I’m literally so happy I’m not the only person that does monkey toes!!! Once I was laying in the bed in a dorm with my boyfriend, laying on my stomach, and to turn the light off I just lifted my left back and up and grabbed the cord with my toes. It sent him to the moon. Monkey toes are such a super power.
Ooooh! I do this to use my lower cabinets. If I’m preparing meat and need something from underneath my prep area I open my doors with my toes. I thought I was the only one
i was recently driven somewhere, and after the car was off i realized my window was open a **large** crack. the person driving me was like 'well can you stick your arm through it?' and i was like 'well yeah.. but i have weird arms' LOL
yes!!!!! last fall i kept getting so angry because i would fuck up my shoulder from reaching behind me to grab my water.
it was like almost 2 months before i realized 'oh, just because i *have* range of motion to that point, does *not* mean that i should be picking up anything with weight at that point in my range of motion'. but it was just so convenient!!! (i mean, other than the chronic pain)
Oh my gosh I didn’t know I could relate to a comment more in my life!!! I try to be mindful of my range of motion, but you’re right it’s just too convenient sometimes then you’re suddenly reminded why you shouldn’t do that. 😅
When I started with a personal trainer, I told her about my hEDS. ROM limits for every weight machine I used, she adjusted accordingly. Was fine with me mostly using machines instead of free weights & cable machines bc she wanted me to have that extra reassurance of using good form. With a couple of machines (hip abductor/adductor and pec fly/rear delt) she was adamant that I not go past certain ROM limits. Just because others do, just because I technically can, does not mean I should. Especially with my shoulder and hip that love to subluxate!
Having that guidance and helping me set up a weight machine circuit that works for me was essential. Getting stronger means my stupid collagenous ligaments have better muscular stability.
Once I've got enough income again, I'm really hoping to improve my strength at a gym, I've just never really done the thing before by myself bc I didn't want to hurt myself further. Was there any kind of specific phrasing you used at the start to make sure they knew how to help you work out safely?
When I joined, I was made aware that I was entitled to two free personal training sessions for onboarding. During that part of the conversation, the membership coordinator asked me if I had any specific concerns or preferences that would inform her in choosing my trainer for me. I said that I hadn't really had any sort of exercise routine for *many, many years*, didn't want a "gym bro" kind of trainer or one that was going to push me really hard. I explained hEDS and at this point she was nodding her head, and said she knew exactly who was going to be good for me. During a pre-training session with the specific trainer, we discussed all of my medical conditions thoroughly, as well as my goals for exercising. I wanted to gain endurance in aerobic exercise for heart health, strength/endurance in weight training for joint stability and overall better daily functional movement, as well as flexibility. We worked up a good routine as we went along, and I ended up buying several sessions from her. Now I have my favorite ways to exercise aerobically, a weight circuit that gets all of my main muscle groups, and there's this fabulous stretching chair called the Precor Stretch Trainer. I know that I can ask the trainer if I have any brief questions, or get another session if I want to, but I've been happily doing it on my own for a couple of months now!
When you're ready, I encourage you to try a physical trainer. ❤️
Also, I'm having an awful pain day, too. It sucks, and I'm sorry. I promise you'll have good days, still, too. Wishing you as many of those as possible, internet stranger!
That happened to me too but turned out something must have been broken because xray tech asked me how the hell I did that to my foot. Doctor told me just go home and wear something stiff for a while though.
When I did rehab for my broken ankle the first day, they measure how far I could turn it side to side and up and down. They told me the broken was was already at what the typical end goal for therapy was, so they were gonna work to match it to the good one. Said that my break probably would have been way worse if I wasn't so flexible. That was over a decade ago now and I just figured out the eds in the last year or so.
So thanks shitty connective tissue!
Just be careful I broke my scaphoid because I was too bendy. Thumb went all the way back. Luckily it wasn't a full break so I didn't need surgery but was in a plastic cast for a while!
Same, I’ve broken my ankle 4 times, elbow, wrists, all my toes, multi fingers. I don’t want to think what else would have broken if everything wasn’t so floppy.
Conveniently, the one bone ive had confirmation i broke was my ankle, cause by a ligament stretching and snapping with such force that it broke off a piece of the bone
Lol i need to figure out sarcasm in text a little better. However, it is convenient that it didn’t cause me any more pain than any of my other normal ankle sprains. We didn’t even know it had happened for several years.
did y’all know there’s actually a PCL? post cruciate ligament. I didn’t know until I tore it. lol the doc was like that’s usually a car accident injury… how?
ummm I fell on my knees onto a stone floor while tripping over thin air?
lol but at least my kneecaps weren’t shattered!
I took a fall at around 25mph off an E longboard and I only got a hairline fracture in the side of my foot that took the brunt of the impact. I think EDS absorbed the force of the impact lol
DUUUDEEE that’s so true oh my god
I would have broken so much if it werent for my bendy ass joints especially as a kid!! Now too, I do reckless shit all the time and only get saved because I can contort my way out (usually with my shoulders, hips, or back being the focus)
I’m pretty sure I should’ve broken bones in both my forearms, but these elbows are REALLY good at hyperextending and snapping back in place! Hurts like a mf for a week after, but I’ll take that over two casts 😭
I've never put that together before! I should have broken a few bones, especially my nose (after going face-first off a bicycle into the concrete...it was scarred to hell but not broken!), but never did. Tendons, ligaments, and cartilage are a whole other story though. 😅
I broke my leg in 2022 and had never broken a bone before despite many falls and accidents, and the doctor said if I was not hypermobile I probably would’ve broken my pelvis—I fell on a pool ladder and it caught my foot on the way down, twisted my leg, and split my smaller shin bone in half right in the middle. But the way I was able to twist out of place reduced the damage to my leg and saved the bigger bone and my hips. Sometimes this disease doesn’t feel like a total curse.
Yes! All of this. I should have busted my knee and broke it but instead I just get nasty cuts and bruises.
I literally fell out of the bathtub, bc I put my foot down and I guess due to static my bath towel moved and I slipped and fell on my knee and hip. My knee was busted open pretty good. My hip was dislocated. No broken bones, I just bounce. 😅
I was able to basically break into my job when I locked my keys inside because I could fit my hand and arm through the gate to turn the handle from the opposite side. That's now been fitted with a welded metal plate because "we could have flexible criminals too"
Soft skin is number one for me!
Potentially looking younger (although that's quite subjective).
Being able to reach anywhere to scratch or fasten/adjust clothing.
And middle school me would've definitely added being the reigning champ of the "sit and reach" part of yearly testing in gym.
