Redditors who have had major health issues - what small symptom should you have looked into earlier?

In a similar vein, I would twist my ankles all the freaking time as a kid and teenager. Like, so often that I learned how to pop my foot back into socket myself because it became so loose that it didn't always untwist after I'd fall. My parents didn't have a lot of money, and nothing seemed to ever break, so my dad refused to let my mom take me to the doctor. I would hurt other things, too - my elbows, my back, my hips, my knee, but it was mostly my goddamn ankles. Sometimes I would beg my parents to take me to the doctor after another twist, and my mom would cry and my dad would refuse. We simply couldn't afford it. I would fall down so much that my nickname was Grace.

At 34 I found out that I have Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, a genetic disorder that corrupts the collagen that builds my tendons and ligaments, and all of those previous injuries have come back to haunt me. Not to be dramatic, but my body is basically wracked with pain unless I am too medicated to properly function. All of my major joints always hurt. Even my fingers hurt. My toes. And especially my goddamn ankles. If my folks could've afforded to take me to the doctor for those random injuries growing up, if we could've prevented even some of those falls, chances are I wouldn't be in such shit shape now.

America, Fuck Yeah!

/r/AskReddit Thread Parent