075 When Your Labs Are “Normal” but You Still Feel Sick, with Joy Stephenson-Laws

The results say everything looks normal. You still feel exhausted, foggy, or unlike yourself. What do you do with the distance between those two things?

In this IIC conversation, April talks with healthcare attorney and author Joy Stephenson-Laws about asking questions when lab results have not explained how you feel. Joy shares how her work and her mother’s experiences with medical care shaped her interest in patient advocacy and her book, Your Labs Are Fine. You’re Not.

They discuss understanding what was actually tested, approaching supplements with care, checking the information in your medical chart, and preparing for appointments when energy and concentration are limited. Joy also introduces her Feel, Pause, Act framework, a way to acknowledge a feeling, make room to consider it, and choose a response that fits your capacity.

There is room here for frustration and unanswered questions. This conversation is an invitation to participate in your care without expecting yourself to become your own doctor. It shares Joy’s perspective and experiences, not a diagnosis or a treatment plan.

In This Episode

• What repeated reassurance can feel like when you still feel unwell
• Asking what your lab work measured and what questions remain
• Why a conversation about mineral deficiencies should not become a shopping list of supplements
• Preparing questions and practical support around your available energy
• Using Feel, Pause, Act without expecting a perfect response every time
• Reviewing medical notes and seeking care when something feels different or concerning

Guest Info

Joy Stephenson-Laws, JD, is a healthcare attorney, author, and founder of Proactive Health Labs. Her work focuses on helping people understand health information and take a more active role in conversations about their care.

Visit Proactive Health Labs

Resources

• Your Labs Are Fine. You’re Not. and other books from Proactive Health Labs
• Proactive Health Labs learning resources, Joy’s educational website discussed in the conversation

For additional context, these resources were checked during preparation and are not presented as resources named in the interview:

• Understanding lab results, MedlinePlus
• Dietary supplements: what you need to know, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements

Related Episodes

• Ep. 58: The Invisible Full-Time Job of Chronic Illness, for the work of appointments, decisions, and keeping track of your care.
• Ep. 68: Chronic Illness and the Loneliness of Being Misunderstood, for the emotional weight of trying to explain what someone else cannot see.

Connect with IIC

Links & Resources

Join The Unseen Sisterhood

https://www.theinvisibleillnessclub.com/newsletter

Listen to the podcast

https://www.theinvisibleillnessclub.com/podcasts

Visit the website

https://www.theinvisibleillnessclub.com

Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/the_invisibleillnessclub

Stay connected

Subscribe for honest conversations about chronic illness, faith, emotional exhaustion, boundaries, rest, and building a meaningful life inside limitation.

Join The Unseen Sisterhood: https://www.theinvisibleillnessclub.com