Black and Blue Ribbons
— Karen Del Vecchio

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 was 16. Well, not just…

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. I can’t simply show up…

“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 people my age don’t deal…

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 diminished. I had another session…

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 that’s not necessarily unusual. Getting…

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, it seems like it just…

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 about this? That’s pretty much…

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 to deal with it as…

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 spent a few days before…

I feel like my body’s done a flip-flop. Usually my right side causes me the most problems. I have a badly damaged shoulder, hip, finger, hand, and ankle, all on my right side. My left side is…

I’ve said many times that chronic fatigue is one of the toughest parts of living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). It’s so tough to wake up just as exhausted as I was when I went to sleep.

“Hey, how did you get that bruise on your face?” I’ve probably gotten that question at least a dozen times in the past few days, and I’m sure many more wanted to ask me but didn’t. It’s not a…