hi! welcome to KA
for me, i have undiff spondy, and it fluctuates as i definitely have flares. so for me, the way i get through the rough spots is partly knowing i'll recover in between. my biggest problems are my SI joint, ribs, and tendency to tear tendons and ligaments during flares.
i started having problems when i was 35 in 1998. back then, i didn't have the knowledge, medical team, tools to help me out and so i went from one flare to another and was bad in between. my body was a mess back then. but then i found some good doctors and PTs and they helped me get things under control.
now i take the muscle relaxant zanaflex, use the nsaid flector patch over my SI joint, and use LDN (low dose naltrexone) because at the time the rheumy i was seeing wouldn't try any other antiinflammatories and i wanted to try something. all of these things are very helpful, though i'm currently in search of a better drug with my current rheumy.
i also have a home ultrasound machine that helps when a tendonitis really flares.
and i've used a lot of ice for inflammation and ice and heat for muscle spasms over the years. that was my main solution til we came up with better ones.
it always seems to be a moving target. once i get one thing figured out, its time to figure out something new. but 13 years later and i'm still working, still managing. and i remember just a few years into this, my stepfather asking me, "if you're like this now, how will you be when you get old." and i remember telling him, i'm just taking it one day at a time. i think that's the best thing. plan as much as one can, but at the same time, take one day at a time. though i think my disease has progressed since i started having problems, think i'm better at managing it now, largely because i've got a pretty good medical team, and because i pay attention to what my doctors, PTs, etc teach me and can largely help myself.
anyway, if you are in nursing, i'm sure you'll learn ways to help manage your disease. plus there are some very good meds out there these days that do help a lot of people.
good to meet you.
