Living

For so long, using the term "disabled" to describe myself felt so it’s off-limits to me. It still does. Unless my AS severely worsens, it always will. So I don't...

They said to think more positive. They said tomorrow will be a better day. They said try another treatment plan it might help, but we have to wait and see...

My 2021 included a personal medical safari through hematology to treat a life-threatening anemia, gastroenterology to find the source, and close monitoring with my GP to manage it all. The...

Dear me, AxSpa warrior: I know you were so excited, that you were having some good days and on a roll. I know you started making plans for the following...

I had my first colonoscopy in 2021 due to a life-threatening anemia, unexplained fatigue, weight loss, and abdominal pain. Most cultures have some taboos around this area, making it an...

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...

Meet Maggie and Charlie. Maggie is a 5-year-old Basset Hound and Charlie is a 4-year-old mix between a German Shepard and a Huskey. They are great loyal dogs with lots of character. They...

Grief. We all know what grief is, but did you know you can experience grief when you have a chronic illness? I didn’t at first, but when I realized how...

One of the hardest things to deal with when living with axial spondyloarthritis is determining the source of pain and whether to push through it or ask your doctor. This...

I have passed all my exams and I am finally in the final year of my degree! I’m excited and nervous to get through this year of college. I have a...

My biggest regret over the last 16 years of being chronically ill is this: I wish I had assembled a team of medical experts early into my diagnosis. If there...

Fall is by far my favorite time of year, especially when living in a place with prime foliage. The few weeks at the end of September and beginning of October...

In my last article I interviewed Health Union advocate James Hollens. This is the continuation of that interview. Because we all have a different journey with our disease I think...

Before getting diagnosed, I was always an "on-the-go" kind of person. I used to love to go out. I hated being home, all day long. When I mean I loved...

There are a few times when I feel almost no pain. First, when I’m very sick, like with an infection of some sort, I tend to experience a pause in...

I recall filling a survey on this website and answering a question about the amount of time I spend managing my condition. That made me realize how much time I...

Since I was about 10 years old, every summer I would go on a holiday with my mam, my aunt and my grandparents. It was our tradition. Sometimes we would even...

Growing up, I got it into my head that doctors were akin to authority figures or bosses. What they said was law — and we’d have to obet. After all...

Getting diagnosed with AS really young left me growing up not being fully aware of what it meant to live a life of autoimmunity. At that age, most of what...

As someone living with AxSpA, I've had several flare-ups in my life. Some last for a couple of days, others last for weeks or months. They also vary in intensity...