Black and Blue Ribbons
— Karen Del Vecchio

It’s the time of year when illness starts whipping through the school halls like wildfire. Recently, we’ve had students out with seemingly everything you can think of, including flu, bronchitis, pneumonia, standard colds, and stomach bugs. As a teacher, I’m pretty well immune to most bugs after more than a…

As I wrote last week, October tends to be a stressful month at my job, where I work with students on their post-high school plans. With November approaching, I’m thankful I feel a little better after some tough Ehlers-Danlos syndrome…

The past few weeks at work have been enormously stressful. We school counselors often refer to this month as “Sucktober,” because it tends to be when the honeymoon of a new school year has worn off. Plus, big college application deadlines are looming, and student energy has begun to lag.

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 that, while related, don’t seem to make much sense. For me, one of those is the…

“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 a little free gym time before heading home for the weekend. If I played, the game…

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 syndrome (EDS). I definitely feel that I need more rest than most people, but I also…

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 “Pick Your Train Wreck,” which had her laughing hysterically. Thanks to my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS),…

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 slight discomfort grew until my back became quite painful. Getting up from a chair was awkward,…

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 from what was likely a case of COVID-19 and a nasty fall caused by the…

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 at my job as a teacher and college counselor. But I didn’t dwell on it and…

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 syndrome (EDS). To my surprise, she said, “Wow, I didn’t know you had that. Actually, I…

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 fall. But every year it seems to take me by surprise. Since I love my job,…