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.The last couple of weeks have been fun, but stressful. I love the holiday season, but that doesn’t mean that the business and stress of it all doesn’t get to me. I had a blast with my brother and his family, but since they live abroad, we try to…
Recently, a reader asked me about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) support groups and other organizations, and various ways of handling daily life with EDS. That got me thinking about my own support networks and how they’ve changed over the years. It also made me wonder how others with EDS approach…
Sometimes the soreness I experience in my body seems to come out of nowhere. I’ll be fine one day and then bam, I’ll wake up the next morning feeling superstiff and awkward for no apparent reason. The other night, I went to bed tired after a long and busy day,…
I can’t believe there’s only a couple of weeks until Christmas. It feels like this year has flown by! Every year on the weekend before Thanksgiving, I spend time with my two best friends from college. They’re the kind of friends you can go weeks or months without talking to,…
With Christmas rapidly approaching, I’m excited about the holidays — partly because I’ll feel more confident in what I eat this year. Between my alpha-gal syndrome and Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) food sensitivities, I sometimes have to struggle to enjoy holiday gatherings where food is served. But I’ve…
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.
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