Living

The summer of 2019 was the most stressful time of my life. I put The Dude (my elderly uncle and Ward) on hospice, sold his house on an emergency basis...

If you read my article “The River Denial” (all about the difficulty of asking for and accepting accommodations) you read that I was planning on taking my wheelchair to the...

If you don’t deal with chronic pain or illness, you’re probably wondering what it’s actually like to experience a flare-up. Lucky for you, I’ve been through enough for a lifetime...

I'm writing this article to air a frustration I have with something a lot of us with AS have to deal with. I feel like I’m constantly fighting for myself...

Have you ever fallen asleep watching one movie and woke up to another? One minute Harrison Ford is Indiana Jones, then you pull that soft blanket up under your chin...

The notion that people could fake a disability is widely held in our culture. Maybe it's a form of denial around life changing illness and disability? Maybe it's because we...

I'm naturally a highly empathic person. In my research of ankylosing spondylitis, I kept reading about the chronic pain but wanted to know more. How painful is it really? What...

Imagine a spondylitis patient called Shawn. She's an African-American forty-something that most people think younger because she's prone to giggling, can't stop retweeting anything with frolicking otters, and wears lip...

I feel like a lot of people that follow me on social media probably wonder “Why is she so open about everything?”. Why do I talk so much about my...

Living with AS can feel like a buzz saw merry-go-round. The saw blades are composed of the health issues and symptoms we're fighting back against. The merry-go-round, a mash-up of...

If you had to pick 1 aspect of your life that has been most affected by AS, what would it be and how have you coped with that? If I...

How to work it, when your body won't work... If you take a poll of the ankylosing spondylitis community, you will find that employment is a real trouble area. Most...

At 23, I became a caregiver when my husband Keegan was bedridden from nonstop pain and immobility. Immediately finding oneself in the caregiver role, it's hard to know the skills...

I’m currently going through a hip flare-up, so I decided to write this post about my flare go-to’s, or my essentials for getting through a flare. These essential items help...

I am a proud wheelchair owner. I am not, as of yet, a wheelchair user. Why is this? Well, I have my reasons. Living with AS is unpredictable. Good days...

Sometimes living with spondylitis feels like I'm on a bizarre game show. Where I'm the host and the medical community are contestants. We understand the topics and questions, but the...

Do you know what it’s like when your brain is exhausted? We all have been there. You stay up late to work on a project and you start hearing voices...

I live in the same house my mother was raised in. It's had a few minor modifications, but we still use my grandmother's pots and pans, and her pictures are...

When were you diagnosed with AS and how did it initially present itself? I was diagnosed with AS in February of 2018. I initially had symptoms in February of 2017...

This means planning to rest, emphasizing your own boundaries, values, and priorities to maximize personal health and wellness. Holidays and celebrations turn up the social and cultural pressure to make...