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Last month, my son turned 5, which also means I’ve had ankylosing spondylitis (AS) symptoms for five years. As he enthusiastically blew out the candles on his candy-covered birthday cake, I had flashbacks to the time shortly after his birth when I started experiencing symptoms. Those first few years of…

It helps when someone understands what it’s like to live with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). My only sister, Angie Lole, and I live on different sides of the world (she’s in the U.S., and I’m in Australia), but we have something that links us closely: We’ve both been diagnosed…

I hopped off the chairlift, making sure to get out of its way before it swung around the corner and had a chance to knock me over on its way back down. My 8-year-old son, who had learned to ski mere hours earlier, was already waiting for me and coaxing…

My first symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) weren’t the commonly discussed sacroiliac pain, which is at the base of the spine. Instead, I was waking up in the wee hours of the night with intense burning in the middle of my spine, ribs, and shoulder blades. After 2…

As I slowly loaded packets of minced beef and frozen salmon onto the supermarket checkout conveyor belt, I heard a loud and impatient sigh from behind me. Another customer was standing close by, brows furrowed, with a partly full basket dangling from one manicured hand. I was at the tail…

When I was pregnant before I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), I was pretty tired. Particularly at the end of my pregnancy, when I could hardly take a breath, my organs were all squished, and my body was expending its resources on growing another human being, I needed…

Confession time: I wasn’t always a big advocate for gut health. I’m a skeptical person, so I mentally categorized it with unproven alternative therapies and fad diets. I’ve always eaten pretty healthily, but I didn’t make the connection that what I ingest — even if generally considered healthy — could…

“Would you mind doing a survey?” the doctor asked me. “We are doing some research into how and at what speed ankylosing spondylitis progresses in the average patient.” As someone diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS), I understand the importance of increasing knowledge about this relatively rare disease. I…

Last night, as I was drifting off to sleep, I was picturing swimming underwater with my diving tank on my back. Imagine sinking down through cool, shimmering water while kicking your fins to propel yourself slowly toward the white, sandy bottom of the ocean. Incredible coral formations are close by,…

Lately, one of my favorite shows has been “The Mandalorian,” a Disney+ original spinoff series from the epic “Star Wars” chronicles. Every time I watch an episode, it makes me think about the importance of friends when you are facing challenges, such as a chronic disease. The hero…