A fun weekend with friends was just the break I needed
Stepping away from the daily stresses of life with EDS was healing
I can’t believe there’s only a couple of weeks until Christmas. It feels like this year has flown by!
Every year on the weekend before Thanksgiving, I spend time with my two best friends from college. They’re the kind of friends you can go weeks or months without talking to, but when you get together, you pick up right where you left off. Any time we spend together is guaranteed to be fun.
Even though we had only a long weekend, it was a great reminder of how important it is for me to set aside my daily juggling act with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) occasionally and simply focus on friends and fun. As someone with both EDS and anxiety, I must keep up with both my physical and emotional well-being.
While I’m lucky to have only a mild to moderate form of EDS, it still seems to infiltrate every aspect of my life. I feel for those who have a more severe form than I do.
I try to stay warm to minimize muscle tightness, take steps to avoid triggering a pain flare during long car rides, choose my shoes carefully so I don’t exacerbate my plantar fasciitis, plan my meals to accommodate my EDS food sensitivities and alpha-gal syndrome, and the list goes on.
Friends who know me
One of my favorite parts of getting together with my friends is that they know all of this about me and want me to take care of myself. They don’t mind at all if my needs affect what we do. For example, because eating out can be hard for me, we choose a theme night and cook at our Airbnb each year.
This year, we did a homemade taco night. We spent the day finding new salsas to try and then had bowls of them to go along with our meal. We tried peach salsa, traditional salsa, black bean and corn salsa, and Christmas salsa with different berries. We had a blast comparing them and ate way too much!
At no point did they make me feel like my dietary needs were an inconvenience; they just rolled with it. After dinner, we laughed at our terrible attempts to make macrame Christmas trees, watched a Hallmark movie, and just enjoyed spending time together and catching up on one another’s lives.
It’s hard for me to overstate how important my village is in helping me handle the daily ups and downs of life — whether that involves EDS or not. It’s not always possible to step away and have a fun girls weekend, but I’m so thankful we’re able to pull it off most years. It’s vital to maintaining relationships and gives me a break from my everyday life. Even short breaks can help alleviate stress and anxiety. Laughter truly can be the best medicine!
Note: Ehlers-Danlos News is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of Ehlers-Danlos News or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to Ehlers-Danlos.
About the Author
Jocelyn McVey
Looking for any advice for a family member that has cEDS (classical) that has recently had a ileoostomy and is having difficulty with the appliance adhering due to the stretchy skin.