Help getting a diagnosis...The more I read about this disease the more I’m convinced that I have it. How do I go about talking to my doctor about it without sounding like I’m...Reactions0reactionsComments4 repliesDiagnosis
How It's Been Going With AxSpa...Getting diagnosed started off as such a bumpy ride. Every day looked hopeless. Every day looked like things would not get better. Every day I would be in bed. Most...Reactions0reactionsComments8 comments
5 Things I Learned From Leading an AS Support Group...In 2007 I opened my Facebook-based support group up for business, and it has provided me a lot of knowledge and understanding about our community as a whole. Here are...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments
The Arthritis Advocacy Iceberg...The dictionary identifies an advocate as a person who publicly recommends or promotes a policy or cause. Ideally, it's a good or relatively neutral cause rather than a bad one...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
From Self-Help Guru to Disability Advocate...A few years back I created a mental health and wellness website to both share my journey through self-discovery and in hopes to help inspire others to prioritize their overall...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
A Painful Return To Pills...I'm ever so grateful for my medications and they have completely turned my life around. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2015 and ankylosing spondylitis in 2019. During these...Reactions0reactionsComments17 comments
Anyone got some hot travel tips? ...I'm planning a couple of short trips- one to NYC in July and one to Italy in September :D Very excited to have a break but a little nervous about...Reactions0reactionsComments2 repliesTips & AdviceTravel
The 2024 Social Health Awards Program...Editorial Note: Nominations for 2024 are now closed. We are very excited to announce the launch of the 2024 Social Health Awards program! The Social Health Awards is an awards...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The 2024 Social Health Awards Program...We are very excited to announce the launch of the 2024 Social Health Awards program! The Social Health Awards is an awards program recognizing Health Leaders who make a difference...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
When Chronic Illness and Stress Collide...When stress presents itself in my life it tends to turn my life inside out and entirely consume my mind. Everything else of importance is thrown out the window and...Reactions0reactionsComments8 comments
I'm Not Returning to College Campus...This semester college has returned full-time to campus, but I am unable to return to campus due to my AS and being immunocompromised during the COVID-19 pandemic. I thought: well...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
Active 5 days agoDo different seasons bring on different symptoms?...For me, winter causes more lumbar, SI joints, and peripheral joint pain, whereas summer causes more fatigue, brain fog, and muscle pain. I also have fibromyalgia and feel like that...Reactions0reactionsComments32 repliesSymptomsWeather
Getting My Driver's License With Ankylosing Spondylitis...I got my license this month! After 7 years of constantly failing tests, I finally did it. Driving is not for everyone, some struggle with it more than others. I...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
Understanding is Love: My New Mantra...“Understanding is love’s other name. If you don’t understand you can’t love.” -Thich Nhat Hanh If you met me and told me about a problem you are having in your...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
Pain shaming...Has anyone gone to doctors or physical therapists and they basically shame you for your pain? I had a nasty flare and could barely walk. I was using a rollator...Reactions0reactionsComments4 repliesExerciseTreatment
Don’t Forget to Dream Big...My happy place is blue-sky thinking. It’s the place where constraints can change, where resources and money are infinite, and where my job often needs me to be (as a...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
Trauma and Health Anxiety...During 2020 — when the pandemic began — I developed what I call extreme health anxiety. Living with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) just made it all the worse. I lived (and...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Having a Rough Day...This is mentally killing me. Going on disability was hard enough, that alone makes me feel so useless. I thank god everyday for my amazing wife who understands me and...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
How soon they forget I have AS...I'm a little frustrated..o.k., a LOT frustrated. Once I got answers after too many yrs of searching for an answer to 'why am I tired, why do I need another...Reactions0reactionsComments1 repliesCopingMisunderstood Friends & Family
5 Low-Key Arthritis Advocacy Moves...I grew up around a bunch of civic minded folks. The adults in my life took an active part in our community. Between helping people get to doctor's visits and...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
