Navigating Life with Chronic Illness
A Body Rebels: A Chronic Illness Podcast
A Body Rebels is a lived experience podcast about surviving sarcoidosis, heart failure, rare disease, and the strange daily reality of having a body that does not always cooperate. Hosted by Tate, a private chef, writer, husband, pet parent, and long-term sarcoidosis survivor.
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16
Aug. 18, 2026
What a Black Bear Taught Me About Chronic Illness
I’m sharing what happened when a limping black bear crossed the road in front of me on a quiet drive through rural Connecticut. Watching that injured animal continue into the woods brought my own experience with chronic illness into sharper focus. I’ve spent years measuring strength by what I could once do, how quickly I could move, and how well I could hide the struggle. That bear gave me another way to look at determination, physical limitations, acceptance, and the careful steps required to k
15
Aug. 14, 2026
Prednisone Withdrawal: When My Body Finally Said Enough
I missed an episode this week, and there was a very good reason. My fifth attempt to come off prednisone after twenty years hit me harder than I ever expected. With methotrexate now being used as a steroid-sparing medication, I’ve managed to reach just 2.5 milligrams of prednisone, but the pain, nausea, edema and crushing fatigue have been brutal. I’m sharing what happened when I became so exhausted at work that even standing at the stove no longer felt safe, and why I finally chose myself first
14
Aug. 7, 2026
The Bad Day I Fear Won’t End: Chronic Illness and an Uncertain Tomorrow
When a chronic illness flare sends me back to bed with oxygen, physical exhaustion can quickly become fear about my future. I start wondering whether I’ll recover or whether my independence is slipping away permanently. I used to hide those fears from my wife because I thought I was protecting her. Now I understand that honesty means trusting her and remaining honest with myself. In this episode, I confront uncertainty, physical decline, and the frightening question of whether one terrible day c
6
July 10, 2026
The Fake Chinese Song That Became a Chronic Illness Poem
In this episode, I’m talking about a silly song I sing to my dogs, a language I don’t actually speak, and the strange AI surprise that came back when I finally let technology listen. I’m reflecting on ancestry, imagination, chronic illness, memory, and the little rituals that sneak into daily life when my body is tired but my mind is still wandering. It starts with puppies, a tug toy, and nonsense sounds, but it opens a door I didn’t expect. This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words
Recent Episodes
11
Oct. 30, 2026
Chronic Illness and Marriage: How Sarcoidosis Changed Our Lives
I’ve lived with sarcoidosis for twenty years, but my wife has lived with its consequences alongside me. After forty-five years together, I’ve begun thinking about everything chronic illness has changed in our marriage, including the freedom we once enjoyed, the plans we abandoned, and the sacrifices that never appear in my medical records. This episode explores the quieter cost of chronic illness on a relationship, and why I believe my wife’s experience deserves to be recognized as much as my ow
10
Oct. 27, 2026
When Chronic Illness Makes Dreams Go Quiet
I remember my wife asking whether I still had dreams, and having no answer. Chronic illness had narrowed my attention to appointments, medications, fatigue, and getting through another day. In this episode, I reflect on living with sarcoidosis and heart failure, the caution I began confusing with wisdom, and a rainy drive to hear Olivia Newton-John after forty years of waiting. I explore the difference between respecting my limits and silencing my desires, and how music helped me recognize somet
9
Oct. 23, 2026
Grief and Chronic Illness: Remembering My Dad Through His Humor
My dad’s birthday is coming up, and I’m remembering the humor, presence, and ordinary pleasures of the father I lost when I was thirteen. He lived with Type 1 diabetes and heart disease, and after twenty years with sarcoidosis and my own experience of heart failure, I understand parts of his life differently. From an airport breakfast to a midnight disco, these memories bring me closer to the father I miss and the grown man I wish he’d had time to know. This podcast is narrated using an AI voic
8
Oct. 20, 2026
The Hidden Cost of Chronic Illness: Insurance Denials and Medical Bills
Living with chronic illness brings financial costs beyond copays and prescriptions. I spend hours untangling insurance denials, prior authorizations, confusing bills, and paperwork nobody counts as work. In this episode, I talk about the energy lost to phone calls, the anxiety of not knowing what I owe, and the frustration of having complex medical care reduced to codes on a page. I also explain why I believe specialized medical decisions deserve reviewers who understand the conditions involved.
7
Oct. 16, 2026
When My Memory Changed After a Metoprolol Dose Increase
After my metoprolol dose increased to 200 mg, my wife and I began noticing troubling short-term memory problems. I was forgetting conversations and searching for things I had placed somewhere only moments earlier. In this episode, I share what those medication side effects looked like in ordinary daily life, why they frightened me, and what happened after I called my cardiologist and changed medications. This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words, reflections, and lived experience ar
6
Oct. 13, 2026
Chronic Illness, Brain Fog, Fatigue, and the Things I Didn’t Finish
Living with chronic illness changes what an ordinary to-do list means. My iPhone reminders might show a phone call, an errand, or a message, while leaving out the fatigue, brain fog, symptoms, recovery time, and decisions surrounding each task. In this episode, I look at chronic illness and productivity through the unfinished reminders waiting on my phone, and why a list never tells the whole story of what I did with my day. This podcast is narrated using an AI voice. The words, reflections, an
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About the Host
Tate Basildon
Host
I’m Tate, the host of A Body Rebels. I’m a private chef, writer, husband, pet parent, and long-term sarcoidosis survivor. I started this podcast to tell honest stories about chronic illness without turning them into medical lectures, inspiration posters, or miracle-cure speeches. I live with a body that has changed the rules more than once, and I’m still learning how to build a life around that.