Interviewing my Family Members About my ASBeing diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) was major event in my life that not only affected me, but also the people in my life. My family has been by my...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
Ways to Support Someone Living with a Chronic IllnessIf you care for or live with someone diagnosed with a chronic illness, then you know some days are harder than others for us. We, unfortunately, don't get to pick...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
Day in the Life: Flare DayI’m going to walk you through what my day looks like when I’m flaring. As a note, I do have other conditions that affect my health, but I will mainly...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Pain Management Tips & Tricks, Part 2: Exercise, Hydration, and MoreEditor's note: You can read Part 1 of Ali's "Pain Management" series here. When you're in pain the last thing you'd even want to think about is exercise. When you...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
My Morning RoutineI wake up, rollover, ouch! Everything feels stuck. I slowly turn over, moaning. Usually, when I get a good night's sleep, I tend to sleep wrong. I wake up with...Reactions0reactionsComments7 comments
Amplifying Black Voices: The Importance of Finding CommunityWhen you live with a chronic autoimmune condition like ankylosing spondylitis, finding a community that understands is powerful. And, science backs this up. What is community? It is a group...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
I Finally Found the Right Doctor—and Here's What I've LearnedOne of the strangest lessons I have learned as a patient is that finding the right doctor is a lot like finding the right partner. Besides the obvious medical expertise...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
AS Gave Me EmpathyWhen I think about myself a few years ago, I think of long nights and parties. Struggling to find the energy, but with relative painlessness. When I think of my...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Guess the Spondyloarthritis In America Statistics!In 2020, 787 people living with radiographic axial spondyloarthritis or ankylosing spondylitis (AS), 285 people living with undifferentiated spondyloarthritis (uSpA), and 105 people living with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) took...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Guide To Getting Through Lockdown With ASIf you've been online recently you may have noticed that there’s currently some kind of pandemic going on. As most of us with ankylosing spondylitis are taking immunosuppressant medication to...Reactions0reactionsComments8 comments
Ask the Non-Radiographic AxSpA Advocates: Self-Advocacy and Finding CommunityAs we learn more and more about axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) and ankylosing spondylitis (AS), we also learn that many people live with AxSpA symptoms, yet have no evidence on their...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Using Instagram & Social Media to Find CommunitySocial media plays so many roles in people's lives. It can be a way to connect with others, it can be a way to find information, and sometimes we may...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
How AS Helped Me Rebuild My Relationship with MyselfMy 25th birthday just passed this month. Due to the pandemic and the state of my health, there wasn’t much to celebrate, but it also dawned on me that I...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
Highs and Lows of PrednisoneIf there has been one thing I’ve learned along the way of my AxSpA journey, it's is that there generally are no easy ways out. Hardly any quick fixes, and...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Enthesitis, Heel Pain, and Ankylosing SpondylitisDid you know that foot pain may be associated with having ankylosing spondylitis (AS)? Yeah, no kidding. Most of us know that AS is far more than a back condition. It often...Reactions0reactionsComments25 comments
I Feel Like I'm Waiting Not to be SickI often feel like I am going to wake up some morning and this was all a bad dream, a nightmare. Although I find it hard to remember my life...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
My Post-Diagnosis Mixed Bag of EmotionsI’ve recently hit the five year anniversary of my axial spondyloarthritis diagnosis. For some reason, this otherwise random milestone has me reflecting on that winter five years ago, all the...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
When "Just Be Positive" Goes Too FarIf you haven’t heard of the concept of toxic positivity or chronic positivity, maybe you’ve picked up on what it is without knowing it even has a name. When people...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Busting AxSpA Myths: Part 2This is part 2 to my Axial Spondyloarthritis Myths, Part 1 post. If you can think of other myths and misunderstandings, I'd love to hear in the comments! There are...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
How Strong is the Mind?My journey with AS has taken me from an all-time low to an all-time high. From receiving two hip replacements and not being able to run for 20 years to...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments