May is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Awareness Month. WTF is EDS? I made this graphic to explain more about this congenital connective tissue disorder.
Why are there so many symptoms and complications? Because your body is made of connective tissue, therefore it is a systemic clusterfuckery of the body. “Have you tried changing your diet?” Actually, I have to eat a strict diet to avoid worsening symptoms due to sensitivities, so I already have cut everything out and I even eat kale.
Unfortunately, EDS is not something you can beat or recover from. There is no cure or treatment. You can manage symptoms and usually that requires multiple specialists: cardiologist, pulmonologist, neurologist, gastroenterologist, ALL THE OLOGISTS.
Not all EDSers are alike. With everything, there is a spectrum of various levels of severity. We call ourselves zebras because in the medical field, healthcare providers are trained that if you hear hooves to expect a horse, not a zebra; we are the zebras that are often missed. Awareness is important so that 1 in 5,000 are not dismissed and medically neglected because they “don’t look sick.”
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