Hello, there! Like the morning person I am, I'm fully equipped with a giant mug of coffee, blinds open to take in the early sky, and feeling that sense of well-being that always comes with one's favorite time of day. 
 
This past week was quite eventful. As you know, if you've been around for the past few years, my health and mobility have greatly deteriorated. Finally, I have some answers to the question of "why am I falling apart?" that I've been asking doctors.
 
I was diagnosed this week with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. There are 13 types, and I have the hypermobility type, which means I have been almost literally "falling apart." I've suspected this for a while but finally have the answers I was seeking. 
 
Looking back, I had the signs from the time I was little: overly flexible hands and feet (I can turn my thumbs around backward and can bend every finger back way too far toward my wrist), dislocation injuries (even my hip when I was 22), and "clumsiness." (Y'all, I can trip over nothing, and there is no doorway that is safe from me banging into the sides of it.) Because I was fit and athletic, although I had frequent injuries in places like shoulders, ankles, and knees, I was able to recover and go back to beating myself up, experiencing life.
 
But a few years ago, when I ruptured a tendon in my ankle and underwent two surgeries, leaving me bedridden for months, I lost the strong muscles that had protected me. Symptoms increased. My neck hurt, and I felt like my head was too heavy for it. My ankles never stopped hurting, my left knee hyperextended, I got pneumonia (twice), and on and on went the saga. I have a lot of arthritis from a life spent in full throttle.
 
If you are interested in learning more about hypermobile EDS, you can read about it here: https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/what-is-eds/hypermobile-ehlers-danlos-syndrome-heds/.
 
If you like the juicy technical version, you can read this article from the American Journal of Medical Genetics: https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Tinkle_et_al-2017-American_Journal_of_Medical_Genetics_Part_C-_Seminars_in_Medical_Genetics.pdf 
 
I'm so relieved to know why things had gone sideways with regard to my health and mobility. No, knowing why doesn't fix it, but it helps me to protect myself from future injuries and recognize risks. 
 
On to other topics - there are nationwide protests today against ICE, and some of them have gotten pretty rowdy. If you are a city dweller like me, or if you have to visit the city, check ahead of time where these events are being held so that you can know which areas to avoid. The protests are called ICE Out for Good, and here is a map with some of the locations.
 
Remember what Selco says: Don't be there. 
 
I'm excited to tell you that I'm already working on my next piece of fiction. I've always wanted to write novels, and I have you guys to thank for my opportunity to do so! I'm also glad that my dream job doesn't have physical requirements that I can't meet. It's the perfect occupation at the perfect time for me. Funny how life has a way of working out, isn't it?
 
I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead. When you look at the micro (close up, small) instead of the macro (widespread), you can find everything you need to be happy. Life is good, even when the world around us may be crazy, if we only narrow our focus.
 
Stay safe.
Be happy.
 
Love,
Daisy
 
 

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