Patient Experience

Paper-cut side profile of a blue human head with a rainbow infinity symbol over the brain and pink squiggles around it.

Getting Tested for Autism as an Adult: What I Learned Going Through It

If you’ve landed here, maybe you have been quietly researching traits of autism, looking up screening questionnaires, and wondering if you could be part of the recently reported 39% of autistic patients that have co-occurring Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorder (HSD). Before I ever sat across from an evaluator, I spent months reading, […]

Novelty disguise glasses with bushy eyebrows, a large plastic nose, a small mustache, and a drawn frown on a white background.

The Pressure to “Perform Wellness”

There’s a particular kind of exhaustion that has nothing to do with the joint pain, dysautonomia flares, or GI symptoms. It has everything to do with how you’re expected to present those things to other people, specifically your healthy, able-bodied friends or coworkers or strangers on the street. If you have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) or […]

Overhead view of multiple blister packs containing different prescription medications and tablets beside medication bottles and a tissue on a white surface, representing the complexity and emotional burden of starting and managing medications with chronic illness.

The Fear No One Talks About: Starting a New Medication When Chronically Ill

  “What if it causes anaphylaxis?” “What if it makes me sick?” “What if it doesn’t work?” “Once I take it I can’t undo it.” For most people, starting a new prescription is routine – pick it up, get generic instructions from the pharmacist, take it, then report back to your doctor in a few […]

Amy Wang-Hiller seated in a wheelchair, holding a violin and bow, wearing a black dress and smiling at the camera.

An Interview with Amy Wang-Hiller: Music, Disability, and Advocacy

This month, we spoke with Amy Wang-Hiller, a violinist living with quadriplegia, hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), and related complex neuro-connective tissue conditions. As a violin instructor, Amy works with intermediate and advanced musicians navigating changes that affect performance, such as complex neurological disorders. She is also a disability advocate, founder of the InclusiVibe Foundation, and […]

Things People Have Done That Made Me Feel More Comfortable as Someone with Chronic Illness

Chronic illness can be isolating in ways that are hard to articulate, even to the people who love you most. It’s not just the physical reality but also the guilt of canceling plans, the exhaustion of explaining yourself, and the fear that your illness is impacting your relationships. I have found great value in people […]

Tayler sits on white stairs wearing a green sleeveless top and ripped jeans, with an ostomy pouch visible at her waist. Small white flowers are tucked into the waistband of her jeans around the ostomy pouch. She looks toward the camera with a calm, confident expression, portraying everyday life with an ostomy.

My Ostomy Saved My Life

Celebrating My Two-Year Stoma-Versary I used to feel like I couldn’t say, “my ostomy bag saved my life,” because I didn’t get my ostomy bag for the same reasons a lot of people do. Some of the most common reasons people need ostomies are for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), acute infections like diverticulitis, or colon […]

Collage with different portraits. Going clockwise: Professional headshot of Jeevan Mann smiling outdoors, wearing a navy blazer and light blue button-down shirt against a softly blurred background Headshot of Krista Brack smiling at the camera indoors, wearing glasses and a white top, with informational displays blurred in the backgroun Portrait of Jacqueline Teti wearing a blue jean dress with large brown curls, smiling against a green leafy background Portrait of Kaleena Deshawn outdoors wearing colorful braided hair and bold green makeup, smiling slightly while wearing a green Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome awareness T-shirt with awareness ribbon graphics and text about chronic illness experiences

Beyond the Myths: Four People Talk About the Reality of Living With EDS & HSD

We wanted to end EDS Awareness Month by spotlighting the lived experiences of four individuals with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) or Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder (HSD). Through these perspectives, we aimed to tackle a few of the many myths surrounding these conditions. We also wanted to offer a glimpse into the reality of living with EDS/HSD, including […]

Minimalist pencil sketch of a woman with long dark hair and a calm, contemplative expression, facing slightly to the side. Subtle abstract shapes and a faint anatomical heart appear behind her. Soft handwritten text in the background reads, “Survival is not resilience. It is grit.”

Persistent

Many timesI have been called resilient. A title inflicted on melike a brilliant,gleaming badge of honor. But it was one that I never asked for.Worn without choiceor the ability to claima different perspective,a different name. I give myself a new description,a title that encompassesthe pain and infliction. I am persistent. Resilience is to bendand not […]