I know this because I, too, have hyper growth powers. I'm 6'2", which is pretty damn tall for a woman. And even though I'm 28, I still have "growing pains," and I might end up taller by the time you're done reading this article. That's because with EDS, your growth plates simply push out more and more bone over time as opposed to stopping at age 18, like they do in most people. My growth plates are like old professors with tenure who suck at their job but refuse to retire, bringing the entire student body down as a result. Or in my case, up up and away.
Comstock/Stockbyte/Getty ImagesAlso, instead of grades, they give out crippling pain.
Most teens grow an inch or two during their growth spurts -- mine were typically measured in half-feet. The worst was the summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school, when I went from 4'11" to 5'10" in just three months. That was probably the most pain I've ever experienced in my life. I have permanent stretch marks on my torso from my body expanding faster than evolution ever intended.
And it made shopping for clothes a total party, especially since my waist didn't expand along with the rest of my body. Ask a Walmart worker for jeans in a 32 waist and a 38 inseam -- they'll just shake their head and walk away. Partly because they work at Walmart, and are not super helpful to start with, but also because you may as well be asking the impossible. See, I quickly learned that when they say "clothing for tall women," they mean 5'8", not 6-foot-plus. And since The Man still insists that we not walk around naked in polite society, I was forced to either make my own clothes or wear men's clothing. That's right, you could have naked giantesses wandering around right now if not for the stupid government. Write your congressman.
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