Black and Blue Ribbons - a Column by Karen Del Vecchio

Dear readers, After seven years and over 300 columns, it’s time for me to say goodbye. Through this column, I’ve gotten to connect with other amazing people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), and I’m certain I’ve learned more from you all than you have from me. Your comments validating my…

As I walked outside and felt the heat and humidity envelop me, I realized that summer has arrived early here in Virginia. Summer humidity is sweltering, and so far this year, we’ve been breaking both heat and drought records, which is a really tough combo when, like me, you have…

It’s been eight months since a fall off my horse led to a badly broken rib and plenty of associated muscle and soft tissue damage. While I’ve made huge strides in my recovery, there are still a few things that aren’t quite back to normal — or at least my…

Sometimes it’s hard to explain what I mean when I say I feel like a twisted pretzel. While my physical therapist (PT) and massage therapist understand, they’re also trained to look for such anomalies. I don’t think it’s something the average person can see, but I definitely feel it when…

Sometimes Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) just doesn’t seem to have a discernible pattern to me. While I’ve been doing much better overall recently, thanks to fascial counterstrain physical therapy (FCS), that doesn’t mean that I don’t have triggers or pain flares. It just means that hopefully they’re less…

Note: This column describes the author’s experiences with fascial counterstrain therapy (FCS). Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. It’s still hard to believe how much I’ve benefited from adding fascial counterstrain therapy (FCS) to my self-care routine.

As I drove along the highway, I could feel my muscles getting tighter. Despite my best efforts to avoid setting off a pain flare, I knew I probably wouldn’t be able to stop this one. While I’ve developed a number of strategies over the years to manage my Ehlers-Danlos…

I suspect that many of us with chronic conditions use self-deprecating humor to cope with our frustrations. For me, it’s a way to show others that while my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) can be challenging sometimes, it won’t keep me from doing what I want to do. A few…

Recently, I got back on a horse for the first time in several months. It’s been six months since a bad fall resulted in a broken rib and healing complications courtesy of my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). While I did ride a horse a few times earlier in my…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with over-the-counter pain medications. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Recently, I attended my first horse show in several years. I wasn’t riding due to a bad fall last…