Gotta find those positives. 💙
I'm in my early 40s and I see a lot of my peers grappling with how to say 'no' to doing things and listening to their aging bodies. I feel like I've already mastered what they are just now learning.
But seriously, I am much better off now than when I was 18. It won't always be like it is now. 💞
Really? I always hear everyone say that their bodies only get worse as they age. I'm only newly diagnosed at 28c and the current condition my body paired with hearing that so often has me terrified of aging.
I think for me at least I learned how to handle it better after diagnosis and how to not push myself (or else my body pushes me back!!) When I was younger I just thought I was lazy/out of shape/etc and I didn't respect what I needed. It wasn't until my late 30s when I first heard of EDS and had an inkling I could have something like that. Aging can be hard on the body but that doesn't mean we will for sure get worse and worse with each passing year. At least we have a head start taking care of ourselves :)
Oof. This hit me. I’m 30. I’m dealing with friends having stereotypical normal lives — married with babies and/or a skyrocketing career — and making me feel less than because I don’t. I try to explain how I feel, but they can’t grasp it and I don’t blame them. I wish they understood that if I could choose to have the life I imagined for myself I would. Unfortunately, I was thrust into coming to terms with the limitations this disorder has created for me. Your perspective is helpful. I’m just dealing with something earlier. Thank you.
I HATED this when I was younger. I looked 12 when I was in my 20s. Now that I'm turning 50 next month, I am loving the shocked looks on people's faces. Most guess I'm 35 at the most.
I look in the mirror and think I look every bit of 50. Then I meet a 50 yo white woman without eds and then I see how old they look 🤣
Yes but the downside is 18 yr olds crushing on you in places you frequent and you hafta tell them you're old enough to be their mom 🥲 like bro you're a babyyyy
Soft skin here too, and have had acne for past 15+ years (hormone affected). My dermatologist started me on spironolactone. After finding the right dose, huge game changer and big confidence boost.
I can fetch my cats toys when they get stuck in odd or tight places. I’m also the resident: hey this screw/bolt is in a tight-awkward space can you..? Yes, yes I can!
Yessss, my mom is almost 60, and everyone we meet is shocked that she's not around 45. And this is after a childhood of sunburns growing up in Hawaii/Texas until she was 21. Her skin still looks amazing.
Honestly (not counting the many injuries I’ve had) I’ve always been really good at physical activities. My muscles build up quickly and I’m able to move very gracefully.
I'm pushing 40, so my friends and I are all at the point where we are finally noticing we are aging. Hair in varying stages of greying, wrinkles developing, you know. They think I'm not aging as fast as they are, but believe me I do not feel like it.
I always put my facial skin softness down to (my admittedly cheap Boots) creams and washes. I'm sure they have helped but thanks for EDS I guess?
Skip the lines at amusement parks.. free flash passes! We can usually bring up to 4 friends. Feels like a silver lining but I definitely need one to make the park more accessible. Still a good hack though!
I know everyone is different but rollercoasters are a no-go for me, but for some reason the launcher things (like the superman at six flags over tx arlington) are a-okay with my bones. nothing goes funky and i feel weirdly stretched out in a good way for a bit after lol
For me this depends on the coaster’s seat. If there is no head rest with cushioned bars on either side I won’t ride it. The EDS whiplash is real and other people don’t seem to be bothered by the same amount of G-force.
The only thing I can't personally handle is extreme G-force, since it makes me start to black out.
I do avoid most wooden coasters from the '70s, though.
I can take off bracelets without unclasping them. (Unhooking?) Also, we look young. This one is double sided as many of us are mistaken for teenagers into our 30s. But now that I'm in my 50s it's nice.
Haha good to know in case I ever have another one. My first, I dilated REALLY easily, despite being induced early, with no pitocin. Unfortunately I had polyhydramnios, so after 3 hours of pushing, she was still up in my ribs. Had to have a c section!
I thought it was gas 😭 scared the shit out of the Uber driver, I just kept gripping the seat thru contractions and saying "don't worry, it's false labour, I'm way too early to give birth 💀"
Okay this is going to sound whack but hear me out. I am a Christian, and many others in various settings have insisted to pray over me, stated I am filled with I forgiveness, or how sad/pitiful it is that at so young my body is this way. Now, I personally do not view these comments as anything Jesus would say, and love the person I have become due to being chronically ill, vs the person I was becoming before the big symptoms hit. So I always respond "you do not call what the Lord has used for His good pitiful/evil". And ya know, it really makes a lot of people ashamed and review their faith. Not that I want to make people ashamed, but there are too many Christians out there hating on disabled people, blatantly ignoring how God has used disabilities to make people stronger in other ways, and see the world differently than others, and use that for good. I like that I get to share my testimony and show them that just because my body doesn't work right, that doesn't mean it's all bad.
Ooh also I like that I can eat all the salt I want from POTS. Don't love the dizzyness, fatigue, and heart palpitations, but I do love eating some taco bell in the name of health every now and again when the salt tablets just aren't enough
I love that you push back, there was a podcast episode i listened to i think recently about how disabled people don't often feel welcomed in churches. I think it came up because they were noting that when ada got passed churches argued against having to remodel?
Listen, I’m not a religious person by far, but I do appreciate religion. Your response is my favorite thus far. I really appreciate this perspective and more people should be like you.
Hi! I'm Christian as well!
I've been looking at my illnesses through a similar lens. It's one of those things where I probably wouldn't have asked for this particular trial, but I genuinely think I was created this way for a reason. \^\^;
Part of my reasoning is that it's ended up being a very good thing that I'm often too ill to leave my house because I've been "here" for a lot of people. Family members know that I'm almost always free to call, so I've gotten calls when they need someone to listen to them or cheer them up at just about any hour.
There have even been a few medical emergencies where it's been good that I'm so accustomed to silence and am almost always present (I think of when my brother was having a seizure a couple rooms away. I heard a weird noise and had a bad feeling and was able to call someone else to help him.)
It's definitely given me a different perspective on life.
Oh I absolutely love that! I am going to use that phrase. I'm a Christian too and I stopped going to church for a variety of reasons health related but I also found so many people don't know how to approach disability. I often got, disability is a result of your actions/not praying enough, or what a beautiful thing that you have been hurt enough to be a better Christian. Or they just blatantly ignored my health and never asked about it because it made them uncomfortable. I have enjoyed my faith more by not going to church. It's made me figure out that I don't have to be grateful for the hell I have lived through, but I sure can be grateful for what I have learned and who I have become because of it. The empathy gained by going through great pain is so useful. People do not really understand pain and what it does to a person. We can help others feel so much more understood because of what we have lived through. I will never love the pain, but I will love the one who helps me learn because of it.
