Columns

I can’t believe it’s the middle of August. Where did the summer go? On Monday, I returned to work as a college counselor for high school students, yet graduation seems as if it were yesterday. I’ve been super busy this summer, but it’s been good. …

Subluxations and dislocations are frequent complications of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Over the past year, my roving joints have made grocery shopping more painful. I have also suffered some acute bruising of my ego from squatting in the grocery store checkout line to relieve the symptoms of postural orthostatic tachycardia…

A couple of months ago, I started to reduce my dairy intake simply because I’m not a fan of factory farming practices. I hadn’t intended to stop eating dairy altogether, but I wanted to choose produce from smaller and more humane farms. I had noticed…

I wrote last week’s column about Wunder-duck early, as my brother was getting married and I knew the occasion would be semi-chaotic. And so it was, but it was wonderfully semi-chaotic. I got to spend five…

Many of us are familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) insofar as it guarantees access to public buildings and reasonable workplace accommodations, and protects against employment discrimination. I recently learned that the ADA also allows for accommodations that I need in the courthouse. Over the past year,…

While I love virtually all animals, I’m not the biggest fan of the Muscovy ducks that live on the farm. Well, I should clarify that: I’m pretty entertained by the ducks themselves, but I’m getting tired of cleaning and dumping the horses’ water troughs because the ducks took a…

I realize that in most of my columns I’ve talked about my injured ankle and knee, as those are the wounds I’ve been having the most trouble with following my fall off Spotty in November. Honestly, though, the joint that by far tends to cause me the most trouble…

I need my house to be as uncluttered as possible to prevent injury and to function at my best. Unfortunately, bending over, reaching, grasping, and lifting all take their toll on a body that is compromised by the effects of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). A day of housecleaning can mean a…

The past two weeks have been a bit crazy. The owner of the farm where I live had ACL and meniscus reconstruction surgery, so I’ve been doing more farm chores, like I do when she’s away. As I’ve talked about in earlier…

Pain and the reduced function of my hands significantly affect my life. Knowing what components are structurally compromised and vulnerable to injury due to Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) aids me in the prevention and treatment of my injuries. Puppets Have you ever seen a toy grabber hand? It is a…