Invisible Disabilities

storm clouds coming

Got the Barometric Blues?

Strategies For Managing the Impact of Changing Weather Patterns Tomorrow’s weather forecast for your joints? Cloudy with a chance of pain. There’s a long-held scientific belief that worsening weather can increase aches in your joints, according to the Cleveland Clinic, especially for conditions like arthritis and fibromyalgia. We don’t really fully understand why, but for […]

selective focus photography of gray stainless steel condenser microphone

Podcasts on Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome

With growing awareness about the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes, varying resources in different types of media developed over the last years. Our Chronic Pain Partners’ Team is collecting their favorite books, podcasts and films on EDS and its comorbid condition in a series of listicles you will find on our website over the next months. We have […]

The picture shows a young woman with straight, shoulder-length pink hair and glasses, sitting on a bed. She is wearing a light blue hoodie and black pants. To her right, there is a dog lying on the bed. The room has a red wall behind the bed, and there is a framed picture of a cat above the bed. On the left side of the bed, there is a small round mirror on the wall and a bedside table with a lamp. The bedspread is pink and white with a floral pattern.

Filmmaker Andrew Abrahams on the New EDS Documentary ‘Complicated’

Chronic Pain Partners’ Karina Sturm was honored to speak with Andrew Abrahams, who has been directing the new Ehlers-Danlos documentary Complicated. Abrahams is an award-winning, two-time Academy Award-shortlisted producer/director of creative non-fiction films and the president of Open Eye Pictures. He is also a cinematographer and photographer. His documentary Under Our Skin, which highlights the […]

two hands with blue gloves holding a surgical mask

Part Two: HEDS Researchers Explain Clinician-Associated Trauma

This is the second article in our series covering psychological medical trauma. The first article provided an introduction to what concepts of psychological medical trauma exist and the newly-created concept of clinician-associated trauma. It also introduced a study regarding hEDS patients and clinician-associated trauma. This article will look deeper into the details of this study […]

Illustration of two heads that flow into one another, a red and a blue one.

Part One: EDS & Psychological Medical Trauma: An Introduction

[Content warning: trauma, PTSD, mental healthcare, negative clinician behavior, difficult medical encounters] Have you ever read something that left you speechless? I have so many thoughts and feelings about this article – ones that I can’t express with any sort of coherence at the time. What I can say: clinicians READ THIS (finger pointing down […]

A boy playing soccer in a green garden surrounded by trees. Title: The Game, a short film by Charlotte Gwinner

Filmmaker Suri Ellerton, Her EDS Journey & New Film Highlighting The Challenges Of Disabled Parents

Suri Ellerton is a filmmaker, has three children, and lives with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and various comorbid conditions. In this interview with Chronic Pain Partners’ Karina Sturm, Ellerton shares her EDS journey, what it means to be a disabled parent, and how her own experiences relate to her latest film project, “The Game.”  Sturm: Hi, Suri! […]

A blurred image of a person running at the beach.

Unaccommodating Accommodations

I want to be okay. Some days I am. But some days, it feels like my words slosh about disjointed. My eyelids are heavy shades that won’t stay open. Pain suffuses every joint in my body, and the throbbing in my head makes it impossible to tolerate light or noise. Day-to-day is unpredictable, sometimes moment […]

An illustration of several surgeons with masks and hats.

Surgery Prep: Meeting Your EDS Hospital Stay Needs

How to be prepared & stay safe when having a hospital stay with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) This article will give an overview of ways you can prepare for a hospital stay when you have EDS, as well as tips on surgical prep and your own patient advocacy. People with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) often need surgery […]