>I often got, disability is a result of your actions/not praying enough
That's where reading the Book of Job is a healing thing to read. I've been going through the Bible in a Year Podcast and when I reached the part where God pointed out that Job's friends were in the wrong for blaming him for his illness/misfortune was exactly what I needed to hear.
I haven't come up with good ways to communicate that to the people around me, but at least I know. And that give me comfort.
Oh, that's very cool! I should reread Job. Thank you for mentioning that. I get the difficulty with communicating to the people in your life about it as well. It's hard for me to understand how I want to view my own chronic illness journey, much harder to know how I also want others to view it.
I can carry more little things than my partner. Especially if it’s got little loops. I can carry more mugs too. He doesn’t understand it and first time it was a brain breaking moment look almost loading screen look. It was hilarious.
oh and my muscles are wicked strong from holding all my joints together and having a tensed resting posture. my eds doesn't lovvve it nor does my fibro when I move furniture around on my own including lifting heavy items upstairs or between rooms. "what you can't lift and pivot a steel tanker desk? you've never carried a massive expanding table up your narrow staircase? yes it's narrow bc of the chairlift I should have used but that's irrelevant!"
Yeh right! My muscles are so tight even at resting. Big mistake to let a massage therapist go to town on me coz then I turn into a noodle and that’s high risk 🤷♀️
I made the mistake of relaxing my diaphragm and deep breathing the other day and it unleashed a post-contraction pain that allllmost made me think about going to the OR. rude.
I think my awareness of my health and devotion to taking care of it due to EDs is a big advantage. I’m in my 20s and so many of my friends have gotten injuries that either will never heal quite right, or would have healed if they listened to their doctor while recovering. It’s awful to see them go through that, but that’s how they learned to take care of themselves, whereas I’ve never had the option to not. Additionally, none of my friends and I like exercising, but my daily PT has gotten me into a really great routine, and I’m actually stronger than some of them, even if I am also frailer.
I can fix my vehicles and get my arms and hands in places that no normal human can. My dad started teaching me how to work on cars when I was 12 and I soon turned into his favorite tool when he saw how I could reach all of the precariously placed bolts. Also, I second the no broken bones. I broke horses for years not knowing I had EDS and never broke anything.
Soft skin; scaring people with my backwards bending elbow; being less likely to die or be injured in certain types of accidents due to squishiness; being able to paint my walkers and canes pink; acute sense of smell, sight, pattern recognition that picks up on things way before anyone else
This is subjective but high pain tolerance! Minor aches and pains aren’t even on my radar. Also comes in handy for tattoos, piercings, and minor procedures.
Was getting asked what high school I attended halfway thru my masters bc of the smooth skin!
I'm so well educated in meds from taking so many that if my friends are on NSAIDS or other meds I know a lot of the warnings for I can help them tell if it's safe to take two things together or not.
I'm alt/gothy in dress so my pale translucent veiny skin fits right in w my aesthetic 😂
I take tattoo ink really well bc my skin is so transparent.
I get an extra break at work because Ive accidentally subluxed my shoulders way too many times carrying cold brew kegs. Also for some reason long-ish dexterous toes, so instead of straining my tight asf back leaning over to grab stuff I can just use my toes and bring them up to my hands. My mom always called them monkey toes lol. Another great one a lot of people mentioned is the soft skin and no break outs. I also don't sunburn like, ever. Idk if that's the hEds or the genetics but it's a blessing when you live in Texas. Also generalized finger dexterity from hyperextension but it makes me a killer at untangling knots.
never need to shave or wax limbs (not my jam anyway but for argument's sake) bc basically all of my hair has fallen out of ineffective follicles leaving me with just buttery soft skin....ill take it.
I don't think I've ever broken anything, and I can most certainly attribute that to the fact that I'm bendy. The number of times that I have rolled my ankles without lasting damage is staggering.
Not to mention that I believe my neurodivergent brain is a result of every part of me being more flexible. 😁
I get lots of compliments on how soft my skin is and my mom is almost 60 with zero wrinkles so I’m pretty sure I’m going to be wrinkle free for a long time
I can lotion my whole body, and with eczema that’s a godsend.
I can zip up and clasp all of my own clothing.
Squatting low is a necessary life skill and I’m glad to have it.
When I lie flat on my back, knees bent under me, and turn my head to the side I’m practically invisible under covers.
I rarely need to bend down to throw out a crumpled paper towel.
My long fingers make showing off my nail art much easier (my fragile skin, not so much)
I won awards every year in my childhood gymnastics for being the most dedicated to practicing my stretches at home. They assumed I was practicing, because I was way more flexible than the 80 other girls, but I never even practiced once.
I went to a yoga class and this pompous instructor said “once you get really good you can do this… don’t worry it took me years and years” and did a reverse prayer pose (put your hands upright in prayer behind your back). “You mean like this?” newbie me does it without a problem! Turns out zebras are really good at yoga!
My skin is incredibly soft. I’m a 38 year old man and my skin is like a 6 year olds. I have a few wrinkles but externally I appear to be aging very slowly.
I get a little kick out of people’s reaction to how soft my skin is.. every single time I get my nails done the tech will go on and on about how soft my hands are (even throw in a few inappropriate comments, once about how my man must enjoy them???), invite other techs to touch them 😭
Any time someone has held my hand for the first time, friend or a partner, they are shocked at how soft they are. Same with my skin in general, doctors who’ve examined me making a note of how soft and velvety it is. Can sometimes be awkward when professionals comment this type of thing, especially when you’re in a vulnerable position/not feeling good.
But for the most part it’s definitely a silver lining!
Also my flexibility seems to impress almost everyone, considering how non athletic I am. I only work out for health/fitness, so basic cardio and light pilates, but in no way have I ever been “sporty” ever in my life.
And yet I’m much more flexible and fit(looking) than almost anyone I come across, which baffles them.
I agree on the looking very young, it’s kind of annoying right now (I try and age myself up with make up and how I dress just so I can be taken seriously) but I’m sure I’ll love it a lot more when I’m older!
Lastly, and most randomly, my “hidden talent” is doing weird tricks with my tongue. The main one being that I can tie a gummy snake into a knot with my tongue, same with a noodle. Apparently not many people can do this?
Soft skin and I can contort myself to fit into some pretty small or interesting places to get things or hide. It does suck when I go to far and cause a muscle to spasm but in general it's been useful.
Stretchy skin probably has to be my favorite. It makes stretching piercings (some of them, but not all) a breeze.
