Forgive a bit more self promotion but I’m dead chuffed to hear that my book has been ordered by some libraries, so that people don’t have to spend if they don’t have the cash. If you do (!) it’s available on Waterstone’s and Foyles, as well as here: amazon.co.uk/Study-Skills-Su…

Julia Childs’ Study Skills Survival Guide is out now. It gives ADHD, autistic, dyslexic and dyspraxic students strategies that fit. Practical. Flexible. Joyful. We’re proud she has worked with UMO. buff.ly/AsR5hXb

Look what’s arrived! It’s very strange seeing it in the flesh. If you’d like to buy one it’s available in Waterstones and Foyles as well as here: amazon.co.uk/Study-Skills-Su…

#EDS folk - any advice for DIP stabilisation, please? I always use oval eights on thumb MP, and sometimes on finger PIP joints but they aren’t cutting it on DIP joints. They get caught on stuff, are clumsy and just annoying! Thank you.

“You’re so unlucky with your health.” - a friend recently said to me. I know it’s meant with kindness, but comments like this can feel a bit off. It suggests randomness and bad luck. I live with EDS — a complex, lifelong condition. It’s not about luck. It’s about understanding, adapting, and showing up every day in a body that works differently. We don’t need pity — but it’s empathy, curiosity, and support and early diagnosis that will help.

I don’t post much here these days, apart from about hEDS (there’s a bigger community of us here). For all things study skills, neurodivergence and inclusion related, please find me here: @juliachilds.bsky.social Thank you!

#EDS folk, a question please: does anyone have experience of labral tear surgery (hips)? A friend is considering, so any advice welcome. Thank you.

Whenever I have exams, my Nana always says she’ll pray to St Jude for me Sounds cute, right? …. Oh.

Hearing aid wearing people, what should I be aware of, ask for please? Fitting appointment on Friday. Thanks very much. #hearing

Has anyone found a good private hand therapist, please? London or South East. Thank you #EDS

If you missed my original article - it was about Gisele Pelicot’s case and the role medical misogyny played in what happened to her. It also discusses why disabled people are more likely to experience both medical trauma and sexual assault disabledginger.com/p/gisele-…

Right then here goes... ANNUAL RANT ALERT!! Triggered by adverts and TV chefs😠😠 Christmas Dinner.... I have concluded that the inevitable stress of Christmas dinner is created by adverts, supermarkets and TV chefs... It's a Sunday dinner for goodness sake!!! We do it quite happily 51 weeks of the year but can we the consumers be trusted to manage by ourselves on one day of the year...apparently not! Here goes... 1. Turkey... It's a big fecking chicken that's all, 20 minutes per lb plus 20 minutes at 180 degrees - jobs a good un! Get yourselves a meat thermometer £3 off the Internet poke it in the offending bird if it says 75 degrees or over it’s cooked! 2. Stuffing - regardless of what Jamie Oliver says you do NOT need 2lbs of shoulder of pork, onions breadcrumbs,pine nuts and a shit load of fresh herbs to make stuffing....( no fecking wonder he's bankrupt if thats what he spends to make stuffing!) What you need is Paxo and a kettle!! If you wanna liven it up squeeze 3 sausages out of their skins and mix that in with your Paxo before cooking 😉. 3. Gravy - Jamie Oliver is copping for this one aswell.... Gravy granules Jamie.... All you need is gravy granules! I ( nor any other woman I know) has got time on Christmas Eve to piss about roasting chicken wings and vegetables, adding stock and flour,cooking it for another half hour, mashing it all up with a potato masher and then straining the whole sorry mess to make gravy 😠😠😠 4. Vegetables... Never mind faffing round shredding sprouts and frying them with bacon and chestnuts to make them more palatable... If you don't like them don't buy and cook the fecking things!! If your family only eats frozen peas then that's good enough! 5. Roast potatoes... Yes I par boil mine then roast them in goose fat but Aunt Bessie also does the same 😉. 6. Trimmings /Christmas pudding and the like.... Aldi or Lidl! (oh and while we're on the subject of pudding- if birds custard is what your family likes on the wretched thing then that's fine - you do not need brandy butter /rum sauce etc or anything else that costs a fecking fortune and takes 2 hours to make!) 7. Family.... Children.. Feed the little blighters first separately, if they only want turkey with tomato sauce - fine leave em to it, it doesn't matter. Once they are fed bugger them off to play with their Christmas presents so that YOU can enjoy your dinner in Peace! Adults... Anyone that can manage to get their sorry arse to your dinner table is also capable of helping to serve up/ sort the kids out/ clear the table /wash up /dry up etc. And Finally..... NO ONE.... And I mean no one APART FROM THE COOK IS ALLOWED TO GET PISSED AND FALL ASLEEP BEFORE THE WASHING UP IS DONE!!! Rant over 😂 Merry feckin Christmas!

