Black and Blue Ribbons
— Karen Del Vecchio

Last week, I was able to see my massage therapist for the first time in over three months due to the pandemic. About 10 years ago, I learned that massage is an integral…

One thing that’s both particularly difficult as well as sometimes wonderful about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is that, for the most part, it’s invisible. Except for my bruising, if you look at me, there’s…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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.

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…

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,…