Living

We hear a lot of conversations around well-being and diet, especially so in the chronic illness community. We often are told that diet will be the cure for AxSpA (or...

For years, my "good morning" attitude has been squashed by chronic illness. Enduring a restless night of pain associated with spondyloarthritis (SpA) makes it much more difficult for me to...

When I get dark, I get really dark — but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with confessing it. In fact, why keep it in — why let the engine...

Over the past few years, my mom has dealt with a few chronic health conditions (she's actually in the process of determining if she has a form of AxSpA herself)...

I never truly partook in self-care until I became sick. Now, it’s probably one of the most important things I do for myself. Since I’ve had AS, I’ve had to...

First of all, managing pain is different for everyone. During my journey, I quickly learned there is a lot of trial and error when it comes to pain management. What...

Everybody has experienced the toll a chronic illness can have on your mental health in one way or another. Being in constant pain, not being able to do the things...

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...

One sentence resonates into my head when I wonder what I can do to be happy and cope better with AxSpa. It comes from a physiotherapist I worked with during...

This morning, I woke up with a familiar, burning ache in my bones. In those first few hazy moments of consciousness, before I could even think a thought, my attention...

Being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition like axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) can take years. Many people report their early symptoms were dismissed by doctors or they were misdiagnosed. This delays treatment...

There are so many issues with our healthcare system in the U.S. that I could write a book. In fact, I’m sure there are countless books written on the subject...

I was diagnosed with AS in 2016, but I was managing a vast spectrum of pain since 2011. My symptoms included intermittent bouts of iritis, sciatica, stiffness, stabbing pains, crippling...

Although I’ve only been diagnosed for a year, I feel like I am a shadow of my former self. I have changed both physically and emotionally. Before I was sick, I would...

Who doesn't love an evening of relaxation with candles, massage, and total relaxation? Creating an at-home spa experience is a key part of my husband, Keegan's, pain management, and stress...

Disability is a complex topic, so naturally, there are many ways to think about it. The disabled community has different ideologies — some people view their disabilities as blessings, while...

I like to find used paperbacks for my ever-churning library of reading material. I usually have at least one book and one magazine in the process of reading all the time. For...

Inspired by an article about the healing power of nature over at PsoriaticArthritis.net by Diane T., I wanted to share a bit about how I work with nature to move...

Over the past 4 years of having AS, I’ve run into this problem over and over. I wonder if I’m too much for my friends. If my illness and daily...

I was diagnosed with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in May 2019 after many years of chronic pain. I’m the type of person who loves to make “to do” lists, so a...