Ok, in the style of jaylake and calendula_witch I'm going to do a Have Some More Information post. We all have medical problems that someone else out there probably has too. We want more information, and the process of getting it isn't always easy because people don't talk about these sorts of things. So I'm going to once more go unto the breach and start talking about my most recent journey in the medical field.

Ok, so everyone who knows me off-line knows I am quite bendy. I've always been this way, and it has massive issues involved therewith. I've had four different doctors for four different sets of joints. I have had re-constructive surgery on both my ankles. I have arthritis in both my knees. My back has always hurt. I have TMJ in my jaw. Those are just the ones that I've had doctors for. Every other joint in my body hurts. I live in constant pain, and don't bother taking pain meds unless it's really bad.

For my ankles, my ligaments had become so loose they had come detached from my ankle and were bunched up down in my foot so they had to reattach them. It tightened things up nicely for about a year. Now? I have just as much flexibility in my ankles as before, just, the ligaments are still attached. I have major braces (prescribed) for both my ankles that I will occasionally still wear when I feel like I'm having a particularly 'unstable' sort of day.

My knees: They've hurt for a long time. Turns out in my right knee I have pretty noticeable arthritis, and my left knee is heading downhill too. The ligaments that hold the patella in place aren't sturdy enough, and so it wanders about as I walk, rubbing against both sides of the knee joint. Again, I have braces for both my knees. They support the patella and keep it where it's supposed to be, but I can't stand wearing the things unless my knees are really hurting. Which, unfortunately, is something that happens more and more in the winter. I need more sets of tights to wear under them, as that makes them more comfortable.

With my back, I've been fighting with the medical profession for a very long time. They think it's just my weight, and others think it's my breasts (I have an H cup), and the back doctor thinks it's just misalignment. I think it's a combination of all three, except at the lowest weight I've ever been as an adult I still had H cups and back pain. But, I'm still losing weight again because being heavy is depressing and doesn't help the pain. Also, as a side note, misalignment can be caused by your connective tissues not holding you in place properly.

As for my jaw, I mentioned the TMJ. Which, I might point out, is just the location of the problem (literally the temporomandibular joint). The cartilage in the joint has actually been pressed out of the joint itself, and thus my jaw is running bone on bone. My connective tissues are so loose my jaw pops out of joint, aka dislocates itself, with some regularity. To the point where my eyes cross with the pain, but I don't cry, whimper, etcetera any more. I just pop it back in and go on with what I was doing.

So. I've known this was all related for years and years. It was not conceivable to me that I would have all these joint issues without something being in common. I would try to tell each of the doctors, and they would wave it off so they could concentrate on their joint. I've been frustrated a lot as you might imagine. However, a couple weeks ago, a pastor of my acquaintance (not Keith) said 'Hey, I read an article that sounds like you.' She gave me the article (which I have since not been able to find) and my jaw dropped. This girl they were talking about sounded very much like me.

So I did some more research into what she had. Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. "Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) is a group of inherited connective tissue disorders, caused by a defect in the synthesis of collagen (a protein in connective tissue). The collagen in connective tissue helps tissues to resist deformation (increases its elasticity)." (Wikipedia, while not accurate in everything, is still awesome for summaries occasionally)

Every picture they had to demonstrate the Hypermobility Type I stared at in shock. Seems I have textbook symptoms! My knees bend backwards, my thumb can nearly touch my arm, my elbows bend up, amongst other things. It's also genetic. Unfortunately, the Hypermobility Type is the hardest to find the markers for. That doesn't mean I'm not going to try.

The next step in this process will be finding a specialist, because that's what I need. Possibly an EDS specialist, possibly just a genetic disorder specialist. I'll be asking my primary care physician what he recommends, but at this point, that's the only thing I'll be looking to him for. I live near both Washington DC and Baltimore, so if you know of anyone who does that sort of thing, let me know.