When I was in my mid-to-late teens, I started noticing that pain was a regular part of my life. I have memories of a shoebox full of prescription medication beside my bed — some to treat the various pains I was experiencing and others to manage the side effects.
I start most days with a delicious berry smoothie for breakfast. Even after five years of eating a daily smoothie since being diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), I’m still not sick of it. One reason I choose a smoothie is because I can easily add collagen powder…
My social media feed is bloated with posts by friends and acquaintances bursting to share their big, audacious goals with the world — and it’s making me feel queasy. Every time I’ve picked up my phone lately to seek a little inspiration or entertainment during a few minutes of downtime,…
I recently had to get a full spine MRI to check the progression of my ankylosing spondylitis (AS). It didn’t hurt in the slightest, but I found it to be an intense sensory experience. Many AS patients get an MRI as part…
“I’m leaving a generous one-star review because I paid $48 only to be told by the doctor that I should drink more water. My headaches have been frequent. I expected more — at the very least, a prescription for pain relief. How humiliating. This visit was a waste of my…
If I type “ankylosing spondylitis” (AS) into Google, one of the first prompts that pops up on my screen is “Can ankylosing spondylitis be cured?” Though I know AS can’t be cured entirely because it’s a chronic autoimmune disease, I believe I’m getting close to achieving remission.
At my latest rheumatology appointment to monitor my ankylosing spondylitis (AS) progression, a wave of goosebumps broke out on my arms as I stepped through the automatic glass door from a hot, sunny day into the chilled, antiseptic-scented air of the hospital clinic I realized with annoyance that…
Scrolling through the camera roll on my phone, I stumbled across a photo of myself with a wide smile. My makeup looked flawless and my body slender and strong, but I could see that the smile didn’t reach my eyes. Instantly, my mind flashed back to 2020, when the image…
Last in a series. Read part one. “Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear hardship today.” — Thich Nhat Hanh Hope was hard to come by when I was…
Christmas feels different as an adult than it did as a child, doesn’t it? Especially when you’re coping with a chronic disease like ankylosing spondylitis (AS), the holiday joy is tempered with a daunting list of physically and mentally challenging “should-dos.” As I sit here typing on my…
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