Columns

I’m excited to share an update on my ankylosing spondylitis (AS) journey, because I’m experiencing minimal pain and stiffness at the moment. I’ve slept peacefully through the night for the last week, without tossing and turning in discomfort, and I’m not constantly thinking about pain and how to…

It’s no wonder it can take such a long time to diagnose ankylosing spondylitis (AS), in a process that involves a lot of confusion along the way. Maybe your family is surprised when you explain that your symptoms have changed from yesterday. Or perhaps, like me, you’ve found…

Note: This column discusses depression. Resources for help are listed at the end of the column. Can I tell you a secret? I had a mini-panic attack when I started writing this column about my journey with ankylosing spondylitis (AS). It was the middle of the night and I…

“I have been diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis.” That simple statement comes with extremely powerful emotions that can often feel contradictory. When my family doctor revealed that the results of a recent MRI showed evidence of ankylosing spondylitis (AS), the two main emotions I felt were relief and fear.

Last night, my husband, Dave, and I were sitting outside, drinks in hand, with a sliver of moon hanging above us in the deepening indigo sky. We both gasped and said, “Ooooh, wow,” as a shooting star flared briefly overhead, then turned back to each other to continue our chat.

“Oh, no! We forgot to burp the carrots today!” my 5-year-old son exclaimed with alarm as we waited to see the chiropractor. The appointment was a little break from our morning home-schooling routine. I looked over at him, chuckled as I saw a sticker on his forehead that read…

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…