Daily conversation topics are a bit different at our house. Instead of discussing the news or an upcoming holiday, we’re often chatting about stiffening joints, eye problems from iritis, or the best way to deal with a painful flare. Both my husband and I have ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
The statements “I have ankylosing spondylitis” and “I feel great!” hardly seem to go together. But for me, they do. That wasn’t always the case. In a previous column, I described my nightly struggle with this invisible illness. I had nights when I couldn’t pick my twin infants up…
“I love you, dud!” I hollered after my 3-year-old son as he blissfully skipped back to play with his brothers. (It’s unfortunate that while I had meant to say, “I love you, bud!” or “I love you, darling!” it had come out as a rather unflattering mixture of the two…
Have you ever felt like you drew the short end of the stick in life? Do other people seem to have more reasons to be joyful than you do? When we are diagnosed with an incurable and progressive disease it can feel unfair. Sometimes we may wonder if a…
Medicinal marijuana has been a true lifesaver for me as someone with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). I have so much gratitude and appreciation for this plant, as it provides pain relief and brings balance and well-being into my life. On top of that, the cannabis industry has provided me…
Luke Magda and I first met online in a Facebook group called “Low/No Starch Lifestyle Group for Ankylosing Spondylitis.” There, thousands have discovered that making changes to their diet by removing starches, especially highly processed ones, and saying no to other inflammatory foods, can drastically reduce inflammation in the…
“What did you say you can’t eat?” my friend asked me in shock as we casually strolled along a river path. I recently had decided to tackle my ankylosing spondylitis (AS) diagnosis with radical changes to my lifestyle. I tried to think of ways to explain the drastic cuts…
Second in a two-part series. (Photos by Andrea Wyckoff) Thank you for reading part two of my radon mine series. If you haven’t yet, please read part one, “My Experience With Radon Mine Therapy for Ankylosing Spondylitis.” It explains how I ended…
When I recently was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, I was confronted with complicated terminology that initially overwhelmed me. Klebsiella pneumoniae, molecular mimicry, cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-alpha — the list of complicated terms seemed endless. “Good grief,” I thought, “I’m just an ordinary human being. All of these terms are…
First in a two-part series. In 2014, I took a road trip to Montana to receive experimental treatments in the underground radon mines. (Photos by Andrea Wyckoff) Visiting the “radon resorts” of Montana was actually one of the best solo vacations I…
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