Coping with Mental Health and Axial Spondyloarthritis: My Story...Everybody has experienced the toll a chronic illness can have on your mental health in one way or another. Being in constant pain, not being able to do the things...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
Living With Ankylosing Spondylitis: My Journey & Learnings...In 2015, after 3 years of back pain and medical procedures, I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis. What a shock this was, and at the same time a relief, to...Reactions0reactionsComments15 comments
What Makes Me Happy Makes Me Stronger...One sentence resonates into my head when I wonder what I can do to be happy and cope better with AxSpa. It comes from a physiotherapist I worked with during...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
My Top Do’s and Don’ts For Flare Days...This morning, I woke up with a familiar, burning ache in my bones. In those first few hazy moments of consciousness, before I could even think a thought, my attention...Reactions0reactionsComments13 comments
Amplifying Black Advocate Voices: How Bias Has Affected My Patient Journey...Being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition like axial spondyloarthritis (AxSpA) can take years. Many people report their early symptoms were dismissed by doctors or they were misdiagnosed. This delays treatment...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Canceled Dreams...I had just given birth to a healthy 8 pound baby boy, unknowing that I was waking up a health demon! It was 29 years ago on June 12th that...Reactions0reactionsComments4 comments
5AM: A Poem About Ankylosing Spondylitis...5AM She rolled over Wrapped in her skeleton Devoured by it’s pain No No No Don’t roll again Ashamed, a shame, a pain She lifted her body Off the bed...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
My Recent Experience Navigating the U.S. Healthcare System...There are so many issues with our healthcare system in the U.S. that I could write a book. In fact, I’m sure there are countless books written on the subject...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Lana Buettner...Lana is a Functional Health Coach living in Germany. Lana was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis in 2015 at the age of 23, shortly after her 4 years as a college...
The Blame Game...I was diagnosed with AS in 2016, but I was managing a vast spectrum of pain since 2011. My symptoms included intermittent bouts of iritis, sciatica, stiffness, stabbing pains, crippling...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
My Journey with Ankylosing Spondylitis...My Name is Gillian and I live in Bromley Kent. l have two sons Mark and Lee l started to get pain and stiffness in my lower back and neck...Reactions0reactionsComments6 comments
How AS Has Changed Me...Although I’ve only been diagnosed for a year, I feel like I am a shadow of my former self. I have changed both physically and emotionally. Before I was sick, I would...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
Spondylitis, Spondylosis, Spondylolisthesis: What Is the Difference?...The names of 3 health conditions that affect your spine sound very similar. However, spondylitis, spondylosis, and spondylolisthesis have some key differences. Here is a guide to each one. As...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
How We've Created At-Home Relaxation...Who doesn't love an evening of relaxation with candles, massage, and total relaxation? Creating an at-home spa experience is a key part of my husband, Keegan's, pain management, and stress...Reactions0reactionsComments1 comments
How Disability Theories Exclude People with Chronic Pain...Disability is a complex topic, so naturally, there are many ways to think about it. The disabled community has different ideologies — some people view their disabilities as blessings, while...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
Broken Spine...I like to find used paperbacks for my ever-churning library of reading material. I usually have at least one book and one magazine in the process of reading all the time. For...Reactions0reactionsComments3 comments
Nature's Green Gifts To The Chronically Ill...Inspired by an article about the healing power of nature over at PsoriaticArthritis.net by Diane T., I wanted to share a bit about how I work with nature to move...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Am I Too Much for My Friends?...Over the past 4 years of having AS, I’ve run into this problem over and over. I wonder if I’m too much for my friends. If my illness and daily...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
Dwayne's Disability Subject...I was medically terminated from my job at Oracle, last year in the month of July 18, 2019. I immediately applied for disability. My AxSpA was diagnosed August 18, 2018...Reactions0reactionsComments13 comments
Eyes on the Prize: Setting Goals...I was diagnosed with non-radiographic axial spondyloarthritis in May 2019 after many years of chronic pain. I’m the type of person who loves to make “to do” lists, so a...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments