Black and Blue Ribbons
— Karen Del Vecchio

I haven’t been sleeping restfully this week. I’ve been doing that whole wake-up-and-roll-back-over thing seemingly a dozen times a night. I’ve been dealing with a pain flare since I got stuck in some thick, deep mud in a pasture at the farm where I live and nearly pulled my…

Last week, I went to the dentist for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic. I had my regular cleaning just before everything shut down last year, and then dentists were either closed or working at reduced capacity for months. After my fall appointment was canceled, I joined…

Throughout the past week, the weather has been gorgeous. After weeks of seemingly endless rain, terrible mud that’s taken a real toll on me physically, and generally depressing weather, it’s been a true mood-lifter to see the sun and milder temperatures. I love many things about winter, such as soups…

This week has been busy. After all the rain we’ve had in the mid-Atlantic region recently, the ground is soaking wet, but we’ve finally had a few days in a row without rain, and the sun has been shining. It’s been amazing! I’ve tried…

This school year has been unique, to say the least. As a high school teacher and college counselor, I’ve been lucky to work at an institution that has made an effort to allow everyone to continue attending in person. We have numerous and extensive measures in place that have…

Is it spring yet? Like for many people in the U.S., the weather in Virginia has been less than stellar lately. We’ve had record-breaking rainfall, and while I’m thankful we’ve been spared the ice storms and frigid conditions of other states, it’s still pretty miserable here. The last two weeks,…

Over the years, the position in which I’m most comfortable sleeping at night has changed. For most of my life, I could only sleep on my stomach. After I was diagnosed and my pain level became more manageable, I slept primarily on my back. Recently, for whatever reason, I seem…

I’m so lucky to be able to have massage therapy every other week. While I wasn’t diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) until I was 22 and didn’t start regular massages until several years after that, I’ve since learned that they are critical to my well-being and pain…

I really need to stop doing stupid things and hurting myself. Sheesh. Last September, I badly broke my finger and had to have surgery. I now sport a plate and six screws in my right ring finger. Then, just a…

After two weeks of virtual learning to avoid the post-holiday spike in COVID-19 cases, students in the school where I work returned to in-person learning last week. I was nervous about it at first, as I’d gotten used to my little bubble at home and on the farm over the…

I don’t think I’m alone in hoping that 2021 would be a better year than last, but it’s certainly off to an interesting start. I work as a college counselor and history teacher at a high school, and my students are currently taking classes online. Although we managed to have…

I’m certain I don’t have to tell anyone reading this column that having Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) means overcoming a lot of hurdles and other negative things. These include chronic pain, fatigue, ease of injury, gastrointestinal issues, anxiety and other mental health concerns — and those are just the start…