Living With Ankylosing Spondylitis: My Journey & Learnings

In 2015, after 3 years of back pain and medical procedures, I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. What a shock this was - and at the same time a relief - to finally be able to put a name to all those difficult times.

Getting a diagnosis is hard. While it makes the pain real (to those that doubted it), it also felt like it put the “permanent condition” label on me for the rest of my life.

Anxious, scared, and uncertain on what to do next, I was mentally and physically drained by all the questions that were floating around in my head.

The first step along my AS journey: NSAIDs

My rheumatologist told me to take NSAIDs. I did for a few months, and while it helped a bit with my back pain, I was then faced with digestive issues and decided to stop them.

Biologics, the other option provided, felt very scary and I didn’t want to accept that this was the only solution for my pain relief.

I am not against medication. It has its place and time on people’s journey with chronic conditions, I just didn’t feel like I was there yet. I wanted to find other ways to feel better...to feel normal again.

Was there a root cause of my condition?

After countless hours researching AS, autoimmune conditions, and inflammation, I learned about finding the root causes of chronic conditions, and thus turned to doctors practicing in alignment with this idea.

Over the years, I went through several alternative treatments and types of testing. I looked at my gut health, other imbalances in my blood markers, and external areas of my life causing chronic stress.

The importance of a healthy lifestyle

I started with lifestyle changes and slowly worked on forming new healthy habits to reduce inflammation (via nutrition, movement, and mindfulness.)

It wasn't an easy road. Despite setbacks, I had to stay patient. In the end, it was just what I needed for my recovery. I am now mostly pain-free, with just a few mild flares here and there.

Reflecting on my journey with AS

Looking back, I am grateful for this difficult journey. It allowed me to shift my perspective on health, taught me to listen to my needs, and really made me appreciate what it means to be healthy.

I also understand the importance of making lifestyle changes to support my health. Every day, we get to choose what we do, what we think, how we move, what we eat, etc. This has such an impact on our physical and mental well-being.

Through it all, I changed careers to help people on their health journeys

Through this life experience and all the learnings, I decided to change careers and now support people on their own health journeys. It is so powerful to witness when people feel ready and confident to take control of their health again.

My key message: Believe in yourself and the power of your lifestyle choices to manage your AS and support your health.

It starts with small, daily healthy habits. One step at a time.