Part 1: Michael’s Bump in the Road: FAP, Surgery, Anxiety, and the Fight to Keep Going

At 18 years old, Michael Caprio was handed a diagnosis that changed everything: Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, a rare genetic condition tied to colorectal cancer risk. In this powerful Part 1 conversation, G-Rex and Dirty Skittles talk with Michael about fear, surgery, anxiety, family history, and what it really takes to keep going when life smacks you sideways.

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Sh!t That Goes On In Our Heads is a 2024 People’s Choice Podcast Award Winner (Best Health), 2024 Women in Podcasting Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), 2026 Podcast Tonight Award Winner (Best Mental Health Podcast), and 2026 NYC Podcast Award Audience Choice Winner (Best Hosts), with over 4.5 million downloads and listened to in over 160 countries.

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Mental Health Quote

“Sometimes the bump in the road becomes the bridge that gets you back to yourself.” — Inspired by Michael Caprio

Trigger Notice + 988 Crisis Reminder

This episode includes discussion of serious illness, surgery, medical trauma, anxiety, depression, and moments of feeling like life was no longer worth living. Please listen with care.

If you or someone you love is in crisis or thinking about self-harm, call or text 988 in the United States to connect with the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You are not a burden. You are not alone. Help is available right now.

Episode Description

At 18, Michael Caprio should have been worrying about senior year, friends, and what came next after high school. Instead, he was facing a rare genetic diagnosis called Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, or FAP, a condition that causes precancerous polyps to grow in the large intestine and dramatically raises colorectal cancer risk. What followed was fear, bloodwork, colonoscopies, life-changing surgery, an ostomy, and the emotional punch of realizing his body would never be the same.

In Part 1 of this two-part conversation, Michael joins G-Rex and Dirty Skittles to talk honestly about what it felt like to be diagnosed so young, how his family history shaped his understanding of FAP, and why Googling symptoms can send your brain straight into a horror movie. He opens up about having his large intestine removed, living with an ostomy during recovery, and struggling with the mental health side of healing.

This episode gets real about medical trauma, anxiety, identity, and the moments when Michael felt like a burden to the people who loved him most. But it also shows the power of support, honesty, perspective, and choosing to stay in the fight one painful day at a time.

Keywords: Michael Caprio, FAP, Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, colorectal cancer awareness, rare disease, medical trauma, anxiety, ostomy recovery, colectomy, J pouch surgery, mental health, chronic illness, hereditary cancer, surgery recovery, emotional wellness

Meet Our Guest — Michael Caprio

Michael Caprio is an Author, advocate, and rare disease warrior who was diagnosed with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis at just 18 years old. He is the Author of A Bump in the Road: My Medical Journey over Potholes, Detours and the Bridge to Gratitude, a memoir about surviving serious illness, navigating medical trauma, and finding gratitude after life-changing surgery.

Website: https://www.mikecaprioauthor.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mikecaprio_author/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/A-Bump-in-the-Road/100076302759044/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-caprio/

Key Takeaways

• A rare diagnosis can change your body, your future, and your mental health all at once.
• Medical trauma is not just physical; it can shake your identity, independence, and sense of safety.
• Support systems matter, especially when your brain tells you that you are a burden.
• Friends may show you who they really are during hard seasons, and that truth can hurt.
• Gratitude does not erase pain, but it can help you rebuild after it.
• Healing takes honesty, patience, and the courage to keep showing up.

Actionable Items

• If you are facing a scary diagnosis, write down your questions before appointments so fear does not steal your voice in the room.
• Build a support circle that includes medical professionals, loved ones, and people who understand your condition.
• When your thoughts get dark, tell someone. You do not have to carry the heavy stuff alone.

Important Chapters

• 00:00:00 – Welcome to Part 1 G-Rex opens the episode and lets listeners know this is the first half of Michael’s two-part story.
• 00:01:33 – Michael introduces his book Michael shares the title of his memoir, A Bump in the Road, and explains how his medical journey became the foundation of his writing.
• 00:01:48 – Understanding FAP Michael explains Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, a rare genetic condition that causes precancerous polyps to grow in the large intestine.
• 00:03:00 – Family history and “the club” Michael talks about his mom, aunt, and grandmother living with FAP, and how he slowly began to understand the family connection.
• 00:05:19 – The diagnosis conversation Michael remembers being told he had FAP and how the seriousness of the diagnosis slowly started to sink in.
• 00:06:39 – The danger of Googling symptoms After searching online, Michael found terrifying stories that made his fear and anger spike.
• 00:08:30 – Being 18 and trying to process everything G-Rex and Michael talk about the emotional weight of facing a life-changing diagnosis while still figuring out who you are.
• 00:10:05 – Surgery, colectomy, ostomy, and J pouch recovery Michael explains the surgery to remove his large intestine, the temporary ostomy, and the J pouch procedure that helped him regain quality of life.
• 00:13:43 – The emotional toll of recovery Michael shares how difficult recovery became, including bathroom challenges, pain, frustration, and regret over how he treated people trying to help him.
• 00:14:56 – Friends, support, and painful distance Michael reflects on friends who disappeared and others who showed up in ways he never expected.
• 00:18:11 – A perspective shift after illness Michael describes how losing everyday freedoms made him more grateful for small things like coffee, exercise, and time with friends.
• 00:22:29 – Rock bottom and the fight to keep going Michael opens up about feeling like a burden and the painful family conversation that helped snap him out of a dangerous mental spiral.
• 00:26:10 – Closing reminder G-Rex and Dirty Skittles close with a reminder that it is okay to be not okay, as long as you are talking to someone.

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#MentalHealthPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #Grex #DirtySkittles #Podmatch #MichaelCaprio #FAPAwareness #FamilialAdenomatousPolyposis #ColorectalCancerAwareness #RareDiseaseAwareness #MedicalTrauma #AnxietyRecovery #OstomyAwareness #ChronicIllnessSupport #SurgeryRecovery #MentalHealthMatters #HereditaryCancer #HealingJourney #Jpouch #BumpInTheRoad

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