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.When I look back at all the physical activities I used to do growing up, it’s hard to believe I was never scared of injuring myself. I can no longer imagine myself in the thick of a physical soccer game without also thinking about getting hurt. Back then, I was…
Anyone who rides a horse knows that no matter how careful you are, sometimes you’re going to fall. I had my first fall in a year a couple weeks ago. Cherry has been an exceptionally well-behaved and safe horse for me, but falling is part of riding an animal that…
Well, we’re back to school and we’re rolling! It’s hard to believe that students have been back for nearly three weeks, and I’ve been back for nearly six. I really enjoy my job teaching history and doing college counseling with juniors and seniors, but it can be stressful at…
It’s that time of year again! Summer just flew by, and before I knew it, I was back at work, which for me is school. As a high school history teacher and college counselor, my downtime is minimal when classes are in session. When students recently returned, we were off…
I hadn’t slept well in weeks. I kept doing that whole “wake up, turn over, try to get comfortable” thing, but nothing worked. As someone who manages chronic fatigue due to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), this sleep interruption was really difficult. In addition, I kept waking up with extra stiffness…
The past few weeks have been busy, yet so much fun. I was recently able to visit my grandparents, who live out of state, for the first time since the pandemic started. Now that they and the rest of my extended family are vaccinated, we were finally able to get…
Summer is in full swing here, and one fun part for me is seasonal allergies, or hay fever. I deal with both indoor and outdoor allergies year-round, but they tend to be worse in the summer. I’ve noticed over the years that a weather front moving through can sometimes…
It’s crazy how sometimes time seems to simultaneously crawl and fly by. It feels like just yesterday when I was headed to work as a high school history teacher and a college counselor. On the flip side, I’m certain that was a year ago. Although I work longer than most…
It’s a bit hard to believe it’s already summer. Yet, the blistering heat and lack of rain remind me each morning that, yes, it is actually almost July. This past school year has been exceptionally stressful. While my school was fortunate to meet in person nearly the entire time, the…
A few months ago, when I finally returned to the dentist after being fully vaccinated for COVID-19, we talked about redoing my Invisalign. Although I had braces as a teenager, my teeth began to shift again as I got older. While it wasn’t too bad yet, my dentist told me…
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