One of the earliest lessons in flight training is the aviation order of operations: Aviate, Navigate, Communicate. In pilot training, those words mean the following. Aviate: Use the skills to maintain control of the aircraft. Navigate: Know where you are, and where you intend to go. Communicate: Let someone know your plans and needs. Maybe […]
Chronic Pain Partners is excited to speak with David Jameson Harris, a former McKinsey consultant, about his latest project, a new Ehlers-Danlos syndrome clinic, hopefully offering access to expert EDS care in several states starting in February 2024. CPP’s Karina Sturm spoke with David Jameson Harris about his new EDS clinic, his goals, and how […]
Living with a rare disease like hEDS (Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome) can lead to misunderstandings and sometimes offensive comments from people who don’t get it. However, handling these remarks with wit and wisdom can make the situation easier and lighten the load. Here are ten clever comebacks for handling offensive comments about hEDS: “You’re just lazy.” […]
It is challenging to find the source of our gut problems, so many of us have related to hypermobility. The volunteer media team at Chronic Pain Partners tried to tackle the basics so our readers could have a brief introduction to the variances and testing available for different diagnoses of these often ‘gut-wrenching’ illnesses. Note: We […]
When it comes to health crises, only a few diagnoses can be as daunting as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). But you know what they say, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” – or, in this case, when life gives you chronic pain and mobility issues, make jokes (if you can)! Before we dive into the […]
[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 […]
As discussed in the previous articles in this series, attending school with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) can be extremely difficult but possible with creative adaptations. Sometimes, however, accommodations aren’t enough, and formal education is impossible. The United States has compulsory school attendance laws, which vary significantly by state, but all take the truancy of school-aged children […]
In May, we published an article about a new children’s book about EDS, invisible illness, and disability–Bendy Bones and Stretchy Skin: An EDS Story. In this book, a young girl named Abigail struggles with her Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and the effect it has on her life. Some of Abigail’s friends and classmates don’t understand why she […]