Just Keep Swimming — Janneke Phung

Since I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in October 2019, my symptoms have significantly diminished, thanks to diet and lifestyle modifications. But several years ago, despite my being a morning person, there wasn’t a chance…

“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…

“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,…

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…

“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…

If you asked me which complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies I’ve found most helpful for managing my ankylosing spondylitis (AS), I’d tell you diet and chiropractic care, hands down. Desperate for relief before receiving an AS…

My three boys down the hallway and my husband next to me were off in dreamland. The occasional rumble of a passing car and the shadows on the walls from the streetlights were hardly noticeable. My thoughts centered on…

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…

“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…

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 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…

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…