Even as she struggled to take a single step, Megan King's doctors told her that her inability to walk was all in her head.

King, who was a teenager at the time, was suffering from severe neck pain and joints that would easily dislocate.

But as she hopped from specialist to specialist, she was told she needed psychiatric help or that she had tricked her brain into thinking something was wrong with her.

After four years and visiting 10 different doctors, King was finally diagnosed in September 2015 with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue that supports skin, bones, muscles and other organs.

The now-28-year-old, from Lake Zurich, Illinois, has had to undergo 34 operations to stabilize her joints and, in the process, has lost the ability to move her head, neck, and most of her back.

Megan King, 28 (pictured), from Lake Zurich, Illinois, was told that her inability to walk was all in her head and spent four years trying to get an answer

After visiting 10 different doctors, King (pictured) was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that affects the connective tissue that supports skin, bones, muscles and other organs

Because her joints are very weak and need to be held together, King (left, with her parents, and right) was fitted for a halo brace in April 2016 that keeps the neck and spine from moving. She wore it until December 2016

EDS is a group of inherited disorders that affect your connective tissues - primarily in your skin, joints and blood vessel walls.

The disorder produces weak or faulty collagen, meaning the tissue can't be connected or held together properly.

Without collagen acting correctly, the body's joints aren't stable. People who have Ehlers-Danlos syndrome usually have overly flexible joints and stretchy, fragile skin.

It is rare and affects only one in 5,000 people worldwide.

WHAT IS EHLERS -DANLOS SYNDROME? Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is the name for a group of rare inherited conditions that affect the connective tissue. Connective tissues provide support in skin, tendons, ligaments, blood vessels, internal organs and bones. Different types of EDS are caused by faults in certain genes that make connective tissue weaker. Depending on the type of EDS, the faulty gene may have been inherited from one paren, or both. Sometimes the faulty gene isn’t inherited, but occurs spontaneously. EDS can affect people in different ways. For some the condition is relatively mild, while for others their symptoms can be disabling. Some of the rare severe types can even be life-threatening. It affects one in 5,000 people worldwide. Source: NHS Direct Advertisement

After four years of visiting ten different doctors, a visit to her geneticist in September 2015 finally resulted in a diagnosis.

'My presentation of symptoms was atypical. There were so many doctors who repeatedly told me my symptoms were psychosomatic, that there's nothing wrong with me,' King said.

'It was a mental battle because deep down I knew there was a serious problem due to the pain and symptoms. I had to continually fight to find a doctor to listen and take me seriously.'

The geneticist told King that she could end up paralyzed or worse if she took a fall because her vertebrae would move more than they were supposed to due to her ligaments being too weak to support them.

Because her joints are very weak and need to be held together, King was fitted for a halo brace in April 2016 that keeps the neck and spine from moving.

It was screwed into her skull and it was held in place by two screws in her forehead, and another two above her ears.

King wore the halo brace until December 2016, when it was replaced with a less invasive brace. Then, in February 2017, she developed scoliosis, a condition where the spine curves to the side.

'To this day, I'm still in a neck brace but I can take it off more. I have to wear it in the car, physical therapy, when I'm out and when I'm sleeping,' King said.

She said the surgeries have helped stabilize her spine and she doesn't suffer neurological symptoms such as dizziness, headaches and ringing in the ears.

However, her mobility is severely limited because she is completely fused together from the bottom of her skull to her lower back.

'After the surgeries I have lost further independence. I'll never be able to drive due to my spine and shoulders, and I don't have the ability to move my head, neck, middle back and part of my lower back,' King said.

In total, King has had to undergo 34 surgeries to stabilize her joints, including a 16-hour surgery on her spine

In February 2017, King developed scoliosis, a condition where the spine curves to the side, despite wearing braces previously

King (pictured, left in October 2017, and right in November 2017) said the surgeries have helped stabilize her spine but her mobility is severely limited because she is completely fused together from the bottom of her skull to her lower back

King (pictured, April 2016) has taken to blogging to share her experience and warns others who may be dealing with something similar to trust their gut instinct

In total, she has had to undergo 34 surgeries to stabilize her joints. Of her many surgeries, King's longest one took an astounding 16-hours to operate on the C5-L2 regions of her spine, which extends from the neck to the lower back.

King isn't free of surgery yet and will have to undergo further spinal stabilization and correction.

She has taken to blogging to share her experience and warns others who may be dealing with something similar to trust their gut instinct.

'I just want to help so that people know they're not alone even if they're dealing with different circumstances,' she said.

'You have to listen to your gut when deep down you know there is something very wrong. You have to stay strong if you hear hurtful comments.

'Do your research so you have a better understanding of what's going on with your body and communicate with others who may be going through something similar. Once you find a doctor, cherish them and don't take them for granted.'