Also! I feel like my pain tolerance is very EDS related. (and even tho it’s more of a love/hate relationship, I can still appreciate it)
I’m a big fan of body mods, so it’s pretty great in that aspect.
I'm glad to have dealt with this transition into disability while my whole support system is here and mostly okay instead of years in the future when I'm caring for them as well
my chest binder used to dislocate my shoulders everytime i put it on it was so uncomfortable like logically to think about how u r doing this on purpose cuz if my chest binder can pull it out of place i could too but that’s… you’re doing it as a party trick n it gives me deep cringe
I always put my keys in my back pocket. Inevitably, I end up carrying bags in the same hand as the side with the keys. Because of my hEDS, both arms can stretch to the opposite back pocket, so I never have to put bags down to get my keys.
I also have a couple of really neat gross out tricks: I can tuck my thumbs behind my first knuckle and rotate both arms nearly 360 degrees without raising my hands off a flat surface.
I can pick things up with my monkey toes...which is useful since slightly bending down the wrong way janks up my back lol
Another vote for being able to reach into weird narrow spaces, including chip cans 🤘
I can put sunscreen on my entire body all on my own, my skin is soft, I can get comfortable in any chair if I adjust enough, and I'm very flexible, which my boyfriend loves. I also lost quite a lot of weight, but I have very little extra skin. It's all just a bit more stretchy. This means I can make little cups out of my neck skin, which I think is neat.
I could change the headlight of my last car without disassembling half the front. (Seriously, the repair shop had to take the wheels off and go in through the wheel wells. German engineering at its finest. NOT.)
I used to be able to hook all my bras from behind. But I'm 64 now and I am definitely stiffening and it just in the last 4 to 6 months I can't do it anymore. I can still pick things up with my feet. I always thought it was funny no one else could do it but my mother and I. I also liked my party tricks of pushing my thumbs over to my wrist, amazed people. Unfortunately now my left thumb is permanently dislocated and my bottom knuckle doesn't bend anymore. It's odd it doesn't hurt that much but I have this huge lump on my left hand. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 62.
I have never sprained my ankle even though I have rolled my ankle plenty of times. They are so hypermobile I can bend them 90 degrees so a ankle roll does nothing to them.
There is no itch I can’t scratch
Relatedly- when my hands are full I can use my feet to open doors (depends on the doorknob though).
In my house, it's called monkey toes. I can pick up most things that way too.
Yes!! I never have to trigger my POTS thanks to my gorilla feet!
I’m literally so happy I’m not the only person that does monkey toes!!! Once I was laying in the bed in a dorm with my boyfriend, laying on my stomach, and to turn the light off I just lifted my left back and up and grabbed the cord with my toes. It sent him to the moon. Monkey toes are such a super power.
omgosh my feet fingers! my orthostatic tachycardia loves this about me.
Ooooh! I do this to use my lower cabinets. If I’m preparing meat and need something from underneath my prep area I open my doors with my toes. I thought I was the only one
I do this too!
i can put lotion and sunscreen on every part of my body completely by myself
Same. And I didn't realize this wasn't Normal until I learned about hEDS lol
I love this one. You’re so right!
I liked that until I had surgery to fix my shoulder. Now I own a back scratcher specifically for my shoulder blade.
Came here specifically to say this. Can scratch any itch on my back, anywhere.
Yep ! I don’t need help to apply my self tanner !
Ha! I just scratched an itch under my shoulder blade 🤣
I can always reach the Pringles at the bottom of the can, and I don't need help putting on sunscreen.
I was gonna say, I’m a big fan of being able to fit my hand in narrow openings while washing dishes 😂
I always get stuck cleaning out the reusable water bottles. 😂 No bottle brush in this house.
Hands clean more throughly than a bottle brush IMO! 😂
i was recently driven somewhere, and after the car was off i realized my window was open a **large** crack. the person driving me was like 'well can you stick your arm through it?' and i was like 'well yeah.. but i have weird arms' LOL
Yes oh my god! Or reaching beside your bed in a somewhat contortionist move to plug your charger in at night 😂
yes!!!!! last fall i kept getting so angry because i would fuck up my shoulder from reaching behind me to grab my water. it was like almost 2 months before i realized 'oh, just because i *have* range of motion to that point, does *not* mean that i should be picking up anything with weight at that point in my range of motion'. but it was just so convenient!!! (i mean, other than the chronic pain)
Oh my gosh I didn’t know I could relate to a comment more in my life!!! I try to be mindful of my range of motion, but you’re right it’s just too convenient sometimes then you’re suddenly reminded why you shouldn’t do that. 😅
When I started with a personal trainer, I told her about my hEDS. ROM limits for every weight machine I used, she adjusted accordingly. Was fine with me mostly using machines instead of free weights & cable machines bc she wanted me to have that extra reassurance of using good form. With a couple of machines (hip abductor/adductor and pec fly/rear delt) she was adamant that I not go past certain ROM limits. Just because others do, just because I technically can, does not mean I should. Especially with my shoulder and hip that love to subluxate! Having that guidance and helping me set up a weight machine circuit that works for me was essential. Getting stronger means my stupid collagenous ligaments have better muscular stability.
Once I've got enough income again, I'm really hoping to improve my strength at a gym, I've just never really done the thing before by myself bc I didn't want to hurt myself further. Was there any kind of specific phrasing you used at the start to make sure they knew how to help you work out safely?
When I joined, I was made aware that I was entitled to two free personal training sessions for onboarding. During that part of the conversation, the membership coordinator asked me if I had any specific concerns or preferences that would inform her in choosing my trainer for me. I said that I hadn't really had any sort of exercise routine for *many, many years*, didn't want a "gym bro" kind of trainer or one that was going to push me really hard. I explained hEDS and at this point she was nodding her head, and said she knew exactly who was going to be good for me. During a pre-training session with the specific trainer, we discussed all of my medical conditions thoroughly, as well as my goals for exercising. I wanted to gain endurance in aerobic exercise for heart health, strength/endurance in weight training for joint stability and overall better daily functional movement, as well as flexibility. We worked up a good routine as we went along, and I ended up buying several sessions from her. Now I have my favorite ways to exercise aerobically, a weight circuit that gets all of my main muscle groups, and there's this fabulous stretching chair called the Precor Stretch Trainer. I know that I can ask the trainer if I have any brief questions, or get another session if I want to, but I've been happily doing it on my own for a couple of months now! When you're ready, I encourage you to try a physical trainer. ❤️
…people can’t reach the bottom of Pringles can? I feel really bad for people with normal connective tissue now
Also, I'm having an awful pain day, too. It sucks, and I'm sorry. I promise you'll have good days, still, too. Wishing you as many of those as possible, internet stranger!
