Black and Blue Ribbons
— Karen Del Vecchio

Some aspects of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) are just weird. There are the expected symptoms — tight and sore muscles, chronic fatigue, frequent injuries, bruising — but there are also effects…

“Ms. D! Ms. D! Will you come play volleyball with us?” I heard this call on a recent Friday afternoon, when our school’s internet was down and I was supervising kids who were enjoying…

Last week seemed to drag on forever. Although I was finally feeling better after a rough patch, it got me thinking about how rest is a double-edged sword for me with Ehlers-Danlos…

Last week when I finally caught up with my massage therapist, Kim, after a six-week break — I was sick, then she was — I told her she’d get to play a game called…

The other week, I felt a twinge in my back when I woke up, but I hoped I’d just slept funny and it would soon go away. As the day went on, though, the…

After a rough couple of weeks, the past few days have been an exercise in remembering to listen to my body and take the time I need to heal, as I’ve been recovering…

Two weeks ago, I wrote that I was struggling to get back into the swing of the school year. It’s always a tough transition, but this year, I was dragging more than usual…

Last week, an athletic trainer I was talking to asked why I had kinesiology tape on my leg. I told her I have plantar fasciitis and mentioned something about my Ehlers-Danlos…

After more than 10 years of working in schools, I should be better about managing my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) through the transition from time off in the summer to the academic year in…

As I drove out of the pit and started making my way around the first curve of the track, I was both nervous and excited. Much to my surprise, the head of the school…

As I stress on the phone about how I have no idea what my schedule looks like for the next day and I don’t know what I’m going to do, my mom calmly…

My shoulder is a common source of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) pain. It hasn’t been the same since I had a terrible soccer injury as a teenager, before my diagnosis. Usually,…