"I drank 40 litres of chocolate milk a week, and 9 litres of orange juice a day!"

Since this thing decided to restart while I was in the shower, I'll bring you another installment of crazy David Shaler messages. This one is from May 2007.

Do I look great, or what? What a difference a few months make. I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. My collagen is defective. It's connective tissue disease, and I'm intolerant to carbohydrates and sugars because of it. I've learned a lot. Also... there is another part to my health that I need to talk about because I *NEED* some opinions; but, at the same time, these symptoms, not associated with Ehlers-Danlos, are weird, in a sci-fi sort of way. Can I tell you with the understanding that I'm not full of it, and that I really am telling the truth?

There's no cure. My collagen is drying up, so I'm becoming hypermobile, and I can stretch my skin like an elastic band. Ehlers-Danlos is the official name for being double-jointed, except most people aren't aware that it's an illness, not a talent. Dave French was showing off his double-jointedness on the first day of grade 8. He doesn't know he has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.

I had a nose job in 1996. It healed in a week. Bruising and swelling gone. A year and a half later, I had maxillofacial surgery (jaw & TMJ). I was supposed to stay in bed for 3 months, and then it would take another 6 months to fully heal. I was back in school on the second day, eating hamburgers and pizza. A week later, I saw my surgeon for a follow-up, and there was no evidence I had surgery. My jaw was solid, and there was no bruising and swelling. A few years ago, I grabbed the wrong end of a heat gun and sustained second degree burns to my right hand. That was fully healed by the morning. I didn't think a lot of these incidences until a couple of months ago; I burned my finger with a lighter. It wasn't a bad burn; but, it definitely shouldn't have faded within a few hours. I know people can be considered fast healers; but, this is a little much.

I also have a very strong memory; so strong, I am able to recall details from every single day of my life. EVERYTHING! To some extent, even thoughts and emotions. Even the weather.

There's something weird going on with my hearing. For example, I can leave my cell phone on my bed upstairs and hear it vibrate while I'm downstairs with the TV blaring. It was rough during high school. I'll let you in on a little secret, I wasn't the most popular of all people. People were always talking about me or making some sort of joke about me. I always wished people didn't have to be so loud about; it made me feel bad and I really did not need to hear it. However, they really weren't being loud and I actually wasn't within hearing range. It has taken many years of hearing things no one else hears to figure out I'm hearing far away sounds. I did a little experiment where I would have someone call me with their cell. I'd put mine on the carpet and it would start vibrating; I'd hear it, they wouldn't. But, it's also random. Sometimes, I'll go to my phone and there'll be messages waiting and I didn't hear anything, while other times, I hear it constantly vibrating halfway across the house.

My body operates on a 48 hour sleep/wake cycle. I need 3 hours of sleep every 2 days. I'm not tired, nor is that lack of sleep having any affect on my health or cognitive abilities.

I also see images of the future in my daydreams. I don't know, however, that they are images of the future until they play out in real life; but, I'm starting to get a grip on how to differentiate.

As well, I am always texting, emailing, or initiating conversations with what the other person is thinking in their head. Or, I'll just suddenly contact someone at the same time they're thinking about me. It's something people point out to me because it's not just random; it's all the time.

I can also conjure up great amounts of strength. Nothing superhuman; but, I'm not even just a little stronger than what you would think my muscle mass would allow. Even as a 7 year old, I was able to rearrange my bedroom furniture.

Finally... I'm aging at a much slower rate than all of you. It's not a matter of aging well; looking young for my age. Except for a few little spurts here and there, puberty literally didn't kick into full swing until I was 26 years old. I'm 31 years old, and I don't even look 25. At 20, I looked 14. You remember? I didn't just look young back in McNair; I *WAS* young, physically and emotionally.

I'm not crazy. This all adds up to something more than just a few random coincidences. This is something that is happening to me as it becomes more and more intense with each passing year, usually increasing in severity from September to November.

Actually... double-jointed = hypermobility = Ehlers-Danlos. My symptoms were so severe because I am intolerant to sugar and I drank 40 litres of chocolate milk a week, and then when I thought I became lactose intolerant, I was drinking 9 litres of orange juice a day. Had I not done that to myself, I never would have known there was anything serious wrong. Dave French may be suffering from all sorts of problems like joint pain, insomnia, social anxiety; however, none of his problems may be serious enough for him to even think anything is wrong. When you are born a certain way, it can be very difficult to see that something is wrong. It took me nearly 30 years to clue in.