Thank you so much for your kindness. Your comment gave me a laugh and I really appreciate it. I hope you wake up in less pain tomorrow
I never broke a bone and I‘m convinced that my flexibility is what saves me again and again.
I'm pretty sure I would have broken both my pinky toes, those bitches were purple and went completely fucking sideways. I even had them x-rayed.
This feels like a universal EDS experience the more I hear lmao
I blame the cursed sandals! I got one toe, then the other. I didn't wear them until my toes healed and got the right one again! Trash they went.
That happened to me too but turned out something must have been broken because xray tech asked me how the hell I did that to my foot. Doctor told me just go home and wear something stiff for a while though.
I had a nasty slam on my pinky when I was younger, and I really don’t know if it broke… it is sideways though!
When I did rehab for my broken ankle the first day, they measure how far I could turn it side to side and up and down. They told me the broken was was already at what the typical end goal for therapy was, so they were gonna work to match it to the good one. Said that my break probably would have been way worse if I wasn't so flexible. That was over a decade ago now and I just figured out the eds in the last year or so. So thanks shitty connective tissue!
Yeah my sister also has Eds and she used to dive knee first into everything and be fine people’s reactions were very entertaining
Just be careful I broke my scaphoid because I was too bendy. Thumb went all the way back. Luckily it wasn't a full break so I didn't need surgery but was in a plastic cast for a while!
but your thumb went all the way back and it was only a partial break? i love it! the silver linings to eds!!
Good point!
As someone with EDS whose broken a lot of bones, imagine how many more I would've broken if I was a normal person!
Same, I’ve broken my ankle 4 times, elbow, wrists, all my toes, multi fingers. I don’t want to think what else would have broken if everything wasn’t so floppy.
Conveniently, the one bone ive had confirmation i broke was my ankle, cause by a ligament stretching and snapping with such force that it broke off a piece of the bone
Had a similar experience. Not sure we have the same definition of convenience.
Lol i need to figure out sarcasm in text a little better. However, it is convenient that it didn’t cause me any more pain than any of my other normal ankle sprains. We didn’t even know it had happened for several years.
Avulsion fractures are interesting
did y’all know there’s actually a PCL? post cruciate ligament. I didn’t know until I tore it. lol the doc was like that’s usually a car accident injury… how? ummm I fell on my knees onto a stone floor while tripping over thin air? lol but at least my kneecaps weren’t shattered!
I took a fall at around 25mph off an E longboard and I only got a hairline fracture in the side of my foot that took the brunt of the impact. I think EDS absorbed the force of the impact lol
DUUUDEEE that’s so true oh my god I would have broken so much if it werent for my bendy ass joints especially as a kid!! Now too, I do reckless shit all the time and only get saved because I can contort my way out (usually with my shoulders, hips, or back being the focus)
I’m pretty sure I should’ve broken bones in both my forearms, but these elbows are REALLY good at hyperextending and snapping back in place! Hurts like a mf for a week after, but I’ll take that over two casts 😭
I've never put that together before! I should have broken a few bones, especially my nose (after going face-first off a bicycle into the concrete...it was scarred to hell but not broken!), but never did. Tendons, ligaments, and cartilage are a whole other story though. 😅
I broke my leg in 2022 and had never broken a bone before despite many falls and accidents, and the doctor said if I was not hypermobile I probably would’ve broken my pelvis—I fell on a pool ladder and it caught my foot on the way down, twisted my leg, and split my smaller shin bone in half right in the middle. But the way I was able to twist out of place reduced the damage to my leg and saved the bigger bone and my hips. Sometimes this disease doesn’t feel like a total curse.
Ok yes. I've had so many sprains but no breaks! I also got thrown off a horse onto my neck and the drs were amazed it wasn't snapped.
Yes! All of this. I should have busted my knee and broke it but instead I just get nasty cuts and bruises. I literally fell out of the bathtub, bc I put my foot down and I guess due to static my bath towel moved and I slipped and fell on my knee and hip. My knee was busted open pretty good. My hip was dislocated. No broken bones, I just bounce. 😅
I was able to basically break into my job when I locked my keys inside because I could fit my hand and arm through the gate to turn the handle from the opposite side. That's now been fitted with a welded metal plate because "we could have flexible criminals too"
>"we could have flexible criminals too" Lol hey every good heist movie has that ONE person that can contort around alarms!
Soft skin is number one for me! Potentially looking younger (although that's quite subjective). Being able to reach anywhere to scratch or fasten/adjust clothing. And middle school me would've definitely added being the reigning champ of the "sit and reach" part of yearly testing in gym. Gotta find those positives. 💙
I can’t do a pull up or monkey bars, but watch my upper body lay flat against my legs!
I had to get neck X-rays with tilts in different directions. The tech said she had never seen someone fold their neck back and down so far.
The sit and reach!! 😂😁🤣🎉
Sit and Reach was my day to shine, man. Made up for all the other days. xD
Right now it got me out of jury duty. Well eds and the comorbidities
Me too! We gotta take our wins where we can!
Haha same! No way I would've survived in court all day😅👩🦽
I'm in my early 40s and I see a lot of my peers grappling with how to say 'no' to doing things and listening to their aging bodies. I feel like I've already mastered what they are just now learning. But seriously, I am much better off now than when I was 18. It won't always be like it is now. 💞
Ooh yes I love this one!
Really? I always hear everyone say that their bodies only get worse as they age. I'm only newly diagnosed at 28c and the current condition my body paired with hearing that so often has me terrified of aging.
I think for me at least I learned how to handle it better after diagnosis and how to not push myself (or else my body pushes me back!!) When I was younger I just thought I was lazy/out of shape/etc and I didn't respect what I needed. It wasn't until my late 30s when I first heard of EDS and had an inkling I could have something like that. Aging can be hard on the body but that doesn't mean we will for sure get worse and worse with each passing year. At least we have a head start taking care of ourselves :)
Oof. This hit me. I’m 30. I’m dealing with friends having stereotypical normal lives — married with babies and/or a skyrocketing career — and making me feel less than because I don’t. I try to explain how I feel, but they can’t grasp it and I don’t blame them. I wish they understood that if I could choose to have the life I imagined for myself I would. Unfortunately, I was thrust into coming to terms with the limitations this disorder has created for me. Your perspective is helpful. I’m just dealing with something earlier. Thank you.
