Black and Blue Ribbons
— Karen Del Vecchio

Last week, I got some disappointing news. My horse Cherry somehow managed to fracture a bone in her foot. She was fine one day, and then the next she came in very lame after being in her field…

Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is strange. Like many rare diseases, it’s unique to each person. For example, different types of injuries present variables in how a disease manifests. Since many of my long-term issues relate to specific injuries, I’ve learned…

Like many others, I’ve been forced to accept the current situation as our “new normal” for the foreseeable future. On most days, I get up, take care of the hounds and the cats, then hop online to work from…

I’m pretty sure this is the longest I’ve gone without a massage since I learned that they’re critical to my pain management and well-being. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that I’ll be getting one anytime soon. While I’m thankful…

As I wrote in a recent column, one upside to all the extra time spent at home is that I’ve gotten to spend more time on activities I really enjoy but usually get squeezed out by the lack…

Here in Virginia, all nonessential businesses have been closed for several weeks. Frustratingly, I’m unable to access my two main therapies — massage and Pilates. Both of these activities are critical to my pain management, as massage…

Like everyone right now, my life and my therapies have been upended by the coronavirus. While it’s easy to get bogged down in all the stress and seemingly all-consuming fear (especially if you turn on the television), the…

In this time of uncertainty, stress and anxiety (a very common co-diagnosis with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) management are critical to my self-care. Like virtually everyone else, my life has been a bit upended recently. But I’m trying to make…

It’s hard to believe that only a week has passed since I wrote my last column. Everything is so different that it feels like months ago, not days. In the interim,…

One of the many unusual issues that come with having Ehlers-Danlos syndrome is the way that I can injure myself and not even know how I did it. That sounds baffling to most people, but for those with EDS,…

As I’ve mentioned in previous columns my shoulder is probably the most damaged joint in my body. When I was about 15, I dislocated it, broke my collarbone…

I love snow. It doesn’t snow very often where I live, but I sure enjoy when it does. We got about 5 inches of snow last Thursday. I work as a college counselor at a private high school, so…