My Comfort Levels With COVIDCOVID 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...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
The Chronic Monster in DisguiseWho 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...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
My Symptom Tracking MethodI 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...Reactions0reactionsComments13 comments
4 Video Games That Help Me Get Through High Pain DaysOver 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 so disabling...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
Taking a Moment To See the Lightness in the DarknessTo 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...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Gut Issues and Trying to Find AnswersIf I were told to choose one system that I didn’t want to malfunction and impede on my daily life, the digestive system would have definitely been in my top...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments
New City, New RheumatologistIn many ways, your quality of life with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) depends on your rheumatologist. That’s why it was nerve-wracking when I had to leave my rheumatologist of three years...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments
The Year of Living PainlesslyI’m firmly knocking on wood as a write this, but it’s been 12 months without a flare. Apart from two pregnancies, during which my body decided to stop waging war...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
My New Dose of Cosentyx Put Me Into a FlareOnce a month on Fridays I have picked to have my injection day. You would say I have gotten use to it by now, but every time this day comes...Reactions0reactionsComments10 comments
Speaking A Shared Language of PainLately, I’ve been in an endless flare-up — one of those flare-ups that change shape every day. It's my neck or my back or my hips. One day I can't...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments
Experimenting With CBNHere in Canada, Cannabis is legal. For a while now I have been using cannabis as a way to cope with my pain, as well as helping me fall asleep...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
The Fear of My Symptoms Getting Bad AgainIf you live with AS or any chronic illness, I’m sure you know the feeling of what I’m about to talk about. When I’m doing well, or have a few...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
The Fear of Going Abroad With AxSpaAs I lie here in bed, listening to a Chili Peppers record, thoughts of worries fill my head. Since I became sick, I haven’t been abroad. This is one thing that...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments
Stress, Grief, and Ankylosing SpondylitisIt doesn’t feel like a stretch to say that stress has always made my AS symptoms worse. Most medical professionals and the majority of people with AS would agree. It’s...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
Fatigue...What I Wish I Knew When I Was DiagnosedFatigue is tricky, namely because it can impact so much. From your work, to relationships, social life and ability to just function. Usually fatigue is associated with high disease activity...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments
Success and the Pandemic“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” -- Winston Churchill I am ready to put away the virus and face the...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
Did Stress Lead To My Diagnosis?Eight years ago, I had my first big flare in my feet. It came from nowhere. It was Summer, I was enjoying my life in London. I had a busy...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
I Believe In ButterfliesButterflies are one of my favorite things in life. Their particular beauty and grace makes it impossible to look away. And they seem to magically appear out of nowhere. It’s...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Feeling the Pressure from Able-Bodied People to Get BetterOne thing that has remained a constant throughout decline of my health these last two years is this: the looming pressure to get better. With chronic illnesses, hearing the term...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
The Hardest Part of This DiseaseHow many of you wish more people around you would understand? How many of you wish living in this world, as a chronically ill person, with an invisible illness, would...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments