Joe Fabisevich 
Modern medicine is a marvel. I’m two weeks into a light regimen of gabapentin and the amount of pain I’m in has dropped dramatically with little to no consequence. As long as I remember to take a pill twice a day I’m able to do almost anything, after more than 5 years of so much all-consuming pain.
A lot has changed in 5 years. I saw 50 doctors, started specialized PT for my recent Ehlers-Danlos syndrome diagnosis, but gabapentin has put me over the top. I can finally imagine living a normal life, without the anxiety of one wrong move and dislocating a bone (which was happening 2-3x/week).
There were times where I couldn't sit or stand, I could only lay down or walk. And so I walked 7, 8, even 9 miles a day just to not be in pain. All while going indie, building Plinky, and everything I've done over the last 3.5 years. Sometimes I look back and can't believe what I've been through.
Ellen Shapiro@mergesort One of the queens on Drag Race a few years ago had EDS and it sounded pretty miserable, but worked through it like a champ [spoiler alert]: https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/yvie-oddly-wins-drag-race-11/
@designatednerd I didn’t know that, but Colleen did of course. Since I got this diagnosis a few months ago it’s been wild learning how much people with EDS can go through — and crazier that the average time to diagnosis is 22 years from the first onset of pain!
Peter Cohen@mergesort My wife has EDS also. She's got hypermobility but it stops short of dislocation - most of her issues are GI tract-related. It's a hell of a thing.
@flargh That’s awful, I’m really sorry to hear that. Luckily I have none of the stomach issues others have, though I still need to get some genetic testing done to rule out the rest. 🤞🏻
Michael Mendoza@mergesort that sounds rough. I can’t imagine always being anxious of dislocating a bone.
Glad to hear that anxiety is getting better and I’m sure that getting rid of that mental overhead will allow you to continue to create awesome things in the future.
@michaelmendoza This year in particular has been quite a nightmare, even while I was getting better. Thank you though, I really appreciate it. 🙇🏻♂️
Emmanuel Crouvisier@mergesort So glad to hear things are going better! Here’s to a great 2026 🥂
@emcro Thank you Emmanuel! 🥂