After years of chronic back, hip, leg and shoulder pain, fatigue, degeneration in my spine and hip, morning stiffness etc, I finally asked my doc to do the tests.
Blood test results: HLA B27 PRESENT
Not exactly a huge surprise considering my uncle, brother and cousin have all been diagnosed with it - but I put off getting tests done even after having bad back pain since I was 23. I guess I was hoping for something a bit more 'curable' and not so degenerating! We don't get to pick our genes though and I suppose I just have to find a way to manage the pain. It would be a lot easier if I didn't have high blood pressure and GORD though - it makes taking anti inflammatory meds or most pain killers torture instead of relief!
I remember when I was in my early 20's and started to have back pain, my doctor then ordered x-rays. When he saw the films, he told me I had the spine of a 70 yr old woman and must have been hard on it over the years! He said I showed signs of arthritis, had a couple of worn discs and my shock absorbers were wearing out so not to start up jogging or high impact aerobics anytime soon and to try and improve my posture! I had never heard of AS back then and just tried to be a bit more careful with lifting etc.
I am not stooped over like my uncle or brother and so had convinced myself that I had something different. Denial only works for so long!
So along with having hyperparathyroidism, fibromyalgia and hypothyroidism - I now have AS too. What is one more? The more the merrier, right??
Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a type of inflammatory arthritis that targets the joints of the spine, particularly the sacroiliac (SI) joint, where the spine attaches to the pelvis. Symptoms include back pain, stiffness and reduced mobility
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