arthiritis

Hey guys, ( 21 yr old dood😄)
Hoping everybody is well.
I am new member and I wanted to detail a few of my symptoms, and hopefully someone can give me possible suggestions from their own experiences.

SYMPTOMS:

- thoracic back pain (ache)
Started as lower back pain, evantually moved up
- started when i was around 15, in the begining pain was barely noticeable, but over the years it is getting progressively worse. ( i genuinely think i will be paralyzed soon)
- pain improves with activity ( i was an athlete in high school and i am still active; helps keep the pain at bay to some level)
- git troubles
- i have noticed that one side of my back gets inflamed more
- cannot sit in for more than 20-25 mins
( sucks cuz i have full day of classes)😕
- mom has rheumatoid arthiritis

So, under my own investigations, i think ankylosing spondylitis is a fit for my condition, havent gone to a doctor due to the pandemic and all, so AS is purely a self diagnosis. If you guys have any other thoughts on what i could i be suffering from, please please please tell me.
I am naturally a happy person and most things dont bring me down, but this back pain is starting to pull me down, i really am losing hope and putting a name on whatever this is, will help.

Thank you so much for reading my essay here, and whatever illnesses you guys are suffering from, i urge you to fight through the pain. Good luck.
Cheers

#BackPain #AnkylosingSpondylitis #Undiagnosed #BackPain #backache #arthiritis #SufferinginSilence #BackPain #IrritableBowelSyndromeIBS #Musclepain

In a world full of medical professionals, (MD's, PA's, NP's, FNP's, SW's), who look at their chronically ill patients as if they've blown a gasket or have something loose up there, I wanted to appreciate the professionals who actually listen to their patients and understand that those who have chronic illnesses tend to be more in tune with their body than most patients are.

This thought was prompted from my memory of a doctor who, rightfully, has retired now.

Doctor T, was my mother's primary care physician. And as her practicing medicine came to an end, Doctor T was completely honest with my mother one day and admitted that when she was listening to my mother explain her pain for the first time, she thought, "This woman is crazy." And at that point in their patient-physician relationship, my mother stated that she didn't blame her.

Years before this conversation, 2003, to be exact, we lost my great-grandmother to cancer, and the loss of her pushed my mother into the most life threatening flare of her life.

My mother went to Doctor T in unbearable pain, which, if you have chronic pain, you know when the pain is so bad you can't push through it anymore, yeah, that pain.

Then the battle commenced. Doctor T insisting that mother was crazy, and mother insisting that something was wrong.

With a sigh, Doctor T peered at my mother over her glasses with a look that we never thought we would see on her face. A look of belief.

So, Doctor T made calls to colleagues, one of which must have been incredibly difficult, because as she got off the phone with him, she slammed her fist on her desk, and raked her hands through her hair.

"Gallbladder."

She said it so matter of factly. And we knew she meant it.

That doctor who challenged Doctor T, we'll never forget his face as he looked at my mother's gallbladder which looked to be in shreds nearly, after the surgery he fought against tooth and nail as unnecessary and impractical.

After recovery, Doctor T told my mother in a very chilling, very truthful manner, "I thought that was the last time I would ever see you."

To this day, I'll never forget her bravery. And to this day, I'll never forget my mother's resolve.

Ending message, if you're a healthcare worker, don't worry about the people who call you crazy, or get upset when you call them in the early morning hours for your patient. Your "annoying" or "ridiculous" call could very well be the only thing standing between your patients life and death.
And if you're a chronically ill patient, you are your body's best advocate, own it. There is one thing a textbook can't teach these doctors and that is what it's like living with chronic illness first hand. Know your body, and don't let anyone persuade you to think any differently.

Have any of you experienced something similar? Comment below!
#Fibromyalgia #Lupus #ChronicPain #ChronicIllness #SystemicLupusErythematosus #arthiritis #RheumatoidArthritis

With #CrohnsDisease , #inflammatorybowelsyndrome and  #Depression Ihave noticed a gradual winding down of my physical energy levels. I am also troubled by joint stiffness and pain that sometimes prevent me from doing the little bit of work I can still do ( I'm waiting for a Disability hearing ) . They say it's not #arthiritis but they also don't know what else it could be. As someone living very low-income I qulify for Medicaid but also can only be seen at loe-cost/free clinics where the knowledge of #autoimmune or chronic conditions varies wildly.

I am a freelance musician, visual artist and teacher. I retired 7 yrs ago from full-time work as a bicycle mechanic because the fatigue made it impossible to sustain full-time work, and the shop could not accommodate my need for a 15-hr/wk, flexible schedule (reasonable accommodation is not enforceable for businesses of fewer than 25 full-time workers).My former social life was built around fixing, riding and racing bicycles. That life is pretty much over now, and I have yet to find another place to belong socially. A few friends from my bicycle days are still in touch, but I cannot make appointments to hang out with them because on the day of the appointment I may be stuck in a bathroom or too fatigued to get dressed.

So for now I try to stay in the present. My partner has been amazing, and tells me she knows I'm doing what I can to bring money in; she also knows that going forward she'll likely be the primary breadwinner, which is a switch from when we got together 18 years ago (when I had steady work in the bike industry and she was a freelancer).

Some days are harder, some days are easier. I try to stay grateful for all I have in my life, the people and the home I live in and everything else.
But now and then, I'm afraid to hustle for gigs because my hands will flare painfully and I can't play my guitar for days on end, and I have NO idea when it will subside.