Despite the Pain
July 6, 2026
Tag: ehlers-danlos-syndrome
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
Parenting Through Pain
June 15, 2026
Photo by Illia Panasenko on Unsplash The Bedtime Routine 9:30 p.m., an hour and a half into the bedtime routine, and my three-year-old daughter asks me, “Are you happy, daddy?” I lie sideways on top of a three-inch thick mat next to her bed that is only long enough to support my head to my … More Parenting Through Pain
A Day in the Life with Chronic Pain
May 30, 2026
Photo by Eric Prouzet on Unsplash 3:58 a.m., a Wednesday, 2004. I’m 25 years old. I awake to a painful electric current that vibrates from left shoulder blade to upper back, then neck, and lands inside my left temple. The temple starts to throb. When I brush my fingers across it, I feel the blood … More A Day in the Life with Chronic Pain
Invisible Pain 