Living

I titled this article “Symptoms of Negativity” but please do not think that this is going to be one of those, outward in, all you need is a smile on...

“Be sure to stretch” was one of the few pieces of advice I walked away with when I was told I had AS. The message got lost for a while...

Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of creative nonfiction essays during the process of designing an upper-level Creative Nonfiction writing course at the University where I teach and work. The...

Having an autoimmune disease like AS, my body can be vulnerable to getting infections much easier. I am on biologics (I take Cosentyx) which makes me even more vulnerable to...

I threw away my old boots today. These were not just any old boots. These were boots I bought in August 1973. Yes, you got that right, 1973. Wow, I...

I don’t have to tell you how frustrating and debilitating your symptoms can be. From joint pain to blurred vision, many ways in which ankylosing spondylitis (AS) symptoms can impact...

It's been exactly three weeks since attending my brother's 30th birthday party. It was something I really wanted to attend, as my brother turns 30 only once. Before the event...

Many of our grandparents and great grandparents dealt with world wars, economic calamities, pandemic influenza, polio, difficult working conditions, insecurity around basic needs, and the indignity of institutionalized hatred. These...

A little over a year ago I wanted to surprise my fiancé with something big for our 3 year anniversary--a trip to Las Vegas for an Emo Festival. I snagged...

Having ankylosing spondylitis, you feel like you are a human barometer sometimes. It is getting colder, I can feel it in my hips, back (insert wherever you feel it or...

On the Monday after the Thanksgiving holiday, many of my patients reported severe flares of their arthritis and back pain from ankylosing spondylitis (AS). One woman who was recently diagnosed...

In something of a weird coincidence, my step-father also had ankylosing spondylitis. Russ died tragically in a car accident several years before I was diagnosed, and most of my knowledge...

The holidays are approaching fast! I will go home to see my family in the south of France for two weeks! What happens to my daily healthy habits which have proven...

On my recent trip to Mexico and the USA, I was unable to bring my Enbrel injections with me. As I would be traveling around during the 2 weeks I was...

I wrote about my new digestive issues back in the summer. Back then I didn’t know what would come of these new issues, but I’m here to say I now...

A while back I started becoming overwhelmed with my health. It felt like I was being controlled by it day in, day out and left me feeling like I had...

Like our other Health Union condition communities, the Social Health Network brings people together to drive unique and impactful conversations about health. It also aims to expand opportunities for health...

I’m learning to knit. This was entirely unexpected after 15 years of crochet and a lifetime of being surrounded by crochet. My mother crocheted. I crochet. My (imaginary) daughter Dawn...

In late 2017, I was prescribed Humira, an immunosuppressant delivered to my home in a Styrofoam crate accompanied by many colorful pamphlets. To learn how to inject myself, I went...

Energy is what we need to keep going. Energy is what we need to feel good. Energy is what we need for our day to be productive. Energy is what...