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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…

Last week, I shared a positive update about my new horse, Cherry. A few days later, Spotty had his six-month checkup for his ligament injury. We got good news from the vet! He’s healing well enough that we can move to the next phase of his rehab,…

Last weekend was my first show after falling off my horse last November and badly spraining my right ankle and left MCL. It also was my first show with my new horse, Cherry.

Pants. For many years, women rallied for the ability to wear pants instead of skirts and dresses. As an extremely active individual, most of the time I fall into the category of women who prefer to wear pants rather than skirts. I get tired…

Perhaps one of the toughest things about Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is the chronic fatigue. It’s invisible, so those around you often don’t understand, and we live in a fast-paced world where there just aren’t enough hours in the day. I work full time as a college counselor at a…

As I’ve shared before, Pilates has been an enormous help in managing my Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). Although I was introduced to it as recently as December, I have noted improvements in my pain level after only a few sessions. The fact that I can actually do Pilates doesn’t make…