Adjusting expectations of myself has been the hardest part of coping with EDS. Just like many people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, I remember my childhood as a series of hospital, physiotherapy, and orthodontist appointments. I was forced into wearing kids’ Birkenstocks and doing foot-strengthening exercises I never really liked. It wasn’t until my mid-teens that the
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My childhood was a blur of activity. I was, in every sense of the word a tomboy, which for that time period meant a rough and tumble girl. I’m from a small town in Kansas, and my grandparents lived on acreage there. My happiest moments were spent feeding chickens, gathering eggs, caring for horses, picking
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It took 35 years. I did not learn I had classical Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (cEDS) until about 3 years ago at the age of 35, despite that my symptoms have been present my entire life. My mother started taking me to the doctor when I was four, she was concerned because I was not growing or
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The irony of living in close proximity to Boston, MA, a city known for its medical advancements, is that with all the world-renowned care I sought, it still took over 15 years to finally have some answers. My name is Victoria, and I am a 26 year-old full-time Doctor of Pharmacy candidate in an accelerated
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I used to believe that I was just sensitive to pain and not as strong as others around me. To be truthful, I was average. Compared to my sister I was miles behind her in athleticism and energy, although I would attempt to keep pace in all walks of my life. I started noticing health
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It all started in my last year of high school. I had suffered from headaches and migraines my whole life, but when I was 17 I got a headache that wouldn’t disappear. I went to doctors, physiotherapists and dentists: they treated my with acupunture and tried to pull my teeth out. The first tooth split
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My daughter’s previous rehabilitation doctor told us that the same program applies to hEDS as to fibromyalgia. “The pain is between the ears. We’re going to fool you and reset your brain. Your brain sends the wrong signals and we will treat that.” Because I did not agree with the rehabilitation doctor, I was almost
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EDS…Ehlers-Danlos syndrome…until a casual conversation in 2016, on the sidewalk in front of my home with my back-yard neighbor, I had never heard of the acronym or the condition. I had recently suffered full ATFL and AITFL ligament tears in my right ankle, from a typical walk from the mall to my car. Being in
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Thanks to a great community of other Zebras sharing their experiences and talking to me about my worries the hopelessness has been getting much better. They can’t fix me but at least they help me look on the bright side and make me feel like I am not alone.
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