Are These Symps Familiar To Eds Sufferers?

[Freaked]

I came across EDS when I started looking into POTS, but sort of dismissed it. However, I can't say that I don't have weird skin and other issues associated with EDS, because I do. These are the symps I've had lifelong:

Abnormal scarring (ie instead of shiny pale patches I get matte dark patches that look like bruises).

Skin that docs have said is abnormally thick, both external and in ear cannals (don't know about other places).

Skin that anyone who touches my hands says is abnormally smooth (and then calls people over to feel it).

Slight hunch at top of back.

Lifelong reflux issues

Ibs at a very young age.

Hyperhidrosis (insanely excessive sweating; the hand touching thing only happened if they weren't dripping at the time haha).

My skin has a painted appearance, as in you can't see veins or colouration the same way you can in other white people (for example the back of my hands).

Flat and abnormally small feet, small mouth.

I always just shrugged off this stuff as a lame way to impress my friends with my freakishness, but does any of it sound familiar to EDS sufferers? I never thought my skin was that stretchy, but when I compare it to other people's now it does seem to be. But don't people with EDS normally have quite translucent skin, or does it depend on the sort?

[TCP]

I haven't been diagnosed with EDS, but I do have:

Skin on soles/palms very smooth and slippery
Hump at top of spine
IBS since aged 23
Over-reflexive elbows

Repeated knee dislocations

Food for thought!

[Katybug]

Some of it does sound like EDS. Translucent skin thing is only one of many possible signs and symptoms. There are things about me I never realized were different until the geneticist pointed them out to me at my evaluation. Plus different types of EDS have a different set of symptoms. For comprehensive lists of diagnostic criteria for the different types of EDS, www.ednf.org is a great resource.

[Birdlady]

Sounds like some of it could be high cortisol (Cushings).

[Freaked]

Thanks for the replies; I'll definitely check that website out, Katybug. Yeah I considered cushings, but I don't have some of the other symps and in a 24hr test my stress hormones came back as normal, so shrug.

TCP, I'd say you'd find a lot of us here had other 'weird' issues going back a long way. Dysautonomia is such a complicated issue and there's still so much they don't understand about most sorts and what exactly causes them. Also, I knew someone who had knee dislocation problems. Granted, she was a major drama queen, but it certainly seemed to hurt like ****, so sorry to hear it's a problem for you.

Edited June 24, 2013 by corina

[margiebee]

Dark scarring can also be a sign of Addison's disease or low cortisol. I also have pretty stretchy skin but when I've looked at the tests for flexibility for it (using your elbows and fingers and such), I can't do any of those things. Although, I have had a history of easily injuring myself at the joints for my whole life (constant sprained ankles and hyperextended shoulders), I have soft skin and TMJ as well as scoliosis. I suspect there's a possibility of EDS for me but I don't know if its even worth pursuing, unless I can manage to get the blood test for the vascular type.