Stripper. Camgirl. Graphic Designer. Nerd.

People ask me a lot how I manage to strip when I have several medical conditions, so I thought I’d write a blog to educate my followers about it. WARNING: THIS POST HAS PICTURES THAT MIGHT MAKE YOU SQUEAMISH.

Most of you are probably wondering what the hell Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Postural Orthostatic Tachychardia Syndrome (POTS) are.

In a nutshell, the type of EDS that I have (more than likely type three, but the doctors are not 100% certain) basically means that I have lax joints, meaning I’m “stretchy”, for lack of a better word. It’s a connective tissue disorder also referred to as Joint Hypermobility Disorder. It’s highly genetic, so it’s not something that develops because of trauma or illness. There is no known cure. EDS causes me to have chronic joint pain, “soft” bones (I fracture easily), loose joints and in many people, frequent dislocation (thankfully the dislocation doesn’t affect me). My hips, knees, ankles, and wrists feel the worst. It’s especially bad with the changing seasons, mainly winter-spring and summer-autumn. There are a lot of other weird medical things that go along with having EDS, but I could write a small book about it, so I won’t bore you with the details.

I’m fairly certain that the reason I get sick so often is related to EDS. I’m not sure how the two tie in together, and I certainly could be wrong. Literally, if I get sick with a minor cold, I’m sick for a month. My immune system is not like other people’s. I am far more susceptible to illness, and when I do get sick, it is fairly debilitating. This brings me to the POTS.

The type of POTS I have causes me to faint under certain conditions. I also have serious fatigue if I am dehydrated or sick. When this happens, I can barely walk up stairs. This happens because I have incredibly low blood pressure (sometimes as low as 80/60) and because of the EDS, my arteries are more stretchy than a normal person’s. For instance, when a normal person gets out of bed, their arteries contract and their blood pressure increases to maintain blood flow to their brain. My arteries don’t contract well, so upon standing, I lose consciousness. 

The main causes of my fainting are illness, dehydration, poor nutrition, overheating and lack of sleep. Since there are no cures for either of my conditions, I do my best to cope by altering my lifestyle. 

• I switched to a high-protein diet to keep my muscles strong and my joints where they belong. 
  
  
• I drink mainly Gatorade, as the salt hardens my arteries a bit.
  
  
• I shy away from sugary stuff, unless I’m at work. I drink soda sometimes, then. 
  
  
• I don’t drink alcohol, period. Once or twice a year I may drink half a glass of wine. Alcohol causes my arteries to relax, and I tend to faint.
  
  
•  I take lots of vitamins. I used to take 30 a day, but I’ve since narrowed it down to 5.
• I work out about three times a week. If I’m not feeling up to lifting weights, I stick to low impact exercise, like swimming in the resistance pool. This makes a world of difference.

Because of all of the lifestyle changes I’ve made, I’m able to dance. That’s not to say it’s perfect, because it’s not. I still get sick a lot, and there are certain pole tricks I can’t do. I can’t work when I’m sick, because I’ll just get sicker, and fainting while wearing 6-8 inch heels would be bad. That being said, one of the many reasons I love my job is because I am able to work around my illness. 

(Source: dominoxxx.com)