My journey with Ankylosis Spondylitis (AS) began about 15+ years ago. My dad had an accident and the stress triggered Uveitis in both my eyes. I still clearly remember not being able to open my eyes as they were extremely light sensitive, swollen and painful. My ophthalmologist (one of my twinkling lights in life), who has been a blessing to us over the years, immediately had me take the test to see if I was HLA –B7 positive, a genetic marker found in people with AS, When it came back positive we knew I was looking at AS. It hit us like a ton of bricks and we quickly went to the fix it mode. Immediate need was to get the inflammation down so I could see and hopefully travel to India but little did I know that it would take months for the steroids to work and bring the inflammation down.
The next step was finding a Rheumatologist – a doctor specializing in auto immune disorders, but what the doctors do not tell you is that they have a waitlist and it can take up to a year to get on their calendar. Thankfully my Ophthalmologist helped us and I finally got an appointment with my Rheumatologist (recommended by my dear friend) a couple of months later. I was pregnant with my daughter when I first met him so could not take any medication. But by gods grace the disease went into remission during my pregnancy and I had my daughter, the greatest treasure of our life.
Treatment Plan
It’s a blessing to have a great doctor who has so much experience with auto immune disorders, and he has been my guide for the entire journey When I was diagnosed he helped me get on medication to treat AS, 6 months after my daughters birth. I’ve had to change, adapt and alter medications over the course but that’s for another day.
Disclaimer : This is not a Medical opinion or diagnosis. This blog is my personal experience with the disease only.
