Kickas.org Forums Ankylosing Spondylitis General Discussion #1 AS Web Support Group Hi, I am new member

My husband has AS. He was diagnosed with the disease in 1994 when Chevron retired him from his disease. Does anyone have the samea problem. ? My husband lives everyday with instense pain, he also has DISH, ortheoarthritis, RA and Diabetics.
Now he diabetics and nerve problems. I was just wondering how many people have the similiar problems.

to KICKAS.

Most of us live every day in pain. It will be of differing levels. Some are more tolerant than others.

There are people here in different stages of AS from mild to very advanced.

Get your husband onto KICKAS, there is a lot to learn here and I am sure he will enjoy the sharing people.

The rest of my post is my normal welcome information and is well worth a read.

You will find this site and the people on it very supportive, knowlegeable and experienced. One of the great aspects of the site is that people share experiences.

Have you been through the normal battering of tests, XRays, MRI, Catscan. Have you had a blood test done, HLA-B27 positive or negative, Rhuemtoid Factor, ESR and CRP readings.

Look around the site, there is a lot of useful information, the following are things you should look closely at.

The NSD No Starch Diet is well worth trying, many people here have had great success with the diet, some have managed to come off all medications on the diet. If the diet works for you, then that is got to be better than taking medications. Remember though that the diet does not work for all of us. If you are serious about trying the NSD, try starting with the 3 day Apple diet first, I think it is a system cleanesing/detox diet. As to the NSD, there are differing levels of the diet from strict NSD to LSD to Gluten Free. My suggestion is to try the strict NSD first and migrate down to the lower levels experimenting with various foods and there effects.
Here are some links. (just click on them)
https://www.kickas.org/as_dietary_primer.shtml
https://www.kickas.org/asfood.shtml
No Starch Forum
https://www.kickas.org/cgi-bin/w3t/postlist.pl?Cat=&Board=starch

As far as medications, have a look at postings related to Enbrel/Remicade/Avara these are relatively new medications to treat AS, the downside is that these drugs are extremely expensive and you will need to check if you are covered. Many people have posted great success on these medications.
Check out the AS Pharmacy Forum
https://www.kickas.org/cgi-bin/w3t/postlist.pl?Cat=&Board=drugs

Myself, I think the answer lies in finding the right combination of Diet/Medication/Exercise that suits you, everyone is different.
There is a saying here "Use it or Fuse it", exercise is really important. Some suggestions are Yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi.
Hydrotherapy is also well worth trying.

One other thing, learn as much as you can, you may find your Doctors knowing very little about AS, and I suggest that you become proactive in your appointments, ie suggesting and discussing things that you find on this site with your Doctors.

Look around the site, there is a lot of useful information here.
If you have any questions, post them up and you will be surprised at the amount of responses.

Another thing to watch out for is Uveitis (a form of Iritis), which is common with AS.
https://www.kickas.org/images/upload/uveitis.jpg
If you get this see an eye specialist immediately, as permenant eye can occur if not treated.

The following link's are some light reading on AS.
https://www.kickas.org/cgi-bin/w3t/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=support1&Number=153523&Search=true&Forum=support1&Words=update&Match=Entire Phrase&Searchpage=0&Limit=25&Old=1week&Main=153459
https://www.kickas.org/guide.shtml
This link also descibes the link between IBD (GI) and AS.
http://www.emedicine.com/oph/topic721.htm
http://www.medicinenet.com/Ankylosing_Spondylitis/article.htm

Also if you go back to the main page https://www.kickas.org you will find the following sections with great reading information.
Medical Center
Diet Center
These sections are well worth reading.

Also if you need a good laugh there is the Jokes Forum
https://www.kickas.org/cgi-bin/w3t/postlist.pl?Cat=&Board=humor

Sorry for all the reading material.
Take Care
Wayne

Hi

Wlecome to KickAS. I hope you and your Husband come here more so as we can get to know you both better.

John

Hi......we all have the same or similair problems....knowing you'll find some help here and relief....take care

Hope "Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow."
."

welcome, to the group!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am new myself but this seems like a really good site and lots of nice people here all will to help or send you in the right direction. Welcome again newfieboy

Hi Popscook,

Welcome to KickAS (and a warm welcome to all the new members I haven't managed to welcome too!)

We have a private "Friends and Family" forum specifically so that you can share in confidence with people in the same situation - living with a partner suffering from AS. In due course you should receive a message from Liz, the moderator of that forum, inviting you to join in.

Please feel free to join in on this and the other open forums too

     Loz



"Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people." William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)

Hi,

Welcome to both you and your husband. My mum has the diabetes and things, I got the gut and arthritis, my grandma and her sisters had a pleuthoria of related things alot is genetics and some is bad luck.

Whats happening for your husbands pain?

David

Thanks for your support. I have been looking for a good support group to share the same problems that my husband and I have experienced. My husband is the one that that has the disease, but he doesn't type or even use a computer. He is in a very progressed stage of AS. He was diagnosed ten years ago. His health has gotten worse with AS. He has a great out look on life and he manages to deal with the problems of his diseases. He has many other diseases, all of which isn't good. His kidneys build up stones and he makes too much calcium and that builds up and makes stones. This is his second time to have kidney stones. He is a good person and whom has devoted his life to his family. We have two sons, one is a successful chiropractor in Fort Worth. He is the head chiropractor for the Dallas Mavericks. He travels with them on their basketball games, plus he has his own Chiropractic clinic with a full team of Physical Thearapist. Then our youngest son, of 30 is married and lives 320 miles from us. I have been diagnosed on the borderline of no immune system. I have Fibromaylgia. Seems like when it rains it pours.
My husband and I live close to Austin, Texas, my father has Alzheimers and we moved in with him last year to help take care of him. My Mom died in 98 with Lung Cancer. I have one sister and half brother but they don't understand the horrible pain that my husband suffers each and everyday. He has been disabled since 1994. I don't work outside the house. I have a full time job of taking care of both of them. My husband gets his medicine from the Veterans Administration. If I work we loose those benefits . His medication cost 1500.00 a month. I doubt if I could get a job since I haven't worked since 84. Thanks for listening. Ann

Hi! Welcome to the site. I am a recently new member and have found great help here. I am the wife of an AS kicker too. He is also in horrible pain and is in the advanced stages as well. However, he is still working in computers and doesn't have to do much manual labor, thank goodness. As the wife, I understand how frustrating, emotionally draining, and terribly backbreaking it can be on you to take care of him. I also understand how worried you must be for him. I know I am with my own sweetheart. It breaks my heart to see him suffer. I am afraid it won't be much longer before he has to retire too and he's only 36. We have 4 children--12, 8, 4, and 6 mo. I have been looking for the "wife" type on this site and I hope that we can lend each other some support. My advice at this point is to take each day as it comes and count your many blessings. Feel free to post me anytime.

Karen

Hi Ann,

to KickAS (KA)! Hope you find the help you need for your husband.


Michelle
'Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage.' --Lao Tzu