Living with ankylosing spondylitis - Michael Fennelly's story

[@diversedad7954]

I had so much sciatic pain in my early 20's and I was told it was just normal growing pains. I couldn't do what my other friends could do. I was told only fat people had back problems and I'm very thin. I was diagnosed with AS around the age of 27. It just felt so good to have someone finally confirm this wasn't in my head and have some kind of an answer. I was told by my specialist that it will probably only get worse and I will have to have a hip replacement by the time I'm in my 40's. Didn't know if I even wanted to have kids because I couldn't play with them the way I wanted. I'm now 38 and have a 4yr old and 8yr old. Through much prayer and also me trying to drink more water(realized I don't drink much water at all and joints need plenty of it), my 30's have been less painful than my 20's and I'm doing very well. Most days I feel almost normal and I do have flair ups(having a bad one right now) that sometimes last for days or even a couple weeks but I just take it easy, let myself heal up and get back to life. It's very hard mentally and it's very hard telling my kids I can't play certain things with them when I'm hurting, but otherwise I feel unbelievably blessed. My life is great....but not easy. Learning I had AS was just a diagnosis. I refuse to let it control my life. I may have to do things a little different than I'd like to but life it Good! I'll are doing a video on my channel talking about my experiences with AS in the future to hopefully help others. I wish I had known more about this disease early on.

[@liliac3895]

Hoping to see your video soon

[@dominikhruby6459]

@diversedad7954 What would you do differently if you knew more earlier?

[@diversedad7954]

@@dominikhruby6459 honestly I’m not sure. I feel so much better now (39yrs old) most days and the best thing I can attribute to it is prayer. I have prayed for healing and my mom has prayed a lot. The only other thing I can think of is I have a really hard time drinking water like I should. Our spine and joints are made up of a lot of water and I try to force myself to drink more water and stay more hydrated.

[@marindinu4948]

Hello. Have you considered biological treatment? I have just started it and even from the first dose it reduced my pain by 50%, something impossible to think about before.

[@dermotogorman3187]

Well done Michael, us Spondys have to educate ourselves and others.

[@historicinematics]

I just attack the day everyday. You work harder for everything and most people can't see how much effort it takes. You push and push with no ending makes you hardened.

[@legendaryotaku1165]

I have AS to but I take AS as a positive thing because I used to be 120 kg and it motivated me to loose weight and be active and now I am 74 kg fit and fine everyday doing exercises, though it pains some times but the pain goes away if I continue doing my exercises 😊

[@divakarluffy3773]

Dude that's something u have achieved yes this AS is life changing even i have quit my alcohal and getting used to proper diet and workouts

[@SevasTra420]

I was recently diagnosed 3 months ago took 6 yrs but I'm glad to of found an answer was bittersweet in ways and everyday is a new battle I have my good n bad days.. today's a rough one

[@doveseye.4666]

Your at the stage that you can’t see AS, stretch, eat good, rest and stretch and be grateful you don’t have the worst AS can throw at you.

[@imveryhungry112]

yeah the only thing you can do is take nsaids sometimes and stretch and workout and pray for the best theres no cure.

[@doveseye.4666]

@@imveryhungry112 hmm, NSAIDS are gonna hurt your insides really bad, it won’t stop the disease, I am looking at oxalates now and they seem to help, not sure its only been a few weeks but maybe.

[@ryanlebear]

I wish I'd been diagnosed at this stage

[@theoffgridhomestead5793]

I'm just over 50, diagnosed around 20 with a very active case of A.S.. Been through all the meds and presently on pain meds, anti inflammatory meds and even stab myself every 2 weeks with biologics. Just stretching and resting now while waiting for for my time to run out. A.S. has fractured my body, buried my mind in pain, and drained my soul of its life force. ...good luck!

[@doveseye.4666]

@@theoffgridhomestead5793 Do you have the damage along with the pose, I’m sorry does nothing but I understand every word you say?

[@Dave-ml4ws]

I was lucky to have a smart doctor. I was diagnosed within 6 weeks. I have the condition for just over 15 years and my posture is bad and irreversible due to spot fusion. Came off my escooter last week, fractured my wrist and hurt my back. The lower back spasms have been hell. I'm a bit of a zombies at the moment taking oxycodone and meloxicam. Got prescription for humira waiting for me once my wounds have repaired. Stuck living with my arsehole father, I just want to escape from his narcissistic crap, I feel trapped. I asked him to use hand sanitizer yesterday after he came home sick yesterday and he cracked it. Thankfully I'm not on humira yet.

[@hindusher6367]

I am 16 and suffering for AS any advice for me😢😢

[@jackcobbiii1797]

The doctors in America had me addicted to pain patches;( fifty now and a daily battle but what is life without a struggle to embrace. Stay strong

[@kalqubbaj4853]

Well done mate, great lessons to learn: - dun put your head down, how can we manage this - I have AS, but AS doesn't have me 👍🏻🇨🇰

[@vanessabyrne4739]

Really powerful story, thank you for sharing & congrats on all your sporting achievements!

[@giselle3013]

Thank you for sharing.

[@Not_Trolling]

I am 17 and also have AS but it was severe for 2 months after that i saw a big doctor and he asked me to get an expensive injection each week (now it is each month though) . It my AS doesn't affect me at all.. I worry about the future though but it will probably be fine.. I hope

[@ahmedshahid5530]

try medicine myonal

[@aldovisanda1732]

How about now bro?

[@wendytrujllo1003]

Hi, I’ve recently been diagnosed with AS. What treatment medication has worked for you??????

