This article is from this month’s Spondylitis Association of America publication, and I identified with the author in a number of his observations. As he says in the article, the stories of people with AS are as unique and complex as the disease itself. Many people have been suffering and searching for answers for years. Many people alienate the people closest to them. The impact of pain, limitations and fatigue often cause irritability, frustration, social withdrawal and the gradual (or not so gradual) loss of ability to do normal or enjoyable activities can leave one feeling depressed, grief-stricken, even eroding self-confidence, reasoning ability and memory.
The author hits upon an outstanding concept when he recognizes with the diagnosis he became part of a group. A group he wants nothing to do with, and a group of one – the author himself. At least initially. It is true that most people have no idea what SA is, or what it can do to a person, and that alone tends to isolate an AS patient from most of the people in his or her life.
Again, if AS affects you, or anyone in your life, this article is worth reading.
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