Author: David Lister

David is a paralegal with a background in writing and teaching. He was diagnosed with hypermobility in his thirties and spondyloarthritis in his forties. Originally from Kansas City, he currently lives in Seattle with his wife and daughter.

Autoimmunity and the ER

July 14, 2026

Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash “David, open your eyes.” The medic is calm but stern as he tries to speak over my guttural wails and a commotion of sirens, swinging doors, and patient groans. “Can you hear me, David?” I lie on a stretcher in the hallway, pressed up against the wall as doctors and nurses rush by, my contorted limbs thrashing underneath stretcher belts and grasping for air.  “Nurse! Nurse! We need help, please? We were told a room was ready when we called ten minutes … More Autoimmunity and the ER

Dysautonomia and the Stress Test

June 30, 2026

Photo by Ty Tomlinson on Unsplash  As I lie on my back on an exam table, electrocardiogram wires entangled across my wrists and ankles, I scan the room of my new rheumatologist for clues to his methods. This is the second specialist I have seen in over a year after receiving a diagnosis for a second joint disease, coupling my hypermobile Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (hEDS) with a fresh Spondyloarthritis (SpA).  On the walls hang the standard doctoral certificates, artwork of joints describing how they function, and an unorthodox shadowbox with an aged and … More Dysautonomia and the Stress Test

Narrative Pain

June 23, 2026

Photo by Mrika Selimi on Unsplash Junior year of high school, first week of soccer practice in the humid, 90-degree heat of a Kansas August day, and I’m running lines up and down steep, 70-degree hills. My quad muscles burn deep and heavy with pain like barbells strapped to my waist, and a dizzy fog makes my head swirl. As I dig my right cleat into the grass to take my next stride, my ankle snaps beneath my weight, and I tumble backwards to the bottom of the … More Narrative Pain

Delayed Diagnosis

May 23, 2026

Summary: Diagnosing the causes of chronic pain can be significantly delayed for patients, sometimes for years. Read about David’s experience at an imaging clinic obtaining a long-awaited diagnosis after almost thirty years of managing pain. As a nurse glides ahead of me through the clinic, I feel an intense, interior wind drag my left leg … More Delayed Diagnosis