How To Survive a Menty B
The healing library for medical trauma and illness-induced PTSD
Hi, I’m Dr. Krisy Elrod — therapist, researcher, breast cancer survivor, and your unofficial Queen of Menty B’s.
How to Survive a Menty B is where I break down medical trauma and illness-induced PTSD in real time, blending clinical expertise with lived experience. This is a community for anyone who has been cracked open by the healthcare system and is trying to put themselves back together again.
When I was 38, I found a lump on my birthday. What followed was a fight for testing, an unexpected diagnosis of aggressive breast cancer, and a treatment plan so intense I should’ve earned frequent-flyer miles for near-death experiences. Even with brilliant care at Memorial Sloan Kettering, my body hit every complication possible.
The surgeries, chemo, and meds saved my life—and left me with medical trauma and PTSD. My old life vanished. In its place: fear, grief, resilience, and a very messy rebuilding process.
I’m still learning how to live in this body. I’m still figuring out what healing even means. And I know I’m not the only one.
That’s why I built this space.
This newsletter is a survival guide, a research-backed resource hub, and a place for people with medical PTSD to feel seen and supported.
Here, you’ll find:
Education on medical trauma, PTSD, and chronic illness
Real stories from someone who’s lived it
Tools to navigate the emotional fallout of medical care
A growing healing library designed to help you rebuild your life
Community—because none of us should do this alone
There are millions of us living with medical PTSD. We deserve better care, better language, and better community. We heal faster when we heal together.
If you know someone who’s struggling with medical trauma, share this space with them. If you’re here because you’re trying to survive your own menty b…I’m so glad you found me.
You’re not alone anymore.
