Living

I am a student studying Social Care Work. If you’ve read my article AS Doesn’t Give a Damn About College Deadlines or if you are a student, you will know...

Ankylosing spondylitis diagnoses can take years to find, and they usually come after a ton of pain and unexplained symptoms with a search for doctors that will take you seriously...

I was sitting in my friend's garden, socially distant when I received the text on Friday the 23rd of April saying that my consultant had registered me for my vaccine. I was due to have it on Wednesday the 28th of April. I was ecstatic. I was very shocked...

I began my first biologic treatment, Humira, just over a year ago. After 11 months, I had a follow-up appointment with my rheumatologist’s office. My prescription expired after one year...

During a flare-up, we all have our tools and assistive devices to make things better. From a walker to a cane to a showering chair, we try to keep up...

I’ve been using my mobility aids (mostly my walker) more and more the past few months. Over the course of the pandemic, my chronic fatigue has gotten worse, so I...

I have been suffering from not only axial spondyloarthritis, but with other conditions that cause inflammation in the body. I have spent the past decade in and out of hospital...

Dear able-bodied individuals, If you lived in my shoes for just one day, you would understand—the trauma, the sacrifices I have to make, the constant pressure to perform more abled...

I’ve had many different chapters in my life—I was diagnosed with AS when I was nine—and I was incredibly ill until I was 16. I spent the next eight years...

In the past year, I have gained unwanted weight. This is due to a lack of mobility and medication. I was pretty much bed-bound for three months, while on steroids for 5 months...

I was wrong about arthritis before. I was wrong about who arthritis affects. I thought it was an affliction of the elderly, a nuisance I might encounter as I age...

A lot of the time when I'm speaking to people with AS (and other chronic pain conditions), they mention that their disease has made them feel worthless. This always breaks...

TENS stands for transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. This is a fancy way of describing mild zaps of electricity being sent through the skin to disrupt pain sensations. It's important to discuss...

When it can affect every aspect of your day-to-day life, there’s no forgetting about a chronic illness. After I was first diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, I had trouble plugging the...

My best days go full circle, with a natural flow from activity, rest, more activity, relaxation, and then sleep. I begin and end the day with a quiet spiritual practice...

Since being diagnosed with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in 2018, I have tried four separate biologics at various times. I am telling you about my experience with these biologics not to...

I've learned that a lot of people in the ankylosing spondylitis community have experienced the incredibly disgusting, horribly painful, grossly unattractive plague that is shingles. So have I. And so...

An aspect of AS that is often overlooked is foot pain. AS can cause a lot of pain in the foot, especially the heel. One of the symptoms I did...

I grieve for myself, but I should say my former self. I no longer grieve the event that caused the grief (that ship has sailed). Instead, I grieve my suffering...

Living with a chronic illness and being a mother doesn’t come easy. I am learning new ways every day to make it a little easier. I think you can never...