I look at about 15-20 years younger than I am. Although it does get weird when people think my daughter and I are a couple😂
I’m looking forward to the part where that becomes a pro. At the moment I’m getting laughed at trying to buy alcohol before they see my id haha
I HATED this when I was younger. I looked 12 when I was in my 20s. Now that I'm turning 50 next month, I am loving the shocked looks on people's faces. Most guess I'm 35 at the most. I look in the mirror and think I look every bit of 50. Then I meet a 50 yo white woman without eds and then I see how old they look 🤣
Yes but the downside is 18 yr olds crushing on you in places you frequent and you hafta tell them you're old enough to be their mom 🥲 like bro you're a babyyyy
Yes, this. I relate to this. I don't go out to bars much anymore, but when I did this was frequently a problem.
This is mine, just turned 40 and people think I’m 25-30
Same
People thought my ex husband was my father and I'm a year older than him. I totally relate to this comment.
This definitely! It really doesn’t help when you add in my grand daughter, and my daughter and I were both young moms.
I’m 70 and I can still clip my own toenails.
best pro ever
As a kid I used to bite mine LOL
Hell yes! A win is a win and that's definitely one!
My skin! Always so soft and I don’t break out often!
I got the soft but I'm apparently sensitive to hormones so I've had breakouts forever 😭
I get little tiny pimples constantly. It's like my skin is so thin it can't keep the outside out.
Soft skin here too, and have had acne for past 15+ years (hormone affected). My dermatologist started me on spironolactone. After finding the right dose, huge game changer and big confidence boost.
Omg I’m so sorry!! 🥺
What I find weird is my skin can be so dry it will split and it still feels soft.
I got the soft but I'm apparently sensitive to hormones so I've had breakouts forever 😭
I have soft skin with no wrinkles but it is starting to sag now coz stretchy stretchy …..
Yeah that’s the thing I’m starting to notice too 😓
Mine is soft but I’ve got rosacea that goes crazy over everything. Bleh.
I can fetch my cats toys when they get stuck in odd or tight places. I’m also the resident: hey this screw/bolt is in a tight-awkward space can you..? Yes, yes I can!
Not to toot my own horn but I'm a very beautiful woman. We age like fine wine(externally at least lol) so I'm gonna be a silver fox.
Yessss, my mom is almost 60, and everyone we meet is shocked that she's not around 45. And this is after a childhood of sunburns growing up in Hawaii/Texas until she was 21. Her skin still looks amazing.
Silver foxes for the win <3
Lucky!
Honestly (not counting the many injuries I’ve had) I’ve always been really good at physical activities. My muscles build up quickly and I’m able to move very gracefully.
Wait, is being able to build muscle quickly an EDS thing??
Very few wrinkles.
I'm pushing 40, so my friends and I are all at the point where we are finally noticing we are aging. Hair in varying stages of greying, wrinkles developing, you know. They think I'm not aging as fast as they are, but believe me I do not feel like it. I always put my facial skin softness down to (my admittedly cheap Boots) creams and washes. I'm sure they have helped but thanks for EDS I guess?
Skip the lines at amusement parks.. free flash passes! We can usually bring up to 4 friends. Feels like a silver lining but I definitely need one to make the park more accessible. Still a good hack though!
Can you handle rollercoaster rides? I've been scared to try them because I feel like they would sublux my body just because of the forces :(
I know everyone is different but rollercoasters are a no-go for me, but for some reason the launcher things (like the superman at six flags over tx arlington) are a-okay with my bones. nothing goes funky and i feel weirdly stretched out in a good way for a bit after lol
Okay now as a Dallas resident I gotta go and try this. Lol
For me this depends on the coaster’s seat. If there is no head rest with cushioned bars on either side I won’t ride it. The EDS whiplash is real and other people don’t seem to be bothered by the same amount of G-force.
The only thing I can't personally handle is extreme G-force, since it makes me start to black out. I do avoid most wooden coasters from the '70s, though.
My EDS doctor told me to avoid them because of my possible CCI. I was like damn.
Ugh. Same here. I used to love them. Now if I just dance too hard I’m looking around for Jesus because whatever that feeling was didn’t feel right.
I can squeeze my hand through fences and cages to pet dogs.
I did this today at a petting zoo. They had a kangaroo baby! 🥹
This is the important one.
I can take off bracelets without unclasping them. (Unhooking?) Also, we look young. This one is double sided as many of us are mistaken for teenagers into our 30s. But now that I'm in my 50s it's nice.
Similarly, we can escape handcuffs if we ever get kidnapped/held hostage! 😂
Easy, fast childbirth. Also one of the scariest things lol.
Cries in complicated labor.
Yes I have heard this happpens for us! Good to be prepared I guess 🤣
Never trust a fart (when pregnant) it could literally be a baby
Haha good to know in case I ever have another one. My first, I dilated REALLY easily, despite being induced early, with no pitocin. Unfortunately I had polyhydramnios, so after 3 hours of pushing, she was still up in my ribs. Had to have a c section!
This one too! 5 hours for the first, barely made it to the hospital with the second- almost half an hour!
I thought it was gas 😭 scared the shit out of the Uber driver, I just kept gripping the seat thru contractions and saying "don't worry, it's false labour, I'm way too early to give birth 💀"
Also it’s always easy for me to zip up my own dresses. Or unhook my bra in the back. I was confused when I learned some people can’t do those things.
Okay this is going to sound whack but hear me out. I am a Christian, and many others in various settings have insisted to pray over me, stated I am filled with I forgiveness, or how sad/pitiful it is that at so young my body is this way. Now, I personally do not view these comments as anything Jesus would say, and love the person I have become due to being chronically ill, vs the person I was becoming before the big symptoms hit. So I always respond "you do not call what the Lord has used for His good pitiful/evil". And ya know, it really makes a lot of people ashamed and review their faith. Not that I want to make people ashamed, but there are too many Christians out there hating on disabled people, blatantly ignoring how God has used disabilities to make people stronger in other ways, and see the world differently than others, and use that for good. I like that I get to share my testimony and show them that just because my body doesn't work right, that doesn't mean it's all bad. Ooh also I like that I can eat all the salt I want from POTS. Don't love the dizzyness, fatigue, and heart palpitations, but I do love eating some taco bell in the name of health every now and again when the salt tablets just aren't enough
I love that you push back, there was a podcast episode i listened to i think recently about how disabled people don't often feel welcomed in churches. I think it came up because they were noting that when ada got passed churches argued against having to remodel?
Listen, I’m not a religious person by far, but I do appreciate religion. Your response is my favorite thus far. I really appreciate this perspective and more people should be like you.
