Black and Blue Ribbons
— Karen Del Vecchio

As a teacher, I couldn’t be more ready for winter break. And I’m not alone: Though we still have a few days before we’re done for a while, the students and staff can’t wait,…

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been doing some necessary maintenance on the farm where I live: working outside on plant beds, fixing fences, replacing a broken light fixture, and more. These types…

Last in a series. Read part one.  For a long time, I used to dread going to physical therapy. It was painful and often counterproductive, and no one, as I described in…

First in a series. After I was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), one of the many things that became clear was why my previous attempts at physical therapy had failed when I…

As someone with significant gastrointestinal problems due to having both Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and alpha-gal syndrome, I find that Thanksgiving isn’t as straightforward for me as it is for most people.

“One day, when you’re my age, you’ll understand pain.” This might be one of the most frustrating and flippant comments I hear as someone in my mid-30s. Many who are older automatically assume that…

In a recent column, I described how my massage therapist and I realized that the cause of my back and foot pain was actually my hip. Thankfully, since that session, the pain has…

I’ve learned to pay attention so I can tell the symptoms of my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) from other health issues. For about a week, I’d been feeling extra tired and sore, but…

I’ve been dealing with a lot of muscle pain along the bottom of my ribs for the past couple of months. I don’t recall when or how it started, but once it was there,…

Every time I think I’ve gotten a handle on the patterns of my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), I’m pretty sure the universe laughs at me. Oh, you think you have it figured out? What…

One thing I know for sure is that I have a much higher pain tolerance than most people. I guess that’s probably true for most people who manage chronic pain. They either learn…

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind. A couple of weeks ago, for instance, I went out of town for a funeral and then flew directly from there to a conference, where I…