Meet the Unusual Zebra Girl.

So let's begin my name is Mercedes, I'm from Argentina and I'm 30 years old. I was diagnosed by my dad (Doctor specialized in pediatrics) when I was a child, my mom has EDS too. But for some of the EDS and Zebra free readers, I'll explain what it's all about.

There are so many wonderful blogs about Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome... But I wanted to start something different, not the typical blog about the struggle, pain, and all the shitty things that happen to you when you have this Syndrome and how to get through it. I consider myself a very unusual girl, and EDS made me more unusual, so I wanted to show the world that not every Zebra has the same stripes, and that we should show our stripes without being ashamed of the way we choose to live with EDS.


Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome or EDS for dummies:

According to The Ehlers-Danlos Society "The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are a group of connective tissue disorders that can be inherited and are varied both in how they affect the body and in their genetic causes. They are generally characterized by joint hypermobility (joints that stretch further than normal), skin hyperextensibility (skin that can be stretched further than normal), and tissue fragility. The Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) are currently classified into thirteen subtypes. Each EDS subtype has a set of clinical criteria that help guide diagnosis; a patient’s physical signs and symptoms will be matched up to the major and minor criteria to identify the subtype that is the most complete fit."

That being said... Wait... We haven't sorted out the Zebra thing yet. Again, the ED Society explains it very well in their post Why the Zebra?

"Medical students have been taught for decades that, “When you hear hoofbeats behind you, don’t expect to see a zebra.” In other words, look for the more common and usual, not the surprising, diagnosis.

So the zebra became our symbol to mean, “Sometimes when you hear hoofbeats, it really is a zebra.” Ehlers-Danlos syndromes are unexpected because they’re rare."
Now, let's go for the Unusual!!! I'm not going to do the typical long storytelling about how I was diagnosed or treated, for now, I'm going to give you some facts about me, and you will get to know more about my story in future posts. If you have any questions or comments about these facts, let me know and I'll go further into the topic. Remember, this is a judgment-free blog, not because you, me or neither of us went through something means that we are not going to talk about certain topics.

So... Get ready to meet me...

1. My name is Mercedes
2. I have many nicknames but mainly use Mechi.
3. I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 3rd of September of 1987. (Virgo)
4. My favorite color is blue
5. I was born and raised as a Catholic, now I'm more like a pagan.
6. I love to cook for my loved ones.
7. I really enjoy traveling 
8. I quit smoking very recently after sixteen years of smoking 
9. I'm in a relationship.
10. I had 3 surgeries. Two where for medical urgencies, the other one was plastic surgery.
11. I have 3 tattoos, two small ones, the other is really big.
12. I don't like to take medication unless it is extremely necessary.

And now the list that every zebra is going to feel related to...

1. I had hip problems when I was a baby and a kid, I spent 6 months in a wheelchair.
2. I didn't have many fractures, only two; one in my ankle from falling down stairs in school, and the second one was my jaw during the extraction of two of wisdom teeth ("all" four of them are out now).
3. I'm nearsighted and lost some of my visual acuity in my left eye.
4. I can't hear very well from my right ear.
5. I have chronic gastritis and chronic heartburn.
6. My neck is straightened.
7. I've got hyperthyroidism.
8. My right thumb is atrophied due to bad medical treatment in an accident.
9. I have hyperdontia. (Two more wisdom teeth breaking through and one canine tooth from my palate.
10. I have nephroptosis in my right kidney.
11. Only one of my ovaries work (Yes, you guessed the RIGHT one)
12. I need to have my kidney fixed in order to be a mother because the tendon is around my working ovary.
13. I suffer from anxiety and depression.
14. I have really low blood pressure.
15. I have eating disorders.
16. I used to go to ER four times a month when I was younger.
17. I'm allergic to cinnamon.

That's all for now.

Let it sink in, leave your comments and I hope to see you next time when I'm going to talk about my childhood medical experiences.

Love and let the dazzle gather up.