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.
As I wrote in my last column, I’ve learned that I can’t eat any mammalian products, as they make me quite sick. I’ve never been a big meat eater, so giving up steak and whatnot really wasn’t hard for me. I’ve since found, however, that many meat and dairy…
Wow! I was completely surprised by the overwhelming response to my recent column about my dairy intolerance. While I’ve known for a while that gastrointestinal (GI) upset is an issue for many of us with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), I had no idea how many of us dealt with…
If I had to pick a place on my body that would cause me issues with my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), it’d basically be anywhere on my right side. I’ve injured my right shoulder, ankle, knee, hip, and hand. Thankfully, my left side hasn’t been nearly as battered…
After some thinking, I realized that there may have been a reason behind the seemingly random inflammation and pain flare I wrote about last week. Many people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) struggle with stomach and gastrointestinal issues, including me, unfortunately. Looking back, I think a mistake…
Like many people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), I have numerous old injuries, including some I didn’t know about until after I was diagnosed. One of these involves scar tissue that’s developed along my spine. Recently, I’ve noticed that this area of my back seems to be more…
A teenager I know was recently diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), and another is suspected of having it. After spending years not knowing anyone else with the condition, this was very surprising to me! Both the teenagers and their parents had a lot of questions about how I’ve managed…
As I recently scrolled through the news, a CNN article caught my eye. The headline was, “What you should know about sleep loss and inflammation, according to new study.” I was immediately intrigued, as just last week I wrote about my extreme fatigue, wondering if it played a…
The last couple weeks have been exhausting. I’m a teacher, and the beginning of school is always an adjustment as students get settled into their classes and I learn their personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. In addition to that, I’ve been taking care of an injured horse and doing a lot…
Historically, my pain-related issues and injuries have been more heavily located on my right side. My right ankle, hip, shoulder, and hand all have some sort of significant issue related to or made worse by Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). My right ankle is permanently damaged from me stubbornly continuing to…
I swear, every year that I’m a teacher, it seems like the school days go by faster. It’s hard to believe students have been back in school for more than three weeks! When I realized last week that I had the beginnings of plantar fasciitis — an inflammation in…
Get regular updates to your inbox.