#ints original ask

First of all, push paranoia aside. If you feel you have symptoms, you can (and should, if you want to) explore this. Find a doctor who has heard of hypermobility/EDS. This could take a while, but I know others have had luck with rheumatologists, physical therapists, and geneticists. If they can’t give you a diagnosis, they should be able to point you to who can.

Also, self-dx is fine! Do some research of your own. Even if you’re going to see  a doctor, arm yourself with knowledge so you can best advocate for yourself. You’ve already tested your own Beighton, so you’re on the right track. Use tumblr to search for hypermobility, EDS, etc. People post articles, research papers, experiences, etc. Do any of them sound familiar? Reach out and see what you can learn.

It’s possible, as you may know, to have hypermobility without EDS. If you’ve got bendiness and some minor joint pain, you’re a pretty good candidate. Listen to your body and figure out what makes you the most comfortable. Stay hydrated and take care of yourself.

If you were paying any attention at all, you’d see that that was a post I reblogged, not my own. I’m not sure what conditions the OP has, but it really doesn’t matter.

So many of us have had the experience of a doctor looking up our symptoms right in front of us. Asking us to define medical terms. Asking us to spell things out. Asking us to be their teachers. In addition to the emotional labour, it doesn’t really instill confidence.

My mistrust of doctors comes from a host of places and experiences. This is just part of that.

I actually haven’t! I keep thinking I should try it since I’ve heard how helpful it can be from all my EDS friends, but I don’t own any and have never gotten around to finding some. I have to admit, the cost is a huge barrier, but you writing in today might have convinced me to suck it up and give it a try once my finances settle a little more (in like a month or two?)

Please never say “differently abled.”

I know many people with EDS seem to have problems with things sticking to them, but that hasn’t been a huge issue for me personally, so I’m not too concerned about that. My main concern is making sure I know how to actually use it!

Thanks for checking in! I was actually just about to write/post an update this morning. My knee has been hella unstable since last week’s subluxation injury. This week has also been incredibly intense. On Tuesday morning, I flew to Seattle to go to a concert with my best friend. I flew back early yesterday and drove from the airport straight to work.

There was SO MUCH walking (from my parked car to the terminal, from my gate at Seattle to the light rail, from the train station to my friend’s apartment, and then all that in reverse on my way to work on Wednesday) and my knee keeps slipping and sliding around. The concert was seated, but we did walk from my friend’s apartment to the theatre, so that was… a lot.

I’m going to ANOTHER concert tonight, so I don’t know how I’m going to survive that, but my sister called the venue yesterday and it’s apparently very accessible and accommodating, so that’s good! It’s more bar/club-like, but they said they have seats on the side with good visibility of the stage and that they could reserve some for us, so I feel a bit better about that.

Wow, you trying to make a disabled girl cry this morning? Because it worked, you fucking asshole.