Just a note about the comments of spinal involvement being THE key symptom of AS. That was certainly not the case with me. I have had sacroliliitis, knee, ankle & plantar fascia involvement but no spinal involvement. Luckily for me I had all the other classic AS hallmarks of HLA-B27+, elevated CRP & ESR (although only mildly elevated at time of diagnosis), and x-ray evidence of sclerosis of SI joint. If I had been to a doc or rheumy who regarded spinal involvement as a prerequisite for AS then I would certainly have been misdiagnosed or left undiagnosed.
Just my thoughts on the whole diagnosis debacle - I can completely understand why people with AS type symptoms are searching for a diagnosis. I can see how it would be a pointless exersize if there weren't any effective treatments out there anyway but given the effectiveness of the biologic dugs I fail to see why anyone should have to put up with debilitating symptoms when there could be an explanation for them, and more importantly, effective treatments available. Considering the permanent damage that can occur when these things are left untreated there are plenty of reasons to be diligent in searching for a diagnosis. From reading some peoples experiences on here, depending on the individual doc or rheumy, getting a diagnosis can be a bit of a lottery so it could definitely pay to get a second opinion. In a few cases 1 doc says "definitely AS" and then other doc says "definitely not AS". Because most docs are unwilling to experiment with different meds without a definite diagnosis it makes it even more important to get confirmation of what you are dealing with. I also don't see why searching for a diagnosis and educating yourself about different diseases and treatments would prevent anyone from enjoying doing the things that are still physically able to do and living everyday to the fullest. Just my 2 cents.
