Dealing with EDS

Illustration of a young woman with straight, shoulder-length hair, looking slightly to the side with a calm expression. She wears a plain T-shirt and a green lanyard around her neck decorated with yellow sunflowers. This lanyard is the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard used to signal her invisible disability, EDS.

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Lanyard: Making the Invisible Visible

The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower lanyard can help patients with EDS signal to others that they may need extra understanding, support, or time in workplaces, shops, or other public spaces. 

Book cover of The Chemistry Test, which shows a woman in a yellow dress who sits in a wheelchair with a cat on her lap. Next to her is a person with short brown hair sitting on a chair looking her in the eyes

Interview with Georgina Frankie: Author of “The Chemistry Test”

After the “Fourth Wing” book series, Chronic Pain Partners became aware of a new romance novel, “The Chemistry Test”, written by Georgina Frankie, which features a character with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). In a genre where disabled characters are often either absent or reduced to stereotypes, Frankie brings a refreshing perspective: a love story that embraces […]

CHristie, a woman with long dark blonde hair bound to a pony tale sits in a corner of her room on a gymnastic ball with her arms spread out widely. She smiles. Next to her, on a zebra-colored chair, is a black and white cat napping. In front of her is a small desk with another black and white cat looking straight into the camera.

AWOL Zebra Podcast: Building Community (and Laughs) Around EDS

When host CHristie was not able to walk and talk in 2021, she lost the career she had built as a radio DJ. What began as a personal way to process those changes—recording short reflections on living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome—has since grown into AWOL Zebra, a daily podcast that has reached listeners across countries. AWOL […]

A patient and a doctor sitting on opposite sites of the table. The doctor examines the patient's eyes with a large machine.

Building a Supportive and Caring Medical Team No Matter Where You Live

Guest post by Jon Rodis, President of the Connective Tissue Coalition   Finding respectful, knowledgeable care can be difficult, especially for those living with complex or chronic conditions. After years of what I call “the doctor shuffle,” I discovered strategies that helped me strengthen my care and build a supportive medical team. Here are the […]

A hand holding a piece of glass reflecting the persons sad face.

The Quiet Weight of Chronic Illness Grief

Living with a rare, chronic illness is profoundly isolating—not only physically, but emotionally. Even when surrounded by others, I often feel like a ghost, disconnected from the world around me. I remember sitting at a party, listening to conversations that once felt familiar, and being hit with the stark contrast between their lives and mine. […]

A laptop on a wooden table. From the screen of the laptop, a doctor holding a stethoscope is coming out.

“Primary Care Without the Gaslighting”: How Chronius Health Is Rethinking Care for People with EDS and Complex Conditions

Accessing consistent and compassionate care as a person with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and related conditions remains one of the biggest challenges in the healthcare system – no matter the country we live in. From delayed diagnoses to a lack of coordinated support, patients often find themselves piecing together care from multiple specialists—while simultaneously managing insurance, […]

Out of Spoons: A Spoonie-Centered Coloring Book from Author and Artist Jules Machias

Life with chronic illness rarely comes with downtime—or at least, not the kind we choose. For those living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), ME/CFS, lupus, fibromyalgia, autoimmune diseases, or any other related condition that affects your spoons, rest is often a necessity. Author and artist Jules Machias, who lives with EDS, knows this firsthand. Their new […]

An illustration of areolar connective tissue viewed through a microscope. Components include pink mast cells with purple nuclei, dark blue and purple fibroblasts, fuchsia goop containing collagen, and dark blue lines of fibrous tissue. There are accents of aqua and lilac throughout the goop that surrounds the cells. Illustration by Rafi Darrow. In the center, inside the oval shape of a navy blue pill, is a goopy H-shaped icon in light gray with the bright pink words “hyp+care” beside it.

Hyp+Care: A New Clinic for Chronic Conditions including EDS In New York & Beyond

Finding medical support – whether that is from a doctor, a physical therapist or other experts – when living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and comorbid conditions is incredibly challenging. Often, patients have to manage their care alone, coordinating appointments and communications between 10 – 15 specialties while paying six figure medical bills and trying to cope […]