Tips for Requesting Support
Share your experiences, ask questions, and discover effective strategies for communicating your needs with loved ones and healthcare professionals. Together, we can make navigating this journey a bit smoother and ensure that no one faces it alone. Join the conversation and empower each other with your knowledge and support-seeking wisdom!
What are your for tips requesting support when you need it?
Hello everyone,my name is Sylvia and I connecting with others who can understand what I go through I have spondylitis and sort in pain daily.It helps me to take walks as well to take my mind off my spine pain.
Hello Sylvia - great to hear from you! Walks have been a great comfort in my life as well. It surely does help distract my mind away from the pain and fatigue. Thanks for sharing this tip. Wishing you warm and calm days for your walks. Warmly - Rebecca (community moderator) 
HI
,
Welcome to the community!
We're so glad you found this site.
Always know we're here for you, reach out anytime.
Kindly, Doreen (Team member)
My doctor said to say that I have inflammatory arthritis. My friends and family seem to understand that better than naming it AS.
I see you are fairly new here. Welcome to the site! Thanks for jumping right in and giving us some insight into your disease. I hope you get a chance to look around a bit, read some of our members' experiences, and join in on some other forums.
I find using "inflammatory arthritis" very useful as I usually get "spondy-what" from many who are in my life curious about this disease. It's quite useful.
Hope to see you around - Wishing you well - Rebecca (community moderator)
it’s great having family and friends understanding even if it’s a way of using another way of describing AS. I know AS can be hard for others to understand when mentioning. Hehe! How are you feeling today?
Nicky (Team Member)
Communication - Asking for help can really be difficult. Many times those close to us don't understand the disease and really are confused about how they can help. I have come to realize over the past few years that continuing on the path of healing I need the help and support from family and friends. I am learning to communicate better with them by explaining and expressing what I am going through and enlightening them about the journey to and through AS. Offering this up guides them in a way so they can deliver the kind of support I need. Making it plain and simple has made it easier for me to go about my days.
Recently I went on a day trip to Sedona. I was having a huge amount of trepidation making plans for outdoor activity bc lately my good hip has been feeling painful. I was worried I couldn't make it through the day, or even a few hours, walking around discovering the splendor of this wonderful town in Northern Arizona. I explained this to my SIL who empathized with me and understood my fear. Needless to say, we collaborated together on our plans. We had a wonderful time taking short walks, sitting with gelato conversing, walking around again, sitting for lunch, shopping around, and then taking a half-hour break again with a coffee - all the while enjoying the scenery and companionship. I was able to last a few hours doing what I love. And I wasn't exhausted by the end of the day trying to keep up at a particular pace. In communicating my needs, I was given the ability to endure a day out and about with less effort and worry.
I hope others find a way to communicate their needs and desires as they go about this journey - for me, it has been the key to remaining active and less isolated.
Regards, Rebecca (community moderator)
