My Diagnosis

I was always active as a kid. I played soccer and softball, and then volleyball and basketball in grade school. In high school I continued to play volleyball and basketball, even becoming captain of the volleyball team in grade 11. However, I started to feel different. I was feeling more stiff in the morning, and was having trouble getting comfortable sleeping at night. By the time volleyball season ended, I had no energy left for basketball. I had to make the tough decision to not play one of my favourite sports. I also had a job working in a kitchen so I was constantly on my feet.

Strained Back Muscle

I can’t remember what exactly I did to hurt my back, I just remember the pain. I couldn’t left my right leg to get into bed. I knew something was wrong. I needed to go to emergency. Of course, being stubborn like I was, I wanted to drive myself, because walking around I was fine. But I couldn’t lift me leg to get into the driver’s seat. That decided it, I could only get in the passenger seat. The doctor confirmed, with another very painful test, that I had strained my back. He told me to stop all activity and rest. I couldn’t play any sports and I had to take some time off work.

Other Weird Aches and Pains

Throughout high school I started having other strange aches and pains. The most memorable one was with my ribs. They seemed to get out of alignment and every once in a while I would get a shot of pain that would even stop me from talking mid sentence. This would also happen in the night when I was trying to sleep. I was constantly tossing and turning to try to get comfortable.

Off to University

I guess I just accepted all of this as the new normal, so I graduated high school and went off to university. I continued with the tossing and turning at night and went to class. I lived the typical university student life, going to class, studying, and of course partying. Then one day, I was looking in the mirror and noticed how crooked I looked. I was leaning considerably to the right. I hadn’t really noticed it before for some reason, but I got really concerned. I decided to go to the walk-in clinic.

Finally a Diagnosis

The walk-in doctor examined me, asked a few questions and decided to refer me to a Rheumatologist. After a bit of a wait I finally had my appointment. The Rheumatologist examined my back, took a few measurements of my range of motion, and then asked me some questions.

• When did your symptoms start? (AS often begins in late teens or early adulthood.)
• Where do you feel pain? (Lower back, hips, buttocks, neck?)
• Is your back pain worse in the morning or after periods of inactivity?
• Does your pain improve with movement and worsen with rest?
• Do you experience morning stiffness? How long does it last?
• Do you have pain in other joints, such as knees, shoulders, or heels (Achilles tendonitis or plantar fasciitis)?
• Have you had chest pain or tightness, especially when taking deep breaths? (AS can affect the rib cage.)
• Do your symptoms affect your daily activities, work, or sleep?
• Have you noticed any changes in posture or difficulty standing upright?

Every question they asked was exactly what I was going through. I finally knew what was going on. The Rheumatologist was fairly sure I had Ankylosing Spondylitis. I did some blood tests just to confirm a few things, but this was my new life.

The New Normal

The Rheumatologist prescribed some medication for me to take and referred me to the Arthritis Clinic at the hospital to start physio. This was going to be the new normal for me. I was happy to finally know what I was faced with, but it did scare me. It was something I would be dealing with for the rest of my life. Back then there wasn’t the internet to get information, so I didn’t know much about AS. My goal of this website is to help people facing the same fears, give them the information they need to help them, and hopefully make their journey a little easier.