Managing Ehlers-Danlos

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 […]

Minimalist graphite sketch of five towering stacks of administrative forms, folders, and clipped papers against a plain white background.

Beyond the Medical: Why Disability Is an Administrative Experience Too

For most of my life, other people told my story. As a teenager, I saw my story appear in newspaper articles, documentaries, and conference presentations, focused on my rare genetic condition, scientific discovery, and perseverance. The stories helped other families find answers and gave people hope, and I remain grateful for the community they created. […]

Illustration of a young Black woman coughing during a meal while holding her throat, with a bowl of soup containing a spoon and a glass of water in front of her, representing swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) associated with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD).

Why Is Swallowing So Hard? Dysphagia in EDS and HSD 

If you’ve ever coughed while eating, felt like food got stuck in your throat, or found yourself avoiding certain foods because they’re harder to swallow, you’re not alone. Many people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) describe these experiences, yet swallowing problems are often overshadowed by other symptoms like joint pain or […]

Minimalist illustration of a laptop displaying an online webinar, with a speaker, microphone, chat bubble, and three participant icons.

CPP Webinars Are Back! And Why We Need Them More Than Ever

Have you ever clicked on the webinar section of our Chronic Pain Partners website and looked through the archives of the presentations featured? In 2013, our founder, John Ferman, started this highly popular educational series with a clear mission to provide free access to emerging research interpreted by experienced physicians. Wow, did he succeed! Looking […]

When Pain Is Real but Tests Come Back Normal: New Research Sheds Light on the Nervous System in hEDS

  For many people living with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS), one of the most frustrating aspects of the condition is pain that feels impossible to explain — burning sensations, widespread sensitivity, symptoms that seem to involve the whole body rather than just the joints. Standard neurological tests often come back normal, leaving patients without answers […]

Soft sketch-style illustration of an upright MRI machine with a dark-haired patient seated inside wearing MRI-safe clothing. A female MRI technologist stands beside the machine, speaking with the patient and adjusting the controls. The image depicts a weight-bearing upright MRI in a calm clinical setting.

Seeing the Spine in Motion: Exploring the Potential Benefits of Upright MRI in EDS

This article explores whether upright MRI may be a useful tool for evaluating EDS-related spinal instability. Understanding the limitations of standard MRI and what positional imaging could offer instead, may help patients, clinicians, researchers, advocates, and healthcare providers better navigate the complex neurosurgical landscape of EDS.   Why Supine MRI May Miss the Problem Cervical […]

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 […]

A group of people with boxes walking on a campus. One young girl sits in a wheelchair.

Netflix’s Run Away Quietly Gets EDS Right: Ambulatory Wheelchair Use

Run Away, Netflix’s latest Harlan Coben adaptation, has many twists and turns. However, for the EDS community, the most meaningful revelation isn’t even a plot. It Is one of the first accurate depictions of an ambulatory wheelchair user. Run Away is a dark thriller/drama about Simon Greene, who is searching for his daughter Paige. With […]