Black and Blue Ribbons - a Column by Karen Del Vecchio

massage, 2020, finger, fracture, awareness, sign, surge capacity, tension

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.

EDS Has Taught Me to Be More Positive

I’m certain I don’t have to tell anyone reading this column that having Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) means overcoming a lot of hurdles and other negative things. These include chronic pain, fatigue, ease of injury, gastrointestinal issues, anxiety and other mental health concerns — and those are just the start…

Sharing Some Light This Holiday Season

I love the holidays, especially Christmas. This year is certainly different in just about every way, except for one: If anything, I think we all need more holiday cheer to shine some light during this incredibly difficult time. This holiday, like Thanksgiving, will look nothing like normal. My…

Slow and Steady Wins the Recovery Race

Last week, I had another follow-up appointment for my finger. In late September, I had surgery to repair a badly broken right ring finger from a freak accident. It was a dislocated spiral fracture, and when the surgeon actually got in there during surgery, he found more bone fragments…

Managing Winter Weather and EDS Symptoms

Being back to work at school after the holiday is both exciting and a little depressing. I mostly did farm work while I was off. One of the most refreshing things about doing farm work is that life feels normal for a few minutes when I’m outdoors doing chores and…

4 Ways to Manage Anxiety and Lower Stress

This year has hardly been traditional. Among the most obvious evidence of that has been COVID-19’s effect on schools. I’m a college counselor who helps high school juniors and seniors figure out their next step, and this year, I also had to suddenly become a history teacher. I’ve been…

I’m Thankful for Community This Thanksgiving

The past few weeks have been a crazy whirlwind. I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving, even though it’s certainly going to be very different this year. With COVID-19 spiking, people struggling, and necessary social distancing, it can hardly feel like a year for thanks, but there are still things for…

Mitigating the Effects of EDS on My Injury

It’s been seven weeks since I badly broke my right ring finger. Last Monday, I went in for a follow-up appointment with my surgeon. My physical therapist and I have been working on straightening my finger, as it cannot currently straighten on its own. I can straighten it without…