I Have No Clue What I’m Doing with My LifeI know, I know-—none of us really know what we’re doing with our lives. The majority of the world is just fumbling around hoping that everything works out for the...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
Movement Is Medicine: My Strongest Tool Against SymptomsMovement has played – and still does – a huge role on my healing journey. If I don’t move daily, my body is very quick to send signals of stiffness...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
New Year's Resolution: AxSpA EditionMy resolution this year is two-fold: to be kinder to myself and let go of expectations. Oftentimes I am very hard on myself. This was true before I got AS...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments
Advocates Sharing With Advocates: James Interviews RenéIf you read the first part of my conversation with advocate René Agterhof, you will have realized what a truly inspirational man he is. He is also full of surprises...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments
When it Comes to Pain, How Much is Too Much?As a health coach who specializes in axial spondyloarthritis I often find myself talking with people about their experience of pain. Unsurprisingly, it’s the most common topic that comes up...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
Debunking Able-Bodied Individuals Observations of Being HouseboundSo many times we hear about how able-bodied people glorify being homebound. We hear things such as “It must be so nice to be able to relax all the time!”...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments
Combatting Chronic Fatigue: 4 Ways to Cope with Physical SymptomsAside from the general knowledge of being absolutely exhausted all of the time, chronic fatigue is more than just feeling tired. In my personal experience it has brought on many...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
Sick Of Getting SickOne of the more frustrating things on the long list of AS annoyances is how it affects us when we are ill. Having a pesky immune system with a habit...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
My Experience With Accessible Transportation ServicesThere is an accessible transportation service in Ontario called TransHelp. Many disabled and elderly people use it. For a reduced fair, eligible people can receive personalized door-to-door transportation. As someone...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
6 Months of Long Covid With Ankylosing SpondylitisIn March 2021, a year after the pandemic began, I got COVID-19 I was a week away from my first COVID-19 vaccination, which felt like a cruel joke. Nonetheless, I...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
A Few of My Favorite Things(Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens...) It's that time of the year for me and Keegan, my husband with AS. The highs are high and the lows are low...Reactions0reactionsComments9 comments
One of My Days With AxSpaTuesday, 6 in the morning, I need to get up and make sure the kids are up and start to get them ready for school. My mind is telling me...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments
Crankylosing SpondylitisWe can all feel cranky at times, this is normal. The frustration that comes from constant pain and fatigue, is for me, more than crankiness. I like to call this "Crankylosing Spondylitis." It’s the mix of emotions that I...Reactions0reactionsComments12 comments
Getting Used to Blood TestsBefore I got sick, I would get blood tests done twice a year. Just to make sure I wasn’t deficient in anything. Usually, I was deficient in iron. I used...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
How the Holidays Affected my ASThe holidays are long over now, but I felt the need to write this in case someone else suffered from them as long as I did. As I write this...Reactions0reactionsComments9 comments
AS Ruined My BirthdayIt was a celebration I'd been looking forward to for months — heading down to New Orleans, Lousiana for my birthday, which also happens to fall on Halloween weekend. I...Reactions0reactionsComments8 comments
Preparing For A Flight With AxSpaEver since AS started making a real appearance in my life, I started dreading flights. This is sad to me because I used to love airplanes. I loved the in-betweenness...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
Procrastination = Stress = FlareUnfortunately, in all aspects of life, I am a procrastinator. While being a procrastinator, I am terrified of failure. So, let’s call me an anxious procrastinator. I leave things to the last minute. But while I’m sitting there not doing the things I should be, instead of relaxing, I...Reactions0reactionsComments10 comments
Waiting For COVID’s GodotSamuel Beckett’s absurdist classic Waiting for Godot often comes to mind when I’m left waiting for any significant period of time. Beckett’s play has been reimagined many times over, covering...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Good Self-Care Is RuthlessThese past few tumultuous years make me wonder how my ancestors managed to do as well as they did with their own trials and tribulations. All my elders from my...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments