A Ankylosing Spondylitis story
In my junior year of high school I was working at a daycare in Fort Meade when I got Parvo. It took them almost a year to diagnose that. ALL my joints were affected by the Parvo and I was in pain all the time. I walked my high school graduation with a cane.
My first two years of college, I was told that it was "just the Parvo" that was hurting my joints. Even though Parvo is only supposed to last one year.
The end of my sophomore year of college, I went to the school CNP for a cold. Being new I filled out the yard of paperwork and Sara Gottlib was the first to ask me WHY I had so much pain. I didn't know what to say. Every other doctor just...Idk assumed I was making it up? She looked at me and said, "Dustie, you're only 19. You shouldn't have all these problems, there has to be a REASON." All I can say is thank God for Sara. She did blood work and then sent me to Dr. May. I was finally diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis in December of 2014. I'm in pain every single day. Except for two weeks in April I'd been on Humira for 4 months. It started working on my hips and knees but when I got an infection and stopped, the Humira stopped too. I've done 3 more injections and it isn't helping yet. My back hurts worse every day. I work at a gas station; it's just a summer job and I keep telling myself that the money is worth it but staying on my feet for so many hours at a time is really taking its toll. I'm having trouble staying hopeful because I don't know anyone else with AS and any stories I've heard are terrible. Also, even though I've lost weight since changing my diet, I feel like I'll never have relief. The weight I've lost has been a fight with every pound. I feel like I've been fighting forever and I'm still so young. I'm now on Sulfasalazine with the Humira and still suffering.
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