Has AS Brought You Any Blessings?
Living with AS certainly is not the easiest ride. However I think that there are so many negative aspects to it that sometimes it is easy to overlook that it can come with a few blessings also.
For me, it has taught me how to pay close attention to my own health and look after myself a lot better. Pre diagnosis I wouldn't think too much about what I was eating and would jump at any chance to go out drinking. But since AS has entered my life I definitely think of the implications these things have on my body and try to live a healthier lifestyle (most of the time).
I also think that it has helped me become a more compassionate person. Not that I was a sociopath before, but I think everything I have been through has made me realise that there are many things people can go through that aren't necessarily visible. I feel like these days I am a lot more understanding and make more of an effort to check how people are doing.
Have you guys found any positives come from your condition?
I'm not sure if I'm right to say that AS has given me a new life. I was diagnosed AS four years after the marriage. However, I had the symptom in the first year. I got divorced because of the pain and limitation from AS. My ex husband could not believe the pain was real and so severe that it limited my physical movements. However, it is really a blessing that he left, I got my freedom back, and no longer need to tiptoe around him or be careful of what I do or what I say.
During the year of divorce, my AS flared up for a whole year, Iritis came back and forth for a few episode and caused my right eye retina's tear, even SI joint pain was developed.
Amazingly, after all these were settled, I felt so much relief and freedom. I'm happy to go home and be at home after work, I have time to look after myself and my daughter. I have been doing a lot of learning and researching on AS and how to improve the quality of life. I adjust my diet, meditate, go to the nature more often, and live a life I want. In June this year, my rheumatologist confirmed that my AS is in remission! I never have such a happy and blessed life before!
I love hearing things like this - I am currently taking Enbrel injections but I do long for a day where I don't have to rely on injecting myself! Reading this has inspired me to do some more research and see if there are any other ways I can try and improve my situation.
I'm so pleased that your doctor seems to be on your side through this. I think next time I see mine I'll ask them to check any of these things as my check ups at the moment only seem to consist of them asking me to rate my pain out of 10 rather than any active testing.
Best wishes,
James (Community Member)Good luck
! I changed the doctor once because she literally did nothing but gave me scripts. It's a good idea to ask for some testing so that there is an evidence show any changes of the inflammation level in the body. It provides some degrees of assurance.
Please do keep me updated. I see you have some knowledge on Chinese medicine theory and accept it. Me too. If you want to discuss more about diet, breathwork meditation, and Chinese medicine, I'm more than happy. I'm grateful for what I have now and keen to share with others to see if I can help anyone.
There are so much that we can do to heal the body! Let's do it! 😀
Yeah, sometimes it’s hard for me to see the good when I feel so bad and it is important to recognize the positives.
AS has given me an immense compassion for other people. I have become aware that every single person is dealing with something that makes their life difficult and that most of us suffer in silence, rarely talking about our pains except to moan or complain.
I am very open about my condition and discuss it with anyone interested. It is very common for people to share their struggle, most commonly pain related. Lots of people are in pain! And a whole lot of it.
My patience for others has grown as a result.
I really appreciate hearing people’s stories. It happens so much more often because of AS and my personality. Back in the day I promoted my band, now I promote talking about our pain.
I’ve only recently been diagnosed, but I’ve been struggling with it for 15 years. The first few were very horrible and I wasted away in a bed. Then I found out that moving through the pain did help. I am much more active than I ever was pre-AS. So, while my body is at war with itself, I have taken better care of myself as a result.Hi
,
It's amazing to hear that you have found all of these positives in between the negatives!
I especially admire your openness about your condition, it is something that a lot of us men struggle with from my experience! But opening up with other people in similar circumstances can be so beneficial to both us and the people we speak with as it's a great way to get things off our chest.
Sorry to hear that you were struggling without a diagnosis for so long! But I'm so pleased that you are doing better and being more active now and I hope it keeps up that way!
All the best,
James (Community Member)
,
Your post, as well as all the replies, have truly made my heart happy.
It is so great to hear these positive outlooks and wonderful perspectives!❤
~Doreen (Team Member)Hi
,
I am so happy to hear that! I think we all need to take a step back and look for the positives sometimes to help us keep going in this chronic battle!
All the best,
James (Community Member)
Yes, I have also become much more understanding of people w/ health issues, even what I perceived as "small" issues. And I have also become a HUGE advocate of living w/ AS as a woman. I talk to nurses, doctors, surgeons, etc..and not 1 of them ever even heard of AS or AS in women, not to mention all the wonderful problems that u get that are associated w/ AS. My hope is to make a difference in even 1 persons lives during my time here on Earth w/ AS.
I have also learned to listen more, I mean ACTIVELY listen to others. I have become more patient w/ others when usually I would just become angry or ignore them, lol
I'm sure there are more positives, but I'll have to think about it since today seems to be 1 of those " brain fog" days, lol. But great question, that's why I love this site.
All power to you being an advocate for women. I know when I was first diagnosed it was believed women didn't get AS as much as men did. There have been so many advances since that time. Here's to continued progress and discovery. I know there is a campaign in the UK at the moment to raise the profile of AS but I'm not sure how effective it has been. Has anyone seen any ads or posts or discussions on social media about it?
Steve - Community AdvocateI HAVE SEEN A FEW BANNER ADS AND SUCH ON SOCIAL MEDIA SITES, THEY USUALLY HAVE A VIDEO TO WATCH & I HAVE TO SAY, SADLY THEY HAVE YET TO SHOW A WOMAN W/ AS & WHAT HAPPENS TO HER W/ THE DISEASE. HOPING THAT CHANGES.
P.S. sorry for the all caps or misspellings, my uveitis is bad this past week. Good question & I'd like to know also if anyone has seen any ads recently for AS on social media.