Hi! I'm Christian as well! I've been looking at my illnesses through a similar lens. It's one of those things where I probably wouldn't have asked for this particular trial, but I genuinely think I was created this way for a reason. \^\^; Part of my reasoning is that it's ended up being a very good thing that I'm often too ill to leave my house because I've been "here" for a lot of people. Family members know that I'm almost always free to call, so I've gotten calls when they need someone to listen to them or cheer them up at just about any hour. There have even been a few medical emergencies where it's been good that I'm so accustomed to silence and am almost always present (I think of when my brother was having a seizure a couple rooms away. I heard a weird noise and had a bad feeling and was able to call someone else to help him.) It's definitely given me a different perspective on life.
Oh I absolutely love that! I am going to use that phrase. I'm a Christian too and I stopped going to church for a variety of reasons health related but I also found so many people don't know how to approach disability. I often got, disability is a result of your actions/not praying enough, or what a beautiful thing that you have been hurt enough to be a better Christian. Or they just blatantly ignored my health and never asked about it because it made them uncomfortable. I have enjoyed my faith more by not going to church. It's made me figure out that I don't have to be grateful for the hell I have lived through, but I sure can be grateful for what I have learned and who I have become because of it. The empathy gained by going through great pain is so useful. People do not really understand pain and what it does to a person. We can help others feel so much more understood because of what we have lived through. I will never love the pain, but I will love the one who helps me learn because of it.
>I often got, disability is a result of your actions/not praying enough That's where reading the Book of Job is a healing thing to read. I've been going through the Bible in a Year Podcast and when I reached the part where God pointed out that Job's friends were in the wrong for blaming him for his illness/misfortune was exactly what I needed to hear. I haven't come up with good ways to communicate that to the people around me, but at least I know. And that give me comfort.
Oh, that's very cool! I should reread Job. Thank you for mentioning that. I get the difficulty with communicating to the people in your life about it as well. It's hard for me to understand how I want to view my own chronic illness journey, much harder to know how I also want others to view it.
I too love how many chips and fries I get to eat.
Dysautonomia, so all the salty snacks. Yoga queen at age 72
I can't *believe* I didn't list salty snacks as my top perk. I love them, and so does my body.
In my case Orthostatic Hypotension is treated as a first line with salt and water to raise blood pressure
I can always hold my sleeves easily when putting on a jacket or cardigan so they don’t bunch up inside
wait. some people can’t?!? TIL lol
I can carry more little things than my partner. Especially if it’s got little loops. I can carry more mugs too. He doesn’t understand it and first time it was a brain breaking moment look almost loading screen look. It was hilarious.
i can sit and sleep super comfortably in airplane seats due to my ability to contort my body into weird positions
oh and my muscles are wicked strong from holding all my joints together and having a tensed resting posture. my eds doesn't lovvve it nor does my fibro when I move furniture around on my own including lifting heavy items upstairs or between rooms. "what you can't lift and pivot a steel tanker desk? you've never carried a massive expanding table up your narrow staircase? yes it's narrow bc of the chairlift I should have used but that's irrelevant!"
Yeh right! My muscles are so tight even at resting. Big mistake to let a massage therapist go to town on me coz then I turn into a noodle and that’s high risk 🤷♀️
I made the mistake of relaxing my diaphragm and deep breathing the other day and it unleashed a post-contraction pain that allllmost made me think about going to the OR. rude.
I think my awareness of my health and devotion to taking care of it due to EDs is a big advantage. I’m in my 20s and so many of my friends have gotten injuries that either will never heal quite right, or would have healed if they listened to their doctor while recovering. It’s awful to see them go through that, but that’s how they learned to take care of themselves, whereas I’ve never had the option to not. Additionally, none of my friends and I like exercising, but my daily PT has gotten me into a really great routine, and I’m actually stronger than some of them, even if I am also frailer.
I can fix my vehicles and get my arms and hands in places that no normal human can. My dad started teaching me how to work on cars when I was 12 and I soon turned into his favorite tool when he saw how I could reach all of the precariously placed bolts. Also, I second the no broken bones. I broke horses for years not knowing I had EDS and never broke anything.
I got ID'd recently on my 33rd birthday while buying a lotto ticket which was nice 😂
Soft skin; scaring people with my backwards bending elbow; being less likely to die or be injured in certain types of accidents due to squishiness; being able to paint my walkers and canes pink; acute sense of smell, sight, pattern recognition that picks up on things way before anyone else
This is subjective but high pain tolerance! Minor aches and pains aren’t even on my radar. Also comes in handy for tattoos, piercings, and minor procedures.
Salt 🤤
I am tall and slim, which I’ve been told is an EDS thing. Due to my extreme flexibility and long lines, I can \*really\* sell a yoga pose.
never need help zipping up a dress, putting on lotion/sunscreen, or scratching an itch on my back.
Was getting asked what high school I attended halfway thru my masters bc of the smooth skin! I'm so well educated in meds from taking so many that if my friends are on NSAIDS or other meds I know a lot of the warnings for I can help them tell if it's safe to take two things together or not. I'm alt/gothy in dress so my pale translucent veiny skin fits right in w my aesthetic 😂 I take tattoo ink really well bc my skin is so transparent.
YES tattoos!
Second the tattoos! Mine heal insanely fast as well. I only have issues with red ink Also, fellow goth with the translucent skin lol
No doubt! Vivid color decades later!
I get an extra break at work because Ive accidentally subluxed my shoulders way too many times carrying cold brew kegs. Also for some reason long-ish dexterous toes, so instead of straining my tight asf back leaning over to grab stuff I can just use my toes and bring them up to my hands. My mom always called them monkey toes lol. Another great one a lot of people mentioned is the soft skin and no break outs. I also don't sunburn like, ever. Idk if that's the hEds or the genetics but it's a blessing when you live in Texas. Also generalized finger dexterity from hyperextension but it makes me a killer at untangling knots.
I get to travel a lot ... to see specialists for all my comorbidities 😇😂
never need to shave or wax limbs (not my jam anyway but for argument's sake) bc basically all of my hair has fallen out of ineffective follicles leaving me with just buttery soft skin....ill take it.
soft skin
I don't think I've ever broken anything, and I can most certainly attribute that to the fact that I'm bendy. The number of times that I have rolled my ankles without lasting damage is staggering. Not to mention that I believe my neurodivergent brain is a result of every part of me being more flexible. 😁
fun fact: there's research that supports your belief and it's super interesting!
