Jamie Shinkewski

It has taken over two years, but I am finally growing comfortable with my self-administered injections. In June 2020, I began using adalimumab as my primary treatment. It was the...

Nearly two years ago, I decided to try a plant-based diet in hopes that it would reduce inflammation and improve symptoms I experience related to axial spondyloarthritis. Let me preface...

It is the worst wildfire season in history. That’s the rhetoric I keep hearing from the media. In all fairness, it may be so on a national or continental scale...

When in doubt, write it down. As someone who has for so long relied on a very strong memory, AxSpA put a twist in how I organize my life. Before...

Brain fog continues to be the AxSpA symptom I struggle the most with. Yes, the pain sucks and I could do without the fatigue but it’s the sporadic cognitive impairments...

I have read some wonderful posts on here about items our community members use to help them cope with their AxSpA symptoms. They inspired me to share a trio of...

I started on biologics about a year and a half ago. I was prescribed Humira on a bi-weekly cycle, meaning one injection every 14 days. I was told at the...

When I first started taking biologics, first Humira and now Amgevita, multiple people encouraged me by telling me that many people “get back to living a normal life.” It was...

I have never been a good breakfast eater. I am not a morning person and to be able to have a meal in the morning has always been a challenge...

It’s raining again, I think to myself. I peek out the window and sure enough, there’s a downpour. I don’t need to see rain in the forecast, I can feel...

There is a very fine line between having good self-discipline and striving to live a perfect life. Towing that line has had a profound impact on my mental health and...

Music is incredibly important in my life. I began playing from a young age courtesy of a lovingly heavy influence from my incredibly talented grandmother. I started formally taking piano...

Cost (noun): something that is given, needed or lost in order to get a particular thing. Living with AxSpA comes at a cost. The explicit costs of living with AxSpA...

I need to stretch every day. Without fault, my hips are always stiff and the only way to keep adequate mobility is to constantly stretch. Particularly, I’m almost always stiff...

I began my first biologic treatment, Humira, just over a year ago. After 11 months, I had a follow-up appointment with my rheumatologist’s office. My prescription expired after one year...

Brain fog is hard to put into words. Today when I got home from work, I tried to unlock my house door with my car fob. I pushed the little...

I returned to the office just over a month ago. It was the first time spending a full day, let alone a full week, in a designated workspace since my...

The door opens and the first thing I noticed is the air on my skin. Crisp and dry, it is cold inside. Then, the smells are noticed next. It varies...

I have developed a new coping strategy over the past few months. I am going to earn my pain. At first glance, it may not sound like the most sensible...

January 2021 marks one year since my diagnosis of non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis, or my first AxSpAversary if you will. I can confidently say between a pandemic and a newly diagnosed...