Looking back knowing what I know now, it's easy to see that I've had symptoms of hEDS all my life. A lot of twisted ankles and easy bruising as a kid. Born with extra teeth. Quite literally born with dark circles under my eyes due to my thin skin. Always trouble with my appetite and stomach problems. Gradually developing severe allergies to every fresh fruit and vegetable. Majority of my health problems were brushed off as things to 'grow out of' or a result of being a naturally nervous kid. Later I'd find out these were a combination of genetics and constant stress from childhood trauma.

Things started going noticably wrong with my physical health when I was 18. I was really stressed. Just graduated school, looking toward college, and my mom developing symptoms really similar to what I have now. I started developing problems with my knees and worse problems with my stomach while my mom became completely debilitated by what we now know is hEDS, Meniere's, Scleroderma, and so many other things. I gave up on college to be her carer, and at 19 I needed to get a job to support her. This is where things started going very wrong.

I was working as a cashier at a now defunct grocery store chain. My knees immediately began subluxing (partially dislocating) from standing for 4 to 8 hours a day. I intially wrote this off as needing to lose some weight and work out more, so I did. Nothing changed. I also began needing more sleep, nearly 12 hours per day. I wrote this off as my job being exhausting. My digestion problems worsened to the point where I was in a constant battle with my stomach when commuting and dealing with regulated bathroom breaks. I 'solved' this by not eating until I got home from my shifts, even if I worked until midnight. And man... do I regret it.

I somehow continued to survive this job despite my constant self-sabotage, and eventually had an opportunity to be promoted and moved to a new location. The new location happened to be near my partner and my mom was much more independent than before, so I went for it. At the new store, now working as a full time clerk, my health instantaneously tanked. Through a combination of the longer hours and a nearby construction company (illegally!) pumping concrete-dust into the air I managed to go from running for fun to barely able to walk. It felt like glass was embedded in the joints of my toes, knees, and hips. I had to start walking with a cane just to be able to stand upright. And I wasn't the only one - a wave of surprise illnesses swept over the store's entire staff because of this concrete dust harming our lungs and taking a heavy toll on our bodies. I worked reduced hours for a short while to secure money for my upcoming medical pursuits before leaving for my health's sake.

The first thing I was tested for was stress fractures, which hEDS and arthritis can feel really similar to. No stress fractures. Then I had ultrasounds on my legs for cysts. No cysts. At this point I ran out of money, but I had the opportunity to get genetic counseling from someone my mom worked with. This counselor couldn't diagnose me with anything, but she could tell me what my DNA predisposed me to. This was really an invaluable step for me and I recommend it to anyone struggling with mystery illnesses and searching for a jumping off point. She told me that as soon as I got insurance I needed to find a rheumatologist and a geneticist and ask them about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. It took me two years to get the insurance, but I did what she said and here I am now.

These days, I've lived with this condition long enough to cope well and have relatively full function again. Symptoms are both physical and mental. It was easy to get in a really defeated mindset when I was housebound, so I learned to take care of my mind as well as my body. At the beginning I couldn't walk without tear-worthy pain, couldn't maintain an appetite, or stand long enough to take a shower without assistance. I was severely depressed; it's very difficult to go from active and fit to barely able to move. What I believe are symptoms of C-PTSD got worse with intense panic attacks, nightmares, and worsening responses to trauma triggers.

Now, after 5 or so years, I can get by using only my leg braces. I now live on my own and take care of myself, which is huge progress from where I started. My pain levels fluctuate but overall the 'glass in my joints' feeling is only felt on my worst days instead of every day.

I currently have my family and a solid team of doctors looking after me. I'm on a medicine routine of anti-histamines, a JAK-inhibitor, anti-inflammatories, and vitamin supplements. I try new supplements and medications all the time but those four things are what always stay. I previously tried the very typical lupus treatment of anti-virals but they wrecked my digestive system. Pain medication also has bad side effects for me. My weak stomach is an issue I've had looked at many times, but have ultimately come to manage it with a gluten-free and low-dairy diet.

I've worked with several physical therapists that taught me how to maintain strength in my strange joints. Since hEDS prevents ligaments around joints from recieving collagen, the idea is to instead utilize the muscles to hold everything together. I can't really give any advice to other people with hEDS about this, but working with PTs was invaluable for me and got me walking again. It's all about proper stance and posture and low! impact! exercise!!

cw // drugs - In place of pain killers, I used medical marijuana (before I moved... the process to get a new card takes a while). All of my doctors prefered this method for me since my digestive system is very weak and my only options were NSAIDS (would destroy stomach) or opioids (which is a whole can of worms I'm not opening). What's worked out best for me so far are high concentration vapes in one-two puffs at a time. Microdosing. I personally want to be able to feel some pain, but take the edge off of it. If I feel nothing, there's a chance I'll over-extend a joint and dislocate something, then I'll be in severe pain when the MMJ wears off. I also use topical and tea infused CBD for milder management. I'll update this as I try new things but... weed expensive.