New career? Next pay-rise? Be like Talia and get a career-boosting qualification that helps you get ahead in 2024. Register by 9 January for courses starting in February: ow.ly/m1ZW50UjRSK

The fatigue that can come with bendiness can be hard to explain to someone who hasn't experienced it! This is part of the explanation in our fatigue guide - print copies are available from hypermobility.org/product-pa… while HMSA members can view a digital copy in the members' area.

“For better and for worse, [people with EDS] have no idea what normal feels like. Most have no idea what it feels like to not be in pain. They have no idea what it feels like to have a restful night's sleep”. Dr Alan Pocinki talking to our Zebra Club members last week 🙏🏻.

💛💛💛

What an astonishingly inappropriate and misjudged farewell speech. The Bishop of London’s clear discomfort is surely felt across the church.

Like for REAL 😮‍💨😅🤣🤣🤣

Just reposting just a little something do As family know we are thinking of them. Been a bit of year for them all

Slipping Rib Syndrome (SRS) occurs when one or more of the lower ribs (commonly the 8th, 9th, or 10th) move abnormally due to the loss of the flexible cartilage connections between the ribs. This instability often irritates intercostal nerves, causing sharp, radiating pain in the chest, abdomen, or back. People may also feel or hear a "popping" or "clicking" sensation when the rib slips. The most common symptom is intercostal neuralgia, or nerve pain, which can be triggered or worsened by certain movements or trauma. SRS is poorly understood and often misdiagnosed, leading to significant delays in treatment. Hypermobile connective tissue disorders, including the Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) and hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD), may weaken the costochondral cartilage and ligaments, increasing the risk of SRS. Common treatment options include physical therapy, taping or bracing, corticosteroid or anesthetic injections, and in more severe cases, surgical stabilization to relieve symptoms. Toyin recently had surgery for SRS and shares her story: “I made a sudden movement in the shower around August 2023 which resulted in costochondral injuries to the 8th and 9th rib. Subluxation to the left 8th costal cartilage and the 7th underriding the left 7th costal cartilage, with slipping of the 10th rib. I waited 6 months before receiving treatment. During this period I experienced symptoms of pain in my upper chest and lower abdomen, pain when applying pressure to the area. discomfort during movement such as twisting or bending which affected my quality of life. I was seen by a radiologist who referred me for further investigation such as CT and MRI scans which confirmed the diagnosis of #SlippingRibSyndrome. The radiologist referred me to see a surgeon and he expressed his concerns regarding the surgery such as potential nerve damage, especially in patients who have EDS, therefore the plan moving forward was to receive steroid injections and treat surgery as the last resort. I proceeded to have steroid injections to control the pain, eventually, this was not a long-term solution for me, as I found the injections wore off quickly. I was eventually admitted to hospital in September 2024 for SRS surgery. The plan of the procedure was to insert titanium plates in between my ribs for stability and remove the ends of my floating ribs to relieve nerve pressure. However, this did not go as planned. Therefore I underwent a left open exploratory chest wall procedure with 8th,9th, and 10th rib excision. I feel the awareness of SRS and the connection it has with #EDS is so important. Now looking back before my diagnosis, the signs were there, such as popping/clicking of the rib joints, and symptoms worsening with costochondritis during a cold/flu. It was only until I had the incident where everything made sense.” Madeka and colleagues at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia USA, have published a comprehensive review of the condition. They discuss the signs and symptoms, causes, and treatment: pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/article… If you suspect a connection between your rib pain and EDS or HSD, consulting with a knowledgeable healthcare provider can help guide diagnosis and management. You can follow Toyin's journey at instagram.com/cozyzebra Have you struggled with SRS or rib problems? #EhlersDanlosSyndrome #MedEd #MedTwitter