Articles

Getting my blue accessible parking pass was a big moment for me. Being able to hang that tag from my rearview mirror was another step in my quest to achieve...

After suffering with months and months of pain, my family doctor decided to send a referral to the pain clinic here in Montreal. I had tried numerous treatments, but nothing...

We here at AnkylosingSpondylitis.net have connected with people from all different backgrounds, and with all different experiences. Some people who come to our community prefer to use biologics and other...

The idea of raising butterflies never crossed my mind until I spotted two mature Eastern Black Swallowtail caterpillars lazily munching away on the fennel in our kitchen garden. Their cheerful...

Editor's note: Read part 1 of Erin's journey here. They say that the second trimester is supposed to be the easiest and most enjoyable part of pregnancy. For me, the...

Recently, I have been thinking about my relationship with my partner. Specifically, I'm thinking about how having AS and fibromyalgia has affected our relationships. My partner is always kind and...

It’s heartbreaking watching your body slowly deteriorate and transform into something you don’t even recognize anymore. Many of us used to be healthy and active-—I know I was. I could...

When you are someone who experiences disability, there are many barriers that you face in your everyday life. There is a lot of people living with disability who want to...

So, you’ve been diagnosed with AS. You’ve had all the x-rays, the MRIs, and the bloodwork. You’ve endured poking, prodding, and you’ve bent down to touch your toes oh so...

I like to think of ankylosing spondylitis as a very intense personal trainer that uses the threat of my spine fusing together to motivate me to exercise. Aside from all the physical and...

I know it is not exactly breaking news that smoking cigarettes is bad for your health. However, you may not know that there are added health hazards that it brings...

Soon I will undergo right hip surgery. After a more than a year of hip pain, trying every conservative measure possible (physio, osteopath, exercises, injections), it is time for surgery...

Soon after getting my diagnosis with AxSpa (after years of waiting for a diagnosis, though), and starting my first biologic treatment (Embrel), I found my eyes very dry. It was...

Dr. Stephen Porges developed his polyvagal theory in 1994. You may already know that the vagus nerve is involved in how we respond to stress. The vagus nerve is the...

In the past, doctors thought that ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) were more common in men than women. Now, there is a growing understanding that women and men...

COVID is coming up on its 2 year anniversary. Can you believe it? I can’t. The past 2 years have been so long but flew by at the same time...

Who knew I would wake up one day not feeling the same ever again. Who knew, something I call the chronic monster, would take over my life, my body, my...

I used to loathe the idea of symptom tracking. It stressed me out to think of making a list of all the parts of my body that felt like they...

Over the last two years, I’ve had to say goodbye (or hopefully just "see you later") to some of my favorite hobbies. Struggling with chronic pain and fatigue can be...

To preface, I would just like to quickly say that no, of course we will not feel positive 24/7 while struggling with our illness. This is not one of those...