Sometimes I just have to get stuff done despite my EDS
A columnist explains why she often pushes through pain
As I stood up for what felt like the 50th time that day, my knees, back, and hips protested loudly. When I moved into my house awhile back, I put down waterproof plank flooring over the hardwood that was there. The original was nice, but it needed to be refinished or covered, and with senior dogs and a cat who doesn’t always like the litter box, covering it made much more sense. With my dad’s help, we’d gotten all of it done except the living room, which was the lowest priority for me.
I fully expect that older dogs may have trouble holding it all day while I’m at work, so there’s always a potty mat on the linoleum floor near the laundry room just in case. It can take new dogs a little time to figure out the system, and my newest dog, Tinkerbell, had a few accidents on the yet-to-be-covered hardwood in the living room. With the finish virtually gone, I knew the floor would get ruined quickly if I didn’t do something.
Suddenly, putting down plank flooring jumped to the top of my to-do list. My dad and I had done the other floors before I moved in, meaning we could stop whenever we needed to, even midway through a room. This time, however, we had to get the whole thing done in one go. There was no way I could leave such a highly trafficked room half-finished.
That meant an entire day of measuring, cleaning, cutting, and laying down the planks. Granted, this work is tough for anybody, not just someone like me with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), but having EDS sure magnifies it. Constantly getting up and down, crawling on my knees, and using a hammer to position the planks and press the seals into place started to take its toll almost as soon as I started.
Kneeling is enough to leave bruises on my knees. I know this, yet did I remember to use some knee pads or a kneeler while I crawled all over the floor? Of course not. Instead, after about a minute of kneeling, I remembered that doing so is a bad idea. But since I’d already have a quarter-sized bruise on each knee, I stupidly decided that if the damage was already done, why waste time trying to find something to protect my knees when I was already short on time?
Similarly, I kept pushing through despite the fact that my back hurt. I knew I’d be incredibly sore by the time I finished. But sometimes, what’s the choice? The job had to be done, and I wasn’t going to sit by while someone else did the work. Instead, I was grateful that I had one of my semimonthly massages scheduled the next day, and my therapist could work on whatever soreness I caused myself.
Part of the reason I often keep pushing through, despite discomfort, is that it doesn’t always matter how long I’ve been doing something. For example, once I bruised my knees, no longer kneeling wouldn’t have helped. The same goes for my back: Once it began to hurt, I wouldn’t have felt better if I stopped what I was doing because I’d already set off the muscles in question. So most of the time I just plow forward and ignore the pain.
To be clear, I’m not advocating for others to emulate this approach. I fully admit that, in many ways, it’s probably stupid. Personally, I try to find a balance between how much better I’ll feel physically if I stop (which usually isn’t much) and how frustrated I’ll feel if I can’t finish what I’m doing (which is typically significant). The trade-off isn’t great, but it is what it is. I don’t always make the best call, but at least in this case, I can check the flooring project off my list!
Note: Ehlers-Danlos News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Ehlers-Danlos News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Ehlers-Danlos.
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