Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS) & HSD, calling all types!

Posted by healthhopefreedom @healthhopefreedom, Dec 18, 2020

Hello,

I am looking for a community of EDS and HSD folks.

I am waiting a confirmatory second DNA test for Vascular Ehlers Danlos Syndrome. Currently I am experiencing weakness in the extremities, further slipping of joint articulation even while resting, unregulated body temp and blood pressure,
POTS, migraines, menstrual complexities, chronic widespread pain, fibromyalgia, and on the verge of depression.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Bones, Joints & Muscles Support Group.

@smbryce1

Hello, I almost never am logged in here anymore (in fact i had to reset my PW to login so I could reply to you) but mayo sent me an email recap of this week’s posts and I remember being in a very similar position to you in 2013. What is it that makes them think you have vascular EDS? Did you have vascular symptoms that lead them down this particular rabbit hole or are they just ruling out the one type of EDS they treat? Which Mayo are you seen at? (They are in various states and some have treatment for diseases others do not) Do you also have severe allergies?

Three main things I wanted to say: you will find your answers, you are not alone, and unless mayo has changed their policies since 2013 (let’s hope they do) they don’t acknowledge or treat anything BUT the type of EDS that is vascular. But you didn’t actually mention any symptoms that are vascular except perhaps pots. Are you on Facebook? There are MANY EDS support groups over on Facebook. You are less likely to run into EDS patients here since so few are treated in the mayo system. If you are in Phoenix, there is one doctor I was recommended to see who is a neuro muscular neurologist who actually does treat some EDS patients who are hypermobile type which doesn’t have a genetic test that recognizes it (yet) and there is another doctor outside the mayo system which is more highly recommended, something mayo doctors likely would not bother telling you. His name is Dr Saperstein. If you’re in a different mayo maybe you will have better luck than those of us who were in the Phoenix system did. Or maybe things have changed enough since 2013 or there is a new doctor there willing to treat people with non vascular EDS

A common issue for many people with EDS is to have “severe allergies” sometimes to unusual things or no IGE allergies and yet their body reacts as if allergic, including at times life threatening anaphylaxis to a variety of things. A common comorbidity with EDS is mast cell disorder of some type. Mast cells control over 250 cytokines in the body which control a variety of functions including but not limited to inflammation, phlegm production, asthma type symptoms, GI issues, rashes, bruising, neurological symptoms like migraines, slurred speech that comes and goes, etc. Very few doctors in mayo know how to test for let alone treat mast cell disorders but there are a few. Feel free to private message me if you would like to talk more about any of the above because I left the mayo system for better treatment plans that dug deeper into my EDS and what turned out to be Primary MCAS. I really don’t read this forum often at all (it’s been months if not years since my last login)

Hang in there, you will find answers. If they say you don’t have vascular EDS so we can’t treat you, or anything similar, You may need to find a doctor outside their system or even in a different state depending on where you are. But it’s doable as overwhelming and exhausting as the process can be, you can find respectful, professional, effective doctors who be A good fit for you and will do their best to help you figure out causes and treat your symptoms. At this time there isn’t a cure for EDS, so they mainly treat symptoms, and there are several comorbidities with it, POTS is one (like you mentioned having) Mast cell disorders of some sort are another, and there are others. There are also other causes of hypermobility than EDS, so if they rule that out there are other possibilities that need to be looked I ItP. It can take a while to find the right doctor for each person, but you can. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Best wishes,
Sean-Michael

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Hello my sister and niece have it. They think I have it. Where do you go to get diagnosed. I heard it is hereditary and runs on the mother's side. I don't know to much about this yet. I have other issues with my health and disabled. Can someone give me some direction on this. Thanks

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@heather9167

Hello my sister and niece have it. They think I have it. Where do you go to get diagnosed. I heard it is hereditary and runs on the mother's side. I don't know to much about this yet. I have other issues with my health and disabled. Can someone give me some direction on this. Thanks

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Hi there- Do you think you have EDS/HSD, or vascular EDS specifically? I have HSD (hypermobility spectrum disorder), but I'm very borderline on the diagnostic criteria between hEDS and HSD.

It is challenging to get it diagnosed because at least in my experience, it's something that many providers consider "outside the scope" of their practice. There are specific diagnostic criteria for each type, and there's genetic testing for every type except hEDS (hypermobile EDS) and HSD. If you're interested, you can find the diagnostic criteria here: https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/diagnostic-criteria/

In my situation, it took years to find a provider willing to assess and consider a diagnosis, but I had PTs who recognized at the very least that I had hypermobility (except they're not qualified to give that type of diagnosis). There are various specialty clinics across the country, but long waiting lists =/ Ultimately, I got into the EDS Clinic and Mayo Jacksonville. I got the diagnosis, but my experience accessing care there has been very mixed, though most everyone was kind.

Do you know how your nieces were diagnosed; maybe that could give you a lead?

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I don't have EDS but I have CVID, common variable immunodepression. (Boy in the Bubble Disease) My body doesn't fight viruses or bacteria. I have to do infusions of blood plasma with the gammaglobulins that I'm missing to get other peoples antibodies. It's a very under diagnosed disease. The reason I bring this up is that a lot of people that have CVID also have EDS. When you don't make antibodies there are about four hundred different diseases you can have. You have to have your blood checked for IgG, IgA, and IgM. Usually either a rheumatologist or a clinical immunologist is the specialist to go to. And not just an allergist but one that has extra training in this problem. It just might be something to research

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I’m quite positive I have EDS. I’m 65 now and have had most all the symptoms of the hyper mobility type my entire life. Now that I’m aging, there are multiple hernias and organ prolapses thrown in the mix.
Even with hip and rib sublexation, I can’t find a doctor who takes this seriously. I went to one rheumatologist who actually scoffed at me.
I just get along as best I can without the help of the medical community. 😢

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Have EDS, all types it seems. As I age, it gets greater control and arthritis pain leads the way. Knowing. Be your own advocate and learn a tu can on the internet. My doctors know a lot about but offer no further suggestions as to dealing with it.

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I was just diagnosed with HMD. Over the last 18 years I was diagnosed with many other autoimmune diseases. Has anyone here looked into testing their microbiomes in the gut? The current research on how it affects our immune disorders is fascinating!

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