[@footwinner1]

I am also recently diagnosed. Sleep was a big factor for me. I also found yoga routines that have helped relieve the pain. The real solution is living healthy and learning what movements and exercises help you the most. I do a kind of training called Functional Patterns which has greatly relieved my pain.

[@ANTO-vl3lm]

@@footwinner1 low starch diet, did u try it

[@RaviShankarMeena-py6wl]

Every day in deep inside me i cry every day i am trying to collect some money so i can treat it or manage it I can’t afford a regular physio or a good dr 😢😢😢

[@footwinner1]

Have you tried any yoga for it? There is an online group called Yoga For AS. They have a lot of free resources that have helped me.

[@oORegularKevOo]

😢

[@minimondal3885]

I'm suffering with it 😭😭😭too much no cure

[@historicinematics]

Stay active as hard as is it is! Keep your chin up better posture!

[@ronan9779]

The condition is due to chronic inflammation which is caused by klebsiella bacteria in the gut. You can hugely reduce this inflammation by making dietary changes. Most chronic diseases are due to parasites or bad bacteria overgrowth in the gut. Stop consuming processed food. No sugar. No starch. No gluten. No milk. Do an elimination diet for 2 weeks to identify the cause of inflammation. Try eating only chicken, fish, eggs, bacon, red meat, cheese, bananas, pineapple, almonds, honey- none of this will cause inflammation. Godspeed.

[@Priya_Chahaliya]

Keep yourself mobile as much as you can. Exercise indeed is the key. Don't just DON'T GIVE UP. These flares won't last longer. you'll get stronger, harder. You just have to observe and learn.

[@tahsenhossain3749]

Hellow brother! have you discovered height loss?

[@Moonboy8745]

Hi am monojit singh from India.i have ankolysis spondylitis. Am very sad,because am cannot done any work,am cannot walk properly. am 24 age.plz help me

[@ronan9779]

The condition is due to chronic inflammation which is caused by klebsiella bacteria in the gut. You can hugely reduce this inflammation by making dietary changes. Most chronic diseases are due to parasites or bad bacteria overgrowth in the gut. Stop consuming processed food. No sugar. No starch. No gluten. No milk. Do an elimination diet for 2 weeks to identify the cause of inflammation. Try eating only chicken, fish, eggs, bacon, red meat, cheese, bananas, pineapple, almonds, honey- none of this will cause inflammation. Godspeed.

[@sourajyotiroychowdhury3443]

Consult a Rheumatologist as early as possible. They are specialists in dealing with AS related issues.

[@PranavJoshi-b8i]

Consult a rheumatologist asap please

[@ikeanthony994]

You can reverse your Ankylosing Spondylitis by changing your diet which involve stop eating gluten foods like wheat, rye, barley, stop eating grains like rice, corn, oath, stop eating night shades like pepper, white, red or yellow potatoes (you can eat sweet potatoes), stop eating vegetable oils, peanut, stop eating fried foods. stop eating processed foods, stop eating white sugar, stop eating pasta, bread, dairy (milk), eggs, chicken. You can make smoothies like blending green vegetables like kale, spinach, cucumber, you can also cook vegetables, eat a lot of vegetables, eat coconut, avocados, eat home prepared/made whole foods like sweet potatoes, yams and beans. You can also do exercise like walking, cycling.

[@TyphoonVstrom]

There is zero evidence to support your dietary suggestions.

[@JamalRiaz-cn1qw]

I went to see my GP today after many many years of terrible pain, he does believe i have AS based of what i’ve been through over the years. It would be nice to hear other people’s stories. I do want to say one thing though i know that they don’t know too much about AS based off the info online and i know the age range is a guess, but i believe ppl will have symptoms way before their 20s it just gets more and more unbearable in their 20s. I’m 22 and from what i know i’ve shown signs of it since like 13.

[@AnkylosingSpondylitisMan]

Hi My channel is dedicated to Ankylosing spondylitis; I was diagnosed in 2017, and have been documenting my journey since then. Stay strong 💪

[@danplugaru8187]

Michell is not spondylitis...what you have....is not fair-play....write all your history of illness

[@lynnfinney2611]

So sorry you have this , might I ask what you have for pain relieve , because I have Arteritis and my pain relieve just isn't working , I'm stuck in bed most Days ☹️, I agree people don't like to hear you moaning , but honestly when your in so much pain you just can't help it , people need to start understanding these illnesses 😏, Take Care Love x

[@PsychoKillertheGame]

I have the same condition as Michael and fibro to add pain wise. The best thing imho you can do is get referred through your gp to a pain consultant. He or she can provide what is called a lignocaine infusion and or epidurals. That, tramadol, yoga, sauna and bobs your uncle. I am back to work and all after being out two years unable to hardly walk.

[@lynnfinney2611]

@@PsychoKillertheGame Thank You , I will try that

[@renel7303]

Changing to an anti inflammatory diet did wonders for me. My biggest culprit is gluten, especially wheat. I can't take any of the anti inflammatory pain relievers due to a heart problem so the diet change was important. Both my Rheumatologist and pain management doctor said in my case the anti inflammatory diet and gentle exercise were key. Also stress reduction.

[@souv1aki]

​@@renel7303true, diet helps a lot, I still eat bread sometimes tho, but stress reduction and fixed sleep schedule did the thing. It didn't remove pain completely but I feel a lot better.

[@danplugaru8187]

One thing is arthritis reumatic and other spondylitis...!! Liars!!