Time Spent Managing My Health: An Investment That Comes With a PriceI recall filling a survey on this website and answering a question about the amount of time I spend managing my condition. That made me realize how much time I... By Julie Vallortigara3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments4 comments
A Trip Away With an Uncomfortable BedSince I was about 10 years old, every summer I would go on a holiday with my mam, my aunt and my grandparents. It was our tradition. Sometimes we would even... By Ali Long3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments11 comments
We Should Collaborate With Our DoctorsGrowing up, I got it into my head that doctors were akin to authority figures or bosses. What they said was law — and we’d have to obet. After all... By Lisa Marie Basile3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments
Things I Wish I Was Told When Getting Diagnosed with ASGetting diagnosed with AS really young left me growing up not being fully aware of what it meant to live a life of autoimmunity. At that age, most of what... By Sarah Lee2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments4 comments
COVID-19 Vaccine And Flare-UpsAs someone living with AxSpA, I've had several flare-ups in my life. Some last for a couple of days, others last for weeks or months. They also vary in intensity... By Anna Samson2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments5 comments
The Simple ThingsI’ve been thinking about all the things in my life that help me stay positive and happy. Happiness is tough to pin down. I’m sure I read somewhere that most... By Steve Tuffin4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments6 comments
I Don't Like This Either!Comedian John Mulaney once said, when talking about his bad driving, “I hear you honking, and I also don’t want me to be doing what I’m doing!” As AxSpA patients... By Jed Finley4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments
What the AS Community Means to MeWhen I was first diagnosed with AS, I felt like I was drowning in terror and information overload that I’d acquired by going down the internet rabbit hole. My partner... By Fiona Olegasegarem3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
A New LifeI was diagnosed with AS in 1999 and told I’d never work again. I went on full benefits – I was even allowed to apply for a car. I felt... By Steve Tuffin5 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments11 comments
Like a RockThe Bob Seger tune "Like a Rock" came on my music player as I walked the other day. It got me thinking of the number of references in popular music about... By Lawrence Rick Phillips3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments11 comments
My Experience on TaltzTaltz is not my first biologic on my journey to finding the right treatment. My first biologic was Cimzia, but my rheumatologist believed it stopped working right after my loading... By Nicky Flikas3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
Explaining Ankylosing Spondylitis to My ChildrenAnkylosing spondylitis (and any other chronic illness for that matter) can happen to anyone. It doesn’t care if you’re a new college student or a single working mom of three... By Katie Saville3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments4 comments
Foot Pain Helped Me Get Diagnosed With AxSpa!When we think about foot pain, we often don’t think of it being a common AxSpa symptom, but for me this was one the main symptoms that started to put... By Jes Hojsan2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments15 comments
Part Two Of My Diagnosis Story: Back To The UKI left off Part 1 of my diagnosis story just before I was forced to wheel myself onto a flight back to the UK. I bid farewell to all of... By James Hollens6 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments31 comments
My First Birthday With AxSpaMy first birthday being sick was a strange one. I was so unwell. My friends and family made such an effort to make sure I had a special day, a... By Ali Long2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments5 comments
My Experience With CimziaBefore I tell you about my experience on Cimzia, I want you to know that everybody is different, we will all react differently to medicine. What works for me, might... By Ali Long3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
Developing Boundaries In The AS CommunityThis is going to be hard to write — and hard to admit to myself — but I've had to develop real boundaries when it comes to engagement in the... By Lisa Marie Basile3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments19 comments
Always Being "On" With Chronic IllnessLiving with chronic illness means constantly feeling like you are tending to something, whether that be your physical body and its very real and always-present pain, or the deluge of... By Lisa Marie Basile2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments
Deciding Whether to Go Back to Work or NotIf you’ve read my other articles, you will know that before I got sick, I was a remarkably busy person. I used to work a lot while being a student in college. I was always... By Ali Long2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments11 comments
The Lies I Told Myself Before DiagnosisIt’s roughly twenty years since I first noticed my symptoms. Eight years later I would finally hear them referred to as clear indicators that I had ankylosing spondylitis. During those... By Anne-Marie Raymond3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments4 comments