My Gradual Biologic Journey...I started on biologics about a year and a half ago. I was prescribed Humira on a bi-weekly cycle, meaning one injection every 14 days. I was told at the...reactions3comments
Trying to Move When You Don’t Want To...Movement. Something we all know helps us with AS. Movement is medicine. Have you heard that before? I know I have. But what if we don’t want to move? I...reactions2comments
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...As the days get shorter, darker and much colder, my body can tell that it's winter. The cold aches my body and intensifies my pain and oh how it makes my spasms angry! Christmas is my favorite time of...reactions2comments
Making Time To Help Me...Before I got sick, I would never make time for myself. I was always on the go. Working many hours while attending college, meeting my boyfriend and my friends. I...reactions1comment
James and René: Chatting About Running, AS Diagnosis, and More...One thing I’ve noticed on my journey with chronic illness is that no two spoonies have the same story. The same condition can affect everyone differently, both mentally and physically...reactions3comments
Tips For Surviving The Holiday Season?...The holidays are coming which is very exciting but a little bit daunting. Unfortunately for us AxSpa doesn't take a winter break off, so as much as we want to...reactions4repliesTips & AdviceFriends & Family
When did you know it was time to start a biologic?...Hello everyone. I just met with my new rheumatologist for the first time today after my family physician diagnosed me with Ankylosing Spondylitis about 2 months ago. I only met...reactions34repliesTreatmentTips & Advice
Returing To Work With Axial Spondyloarthritis...It’s been a long bumpy and extremely tiring ride. I been off work on sick leave, for the past 2 and a half years. To be honest I still feel...reactions5comments
If I Were on the Outside Looking In...One of the most frustrating things about having an invisible illness is knowing that other people can’t see the pain I’m in. Although I talk and write about it often...reactions6comments
How My Illness Woke Me Up to the Life I Wanted to Live...We, as humans, are creatures of habit. Sometimes if we are not careful, we can get lost in the daily hustle and bustle of our lives and the schedules and...reactions6comments
Switching Biologics...Hello, my name is Brandon and I was diagnosed with AS in October of 2019, after about 6-7 years of not knowing what was wrong with me. As I’m sure...reactions3comments
Balancing Mental Health With AxSpA...Living with the chronic pain of AxSpA can make you exhausted, sometimes to the point of depression. It can even make you anxious when you aren’t able to complete tasks...reactions7comments
How Writing It Down Has Kept Me Sane...I have always wanted to be a writer. Secretly. Secretly, because the world I grew up in didn’t have writers in it. Or writers didn’t come from, or inhabit, my...reactions4comments
Five Things I Learned About Dietary Change for AS...Gluten-free, paleo, dairy-free, nightshade-free, starch-free, GAPS...if there’s a diet recommended for AS, I’ve probably tried it. Soon after diagnosis I set off down the dietary modification track in search of...reactions3comments
AxSpa and Hysterectomy...When it comes to diseases that include a lot of inflammation, we often see a lot of co-existing illnesses. My struggles started at 18 when my menstrual cycle suddenly took over...reactions3comments
Building a Care Team...Being chronically ill means that doctor’s appointments are routine and frequent. It also likely means you have several different types of doctors you see. Finding and building a care team...reactions2comments
The All or Nothing Approach ...The all or nothing approach. This seems to be how I live my life. Even before I got sick. I seem to have always had an all or nothing approach...reactions1comment
How a Proud Person Learned to Ask for Help...I’ve always tried to be someone you can count on when the chips are down. It brings me joy to offer help and support to others, whether it’s dropping off...reactions2comments
Resetting After a Bad Day...On days where the emotional baggage that comes with living with a chronic illness pours down on us, sometimes it feels like there is no getting out of it. That...reactions5comments
Switching Doctors When You Want Better Care...I’d had the same family doctor for 12 years. She was great to me for a long time, but as I wrote about recently, she gaslit me about my fatigue...reactions3comments