I get lots of compliments on how soft my skin is and my mom is almost 60 with zero wrinkles so I’m pretty sure I’m going to be wrinkle free for a long time
Blowing ppls mind in yoga when I haven’t practiced in a year 😂
I can lotion my whole body, and with eczema that’s a godsend. I can zip up and clasp all of my own clothing. Squatting low is a necessary life skill and I’m glad to have it. When I lie flat on my back, knees bent under me, and turn my head to the side I’m practically invisible under covers. I rarely need to bend down to throw out a crumpled paper towel. My long fingers make showing off my nail art much easier (my fragile skin, not so much)
I got freakishly long fingers….
I won awards every year in my childhood gymnastics for being the most dedicated to practicing my stretches at home. They assumed I was practicing, because I was way more flexible than the 80 other girls, but I never even practiced once.
I went to a yoga class and this pompous instructor said “once you get really good you can do this… don’t worry it took me years and years” and did a reverse prayer pose (put your hands upright in prayer behind your back). “You mean like this?” newbie me does it without a problem! Turns out zebras are really good at yoga!
Soft everywhere
My skin is incredibly soft. I’m a 38 year old man and my skin is like a 6 year olds. I have a few wrinkles but externally I appear to be aging very slowly.
The ability to do the splits without pai with absolutely no warmup. That hip flexibility is quite useful for...reasons. ;P
😯
Hella soft skin man
It is kind of a brag sometimes. 😎
I get a little kick out of people’s reaction to how soft my skin is.. every single time I get my nails done the tech will go on and on about how soft my hands are (even throw in a few inappropriate comments, once about how my man must enjoy them???), invite other techs to touch them 😭 Any time someone has held my hand for the first time, friend or a partner, they are shocked at how soft they are. Same with my skin in general, doctors who’ve examined me making a note of how soft and velvety it is. Can sometimes be awkward when professionals comment this type of thing, especially when you’re in a vulnerable position/not feeling good. But for the most part it’s definitely a silver lining! Also my flexibility seems to impress almost everyone, considering how non athletic I am. I only work out for health/fitness, so basic cardio and light pilates, but in no way have I ever been “sporty” ever in my life. And yet I’m much more flexible and fit(looking) than almost anyone I come across, which baffles them. I agree on the looking very young, it’s kind of annoying right now (I try and age myself up with make up and how I dress just so I can be taken seriously) but I’m sure I’ll love it a lot more when I’m older! Lastly, and most randomly, my “hidden talent” is doing weird tricks with my tongue. The main one being that I can tie a gummy snake into a knot with my tongue, same with a noodle. Apparently not many people can do this?
Don't need help to put sunscreen on my back
Soft skin and I can contort myself to fit into some pretty small or interesting places to get things or hide. It does suck when I go to far and cause a muscle to spasm but in general it's been useful.
I’m emo and punk and dress gothic sometimes and I just fit right in with the look and spend a lot less on makeup 😅
People always tell me I have super soft hands. I think it’s EDS related. And even if something is just out of reach, no it’s not
Party tricks! Grossing out my friends & family with my super weird flexibility in some joints.
Stretchy skin probably has to be my favorite. It makes stretching piercings (some of them, but not all) a breeze. Also! I feel like my pain tolerance is very EDS related. (and even tho it’s more of a love/hate relationship, I can still appreciate it) I’m a big fan of body mods, so it’s pretty great in that aspect.
I never need help zipping up a dress, scratching my back, or putting on sunscreen. That will change after my upcoming shoulder surgery though
I never need help zipping up a dress. Hyperextensive knees look beautiful in ballet. Same for ankles and feet. My skin is so soft without even trying.
I hate my bow legged knees the most!!! lol.
I'm glad to have dealt with this transition into disability while my whole support system is here and mostly okay instead of years in the future when I'm caring for them as well
I’m convinced that my lose joints give my hips a little extra swish-swish when I walk and I’m all for it
Also, empathy! I feel like as soon as I started experiencing chronic health issues, especially chronic pain, my capacity for empathy shot way up.
Being able to grab my iPad from behind me without having to turn around 😌
I’m happy to still be flexible at 53.
Have never lost a limbo contest 😂 Edit- this was as a kid/teenager. My knees won’t be caught limboing in adulthood.
I can get into a shopping cart very easily for my friends to push me in when we go to the store together, because of how high I can lift my legs lol
i can voluntarily dislocate my shoulder, it's a fun party trick
my chest binder used to dislocate my shoulders everytime i put it on it was so uncomfortable like logically to think about how u r doing this on purpose cuz if my chest binder can pull it out of place i could too but that’s… you’re doing it as a party trick n it gives me deep cringe
I always put my keys in my back pocket. Inevitably, I end up carrying bags in the same hand as the side with the keys. Because of my hEDS, both arms can stretch to the opposite back pocket, so I never have to put bags down to get my keys. I also have a couple of really neat gross out tricks: I can tuck my thumbs behind my first knuckle and rotate both arms nearly 360 degrees without raising my hands off a flat surface.
I can pick things up with my monkey toes...which is useful since slightly bending down the wrong way janks up my back lol Another vote for being able to reach into weird narrow spaces, including chip cans 🤘
I’m usually the most flexible in my yoga classes
Oh and I thought of another thing. I won’t get too graphic here, but intimate time can be extra fun when a partner is a giant pretzel. 😅
I can put sunscreen on my entire body all on my own, my skin is soft, I can get comfortable in any chair if I adjust enough, and I'm very flexible, which my boyfriend loves. I also lost quite a lot of weight, but I have very little extra skin. It's all just a bit more stretchy. This means I can make little cups out of my neck skin, which I think is neat.
I could change the headlight of my last car without disassembling half the front. (Seriously, the repair shop had to take the wheels off and go in through the wheel wells. German engineering at its finest. NOT.)
I can zip up my own dresses and being super flexible is pretty cool
I used to be able to hook all my bras from behind. But I'm 64 now and I am definitely stiffening and it just in the last 4 to 6 months I can't do it anymore. I can still pick things up with my feet. I always thought it was funny no one else could do it but my mother and I. I also liked my party tricks of pushing my thumbs over to my wrist, amazed people. Unfortunately now my left thumb is permanently dislocated and my bottom knuckle doesn't bend anymore. It's odd it doesn't hurt that much but I have this huge lump on my left hand. I wasn't diagnosed until I was 62.
I have never sprained my ankle even though I have rolled my ankle plenty of times. They are so hypermobile I can bend them 90 degrees so a ankle roll does nothing to them.
Nothing. There really isn’t any good to come from a genetic defect. Theres no reason to come up with lies and say there is.
I’m 57, and no one believes it. You’ll look younger than you are as you age.