An avid equestrian and educator, Karen has been a columnist at BioNews — the publisher of this site — since 2019. She was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome in 2009 after years of searching for a diagnosis that explained her symptoms. Karen enjoys working with her students, riding and caring for her two horses (Cherry and Spotty), and connecting with others in the rare disease community through her writing.
This week’s message is simple: Don’t get walking pneumonia from your students (or anyone else). A little while ago, I felt like I was coming down with a cold. I didn’t feel too bad, just a little tired and congested. I figured I’d be fine in a few days. I…
I’ve been thinking lately how awareness of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) has changed over the years. Growing up, I’d never heard of it. The first time I did was as an adult, when a doctor at Georgetown University, where I’d been sent to search for a diagnosis, told me he…
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,…
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