About Janet Jay
I’ve been on both sides of the exam table — as a chronic pain patient since age 15, and as a journalist writing about the healthcare system that’s supposed to help us. I’ve spent over two decades learning what actually works (and why!)… and what’s just a waste of money, energy, and hope.
As a teen, I desperately needed someone to tell me how the hell to navigate this. No one did.
So let me draw you a map.
The Work
Journalism: My work has appeared in Popular Science, VICE Motherboard, Maxim, The Mighty, and more. I wrote a first-person feature for Popular Science about getting my spinal cord stimulator — the same technology I moderated a panel about at SXSW 2026. My writing has been cited in the Georgetown Law Journal, and a VICE feature I wrote sparked international news coverage and became a case study in peer-reviewed research on gender and the microbiome.
Advocacy: I serve as Content Editor & Advocate at the U.S. Pain Foundation, where I edit and write for the INvisible Project magazine. I also represent the LGBTQ+ community on US Pain’s Disparity Solutions Advisory Board. I recently advocated on Capitol Hill for Headache on the Hill 2026.
Independent projects: Other than the blog you’re reading now, my husband and I made a cool bot named MyAI.Health to help people understand their health insurance. I’m starting another site called Our Painful Truth & hosting a new podcast there. I also founded Access Jay, which helps businesses become more accessible to customers with chronic pain.
Work With Me
Speaking, media, or collaboration: painchronicwordsiconic@gmail.com
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