene hunting, Levodopa Carbidopa (the drug, not the children's folksong warning of evil witches in the woods.) Lover VS Caretaker, and of course what the hell Parkinson's is all about! Also check out Larry's podcast ""When Life Gives You Parkinson's"" on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your weekly podcasts!

Today we sit down with Livia to chat about #pussyproblems! But for real, some crazy issues that Livia has been dealing with while living with Adenomyosis, leaving a lot of questions up in the air about relationships, her health and her future.

Hey Vancouver! Let's kick it off very special guest and good pal Ben Nemtin - a #1 New York Times bestselling author of What Do You Want To Do Before You Die? and the star of the MTV show The Buried Life. This episode goes in many different beautiful directions. What does it take to carve out a life that fulfills you? Meaningful communication to navigate your mental health! Which matrix pill are you supposed to take? The blue one? The red one? Both!?! What happens after death? What happens when you talk smack to President Obama? All of this and much much more.

We sat down for an intimate chat w/ special guest Dr. Mark Tyndall - Director, BC Centre for Disease Control! We'll talk about his career in Epidemiology and his mission to prove that harm reduction is the first step out of North America's opioid epidemic. Also, turns out Jeremie is a real headline whore.

On this weeks episode of Sickboy we chat with Alex! She's a badass cheerleader chick that doesn't have much of a sweet side... okay, actually, she's super sweet, but she's not allowed to eat sugar and she sucks at cheerleading 'jumps'... all because of a super rare and shitty disease known as Pompe! Join us as we dive into the weird world of sweet smelling poo poo, Ke$ha lyrics, and what it's like to live with a glycogen storage disease!

What do you get when a baby is born with clubbed feet, a dislocated hip, triceps but no biceps, hands curled in at the wrists and can only bend one knee? This week we sit down with Michelle to talk about growing up in small town Nova Scotia with Arthrogryposis, a rare congenital condition causing hooked joints and stiffened muscles. We talk accessibility, how grandmothers make hanky panky too, and....a hijacked plane? Whoa. Buckle up.

We decided to follow up a hard week of loss with some light hearted and silly fun! This week we’ve got a very special host episode AND sit down with our long time friend of the podcast/sound guy, DONOVAN THE MIRCAT MORGAN. Although from this day forth he will now be known as Donovan ""C-PAP"" Morgan on account of his Sleep Apnea machine. That’s right! We take a deep dive into the world of the tricky sleep disorder, sleep apnea. As it turns out we can say with almost 99.9% certainty Jeremie also suffers from this pain in the butt condition. How does sleep (or lack there of) effect a human? Can one still enjoy hanky panky with a night time breathing machine? All of this and much much more!

Episode two in memory of Brandon Thomas. This is the second time Brandon came on the show to talk to us about his cancer coming back. We love you dude. Thanks for all the laughs. **** When you beat cancer only to have it resurface less than a year later, is the battle any easier? For Brandon Thomas the battle is no different. He kicked cancers ass once and he’s ready to do it again. This week the boys sit down with their first repeat guest Brandon Thomas. He gives us an update on where things are at since last recording with us including how his cancer has reared it’s ugly head once more. The boys chat about new secret test treatments, losing your butt hair, King Joffrey Baratheon, and a new Sickboy drinking game.

Last week was a tough one. We lost someone very special to us. We met Brandon through the podcast and it didn't take long before we considered him a very close friend. This week we are replaying his episode in his memory. Rest easy buddy. You have taught us all so much about what it means to live. To truly laugh, you must be able to take your pain, and play with it! - Charlie Chaplin

In 1997 Carol jumped out of plane expecting her parachute to gently bring her back to earth. Instead she ended up plummeting out of the sky and into the ground going 90 km/h. Needless to say, her body was annihilated. This week on Sickboy we go in depth into Carols accident and the toll it took on her physically and emotionally - from shattered femur bones, to regrowing bones like an X-Men. Get ready for a jaw dropper.

Two cars colliding head on, each driving 80 Km/h is a whole lot of bad. When Ashley was in this exact accident, unfortunately (and miraculously) she was the only one hurt... and boy was she hurt! From head to toes you name it, it was broken. We dive into gnarly bone breaks, 2 month long naps, living with horny old people, missing your BFF's wedding, and much much more!

Doctors make for horrible patients”. This week we speak with Michelle, a practicing psychiatrist, who has a history of depression. BUT WAIT?! A Psychiatrist isn't allowed to be depressed! They are the person the depressed people go to for help. Right? Think again. We dive into devastating suicidal thoughts, being admitted alongside a past patient, healthcare fraud and Brian doing HARD time and much more. As always we love speaking with healthcare professionals because they are so dang smart!

Imagine being compelled to do or say the worst possible thing at the worst possible time. Like the “N word"" in your class at school, farting on a date, or yelling “Bomb!” in an airport. This is just the tip of the ice berg that we begin to explore with our friend Ken who lives with Tourette syndrome! This episode is a bucket list conversation and it’s a frantic and chaotic as it sounds. Ken, along side of his wife and his stepson (whom all live with Tourette’s) sit dow and drop some knowledge on the fellas on the reality of living a life full of ticks, swears, and inopportune vocal outbursts.

Our new friend Hilary spends her days learning the ins and outs of speech pathology while trying not to fall asleep in the middle of it all. This week we dive into Narcolepsy (w/ Cataplexy). We talk about a whole bunch of wacky stuff like, tongues that grow hair?!? Doctors writing like intoxicated 5 year olds, Taylor's debilitating snoring problems, Jeff's low grade narcolepsy, falling asleep in the middle of hanky-panky and much much more!