Don't Let a Smile Fool YouBehind that smile of mine, hides many things, that I decide who to open up to and tell. Would you be able to tell that I have an invisible illness?... By Nicky Flikas3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments
Pain and SleeplessnessI’ll be honest, I’ve always had some trouble sleeping. As a kid it would take me several hours to fall asleep, but once I was asleep I’d be out like... By Anna Samson1 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
Experiments While I’m Waiting for a CureDo you remember the first question you asked when you were told you had AS? For me it was immediate - “Is there a cure?” I remember the kindly face... By Anne-Marie Raymond2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments4 comments
Preparing For My Rheumatology AppointmentsNo matter how many times I’ve seen my rheumatologist, I always find these appointments a daunting experience. I feel nervous. Many thoughts run through my head: What if my condition... By Ali Long2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
My Altered Breakfast RoutineI have never been a good breakfast eater. I am not a morning person and to be able to have a meal in the morning has always been a challenge... By Jamie Shinkewski3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments9 comments
Blessings That Ankylosing Spondylitis Has Given To MeHaving AS has been one of the hardest things that has been placed on my path. I have come to believe that finding the lessons can make the pain hurt... By Jes Hojsan2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments5 comments
Sex! (And Ankylosing Spondylitis)There. I’ve said it. Not out loud, of course, but on the page. Sex. It’s a great word when you think about it. It’s short – which can be a... By Steve Tuffin4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
Is It Just Me? My Struggles With Poor Body ImageI am sure other people worry about body image. It’s normal to worry just a little bit, right? But I wonder if others worry as much as I do. Is... By Steve Tuffin3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments4 comments
Full of Different Emotions Waiting to Start My Next BiologicIt’s been an anxious wait, since seeing my rheumatologist mid-July. I felt so confident leaving his office. Finally, felt listened to, that my pains needed some help. My pains had... By Nicky Flikas2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments
The "Flu-mira"It has been more than a year since I started treating my ankylosing spondylitis with Humira. This treatment has been life-changing. Even though I still might get some rigidity or... By Gabriela Guadalupe2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
My Experience With Switching BiologicsI started biologics in July of 2020, a nerve-wracking experience for me. I was on Cimzia for 3 months, I did not have a pleasant experience with Cimzia. I wrote articles about this that you can read. I... By Ali Long2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments5 comments
I Cherish My Precious AttentionWith AxSpa we can experience brain fog, difficulty to stay focused, lack of attention, and short attention span. That is the kind of thing that strikes me the most with... By Julie Vallortigara3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments8 comments
My AxSpA WeathermanIt’s raining again, I think to myself. I peek out the window and sure enough, there’s a downpour. I don’t need to see rain in the forecast, I can feel... By Jamie Shinkewski2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments3 comments
5 Things That Make Shopping EasierShopping is not my favorite thing. It was kind of fun before arthritis, but these days it’s just something that I have to get done. It’s the classic trickster’s trap... By Dawn Gibson2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments6 comments
My Experience with Ontario Disability (ODSP)Right before Covid hit I had made the hard decision to apply for Ontario Disability (ODSP) and quit my job. I had been considering it for months as my symptoms... By Sarah Lee3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
Write It DownI have always wanted to be a writer. Secretly. Secretly, because the world I grew up in didn’t have writers in it. Or writers didn’t come from or inhabit our... By Steve Tuffin5 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments10 comments
My COVID-19 Booster Vaccine ExperienceI was supposed to get my third Covid vaccine on the 9th of October. I postponed it as I was feeling so unwell from an awful flare. This flare has been going... By Ali Long2 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments1 comments
First Event Going Out With AxSpaIt has been 2 and a half years of being on sick leave. I got lucky in a way, as my diagnosis happened right before the pandemic. As Covid came... By Nicky Flikas4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments2 comments
A Spoonie ThanksgivingAs a London boy, my knowledge of Thanksgiving is very limited and mostly stolen from episodes of Friends which I used to watch as a teen. However, from what I... By James Hollens4 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments10 comments
What Helps Me Get Through My FlaresGetting my diagnosis was the easy part. On the other hand, getting through flares, that was a different story. My doctors never explained to me anything about what flares were... By Nicky Flikas3 min readBookmark for laterReactions 0 reactions Comments0 comments