Living

I wrote about my new digestive issues back in the summer. Back then I didn’t know what would come of these new issues, but I’m here to say I now...

I was 21 years old when my AS started getting bad. It's been almost two years since my condition has worsened. I've found some treatments that keep my condition more...

A while back I started becoming overwhelmed with my health. It felt like I was being controlled by it day in, day out and left me feeling like I had...

Flare ups of my axial spondyloarthritis don’t come with too much of a warning. My disease does not believe in timely invitations, likely because it knows there is no way...

Like our other Health Union condition communities, the Social Health Network brings people together to drive unique and impactful conversations about health. It also aims to expand opportunities for health...

Like our other Health Union condition communities, the Social Health Network brings people together to drive unique and impactful conversations about health. It also aims to expand opportunities for health...

I’m learning to knit. This was entirely unexpected after 15 years of crochet and a lifetime of being surrounded by crochet. My mother crocheted. I crochet. My (imaginary) daughter Dawn...

When you become ill it seems like everyone around you all of a sudden becomes a "doctor." They want to tell you what you should be eating, how you should...

Typed into the notes section of my phone are a collection of messages that no one sees but me. I think of them as my AS first-aid kits. Some of...

In late 2017, I was prescribed Humira, an immunosuppressant delivered to my home in a Styrofoam crate accompanied by many colorful pamphlets. To learn how to inject myself, I went...

Energy is what we need to keep going. Energy is what we need to feel good. Energy is what we need for our day to be productive. Energy is what...

Being newly diagnosed can be a daunting and overwhelming experience. While a new diagnosis is never easy, I share some steps that helped me cope with the mental impacts of...

Everyone deals with pain and fatigue differently. Those are my main symptoms from AS and fibromyalgia. My fibro diagnosis came a few months after my AS diagnosis. At first, I...

Every year my wife and I drive down to the family cabin in Georgia. This trip is significant to me because it is my annual week to recharge before the...

Content warning: Eating behaviors and nutrition. There are usually three camps when it comes to managing ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and other chronic inflammatory conditions. The first is the pharmaceutical camp...

Of all the ankylosing spondylitis and fibromyalgia symptoms I experience daily, fatigue is one of the worst. For me, it’s just as bad as the chronic pain. I’m just always...

I once worked for a company where the notion of positivity was prized above all else. Falling short of your sales target? Stop finding excuses! Current system not working? Stop...

The AS warrior! I was a fully fledged soldier on the battle to fight this disease. I threw everything at it and with aggression. Phrases such as "my body hates...

I did “the big ride of the season,” at least for me. It is the big bicycle ride in downtown Indianapolis; it is called the Indy N.I.T.E. Ride. It started...

This chapter of my journey has been a waiting game. Something I’m sure many of you know all too well. It’s like a “coming of age” thing as a chronically...