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After many months on the hospital waiting list, I was looking forward to my first rheumatologist appointment. I had high hopes that I’d be prescribed medication that could help with my horrible nighttime pain from ankylosing spondylitis (AS). I already wasn’t coping with the pain and insomnia, and because…

As I lay in bed, I heard the wind howling. With every gust, I felt the house shaking just a little bit. The cold, almost icy drops of rain pounded hard against the window. The previously crisp and colorful fall leaves, now soggy and dead, disintegrated as they fluttered to…

“Ooh, my back hurts!” my 3-year-old son groaned, clutching it dramatically as he crouched on the carpet amid a pile of Duplo blocks and miniature cars. He glanced at me cheekily from under his long eyelashes, checking to see if I was paying attention. “What’s going on, buddy? Are you…

“What’s one of the best things I can do to help?” I asked my husband, Dave, who has ankylosing spondylitis (AS). We were sitting together outside, relaxing after the whirlwind evening routine of getting our kids into bed. He pondered this question for a minute, as we watched the…

Don’t stand too close, because I’m a sniffling, coughing, bathrobe-wrapped lump of a human this week. It’s nothing too serious, just a run-of-the-mill sore throat and cold that’s making me speak like I have a clothes peg on my nose. Being sick is never fun, but I’ve noticed…

The sea breeze wafted in my open car window as I drove happily along a seaside highway, tapping my fingers in time to the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Suddenly a large truck came roaring up from behind, weaving aggressively between the lanes of cars. It nearly caused an…

Life’s good at throwing curveballs, and we never saw this one coming. It was a pretty big shock when my husband, Dave, and I were both diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) within the space of two years. At that time in 2020, things were looking pretty grim. We were…

“Hey, did you know that redheads feel pain differently?” I asked my husband after stumbling upon some research earlier in the day. As a redhead who’s often experienced all sorts of pain, I wondered if my redheadedness was to blame for my constant ailments. My ankylosing spondylitis (AS) symptoms…

Hands up if you’re desperate for a good night’s sleep. Yes, I see all you ankylosing spondylitis (AS) folk out there, waving your hands around madly. I see you! If you suffer from this autoimmune disease, and especially if you’re not yet on a treatment that’s helping, I…

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).