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 past few weeks have been a roller coaster ride for me: I’ve been stressed at work and home and faced a pain flare to boot. But lately, things have been trending up. I’ve been thinking, however, that sometimes my pain flares feel different from each other. One…
Sometimes my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) manifests in unexpected ways. While dealing with a pain flare and a lot of stress at work recently, I started to notice more pain in my right elbow. I was hoping it would decline as my flare subsided, and while it’s certainly better,…
After a tough couple of weeks, life is finally starting to settle back down for me. I’m less stressed, my bruises from a recent fall are healing, and I’m feeling better. It’s taken some time, but I’m on the upswing. During an Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) pain flare,…
As I landed face first in the cold mud, I was at least glad that the ground was soft and not frozen. While I marveled at the lack of awareness that led to me tripping and crashing, I was also thinking I had hit my threshold for crappy moments. I’ve…
Some weeks just don’t go how you hope they will. This past week was like that for me, and I can really feel it. Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) unfortunately means I have a strong physical-emotional connection. Being stressed often makes me stiff and sore, which in turn makes me…
Sometimes, when my back pain flares up, I know exactly what caused it. Other times, I have no idea. Last week fell into the “no clue” category. I knew that my back was sore, but it wasn’t until my massage therapist, Kim, really began working on it that I…
I’m back! I had a fantastic time at my recent work conference and learned so much from the colleagues I met there. Last week, I wrote that I was worried about dining options, as I have food sensitivities from Ehlers-Danlos syndrome as well as alpha-gal syndrome, a…
I’m preparing for a work conference, and for such events my dietary restrictions are a new element I have to consider carefully. Between the general food sensitivities that come with my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and being diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome, a tick-borne disease that makes me allergic…
It’s the season for dry skin. Between the cold weather and frequent hand-washing, I can’t seem to stay ahead of it. I have a variety of heavy-duty lotions, but sometimes my skin still gets too dry. The worst part about that is the itching. I know, you’re not supposed to…
Back during that crazy cold snap in December, I remembered how amazing heating pads can be. Where I live, houses aren’t built with subzero wind chills in mind. So let’s just say that it got rather nippy inside when the wind chill outdoors hit somewhere around -7 F. I learned…
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