Black and Blue Ribbons
— Karen Del Vecchio

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…

Presidents Day is a nice three-day weekend to have in the middle of winter and a good time to recharge. As much as I hate to admit it, the chronic fatigue from…

We’ve had a very strange “winter” so far here in the mid-Atlantic. I used quotation marks because we’ve barely had a winter. We’ve only had a few days of significant cold. Otherwise, it’s been bizarrely warm — and…

I try hard not to be negative or to complain too much. Overall, my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is not as bad as it could be, and I’ve found ways to manage most of my symptoms. I usually can…

As I wrote in last week’s column, I’m dealing with a pain flare. The pain, while better, is still not where it should be. The sensation is difficult to explain. The best way to describe it is numb…

For the past week or so, I’ve been dealing with a pain flare. As sometimes happens with me, I don’t really know what started it. I have old injuries that are easy to aggravate, and they become…

One of the great things about working at a school is the time I get off. As someone with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), chronic fatigue is my nemesis. I’m always tired. I usually aim to get eight or nine…