Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion Young Adults - The 20-Something Club College and AS...

Casey,

I see you are new here. Welcome! We are glad to have you here, but we are sorry you have to be here. It sounds like you have a lot of knowledge to share, and I know there are people here who will help you also.

I am not in college yet but I hope to go within the next year or so. I know it will be hard but it is what I want to do. I would like to be an art therapist.

It is encouraging to hear that there are other people out there that push past having diseases to do what they love.

Becca

Hey Guys my names Cory and I'm new. Just got diagnosed a few weeks ago and kind of scared. Ive had knee, ankle and low back pain so far. and I've been on sulfasalazine or however you spell it for a month now. I haven't seen much change. I just have some questions. I can no longer run or exercises due to the pain. Before AS i played football for my university but now going into my senior year, this is out of the question. I now am limited to pushups and some ab exercises. There is no way I'm giving up on the social scene as well as my dreams and goals. Summer is coming up and i hope to get a full time job. I'm thinking about changing up my diet as I have read it can do wonders. Getting rid of starches i have heard can do great things.

I am wondering what types of alcoholic drinks you guys have found that keep AS from flaring. Also What types of food that are somewhat cheap have you guys discovered. College really does break the bank. any info helps!

I may be misunderstanding your question, but I don't think there's any alcoholic drink that acts as an AS treatment. If you mean what alcoholic drinks won't cause a flare, well... that's really something unique to each of us, I think. Personally, I worry more about GI flares than arthritis flares with drinking. I never have more than one serving per day, and very very rarely more than one per week.

I do best with food that isn't processed all to heck. Homemade meals (fresh fruit, vegetables & meat that I prepare) sit best with me. Produce can seem expensive, but hunt for the sales at your local grocery stores, and cook what's in season/cheapest.

Hi- depending on what meds you are on the doc will advise you not to drink- drinking with methotrexate is a big no no. Some docs will say a drink every once in a while is OK but most will say no alcohol at all - sorry.
Sorry that you have to deal with this so young. If you take good care of yourself things will be easier in the long run.

What a relief to hear from other 20 somethings working through AS and tackling education. It's encouraging to hear that I'm not the only one who feels exhausted & sad.

I'm able to attend part time so I don't get swamped during flares. I'm 27, and am working through a double concentration in Finance (which I love) and Information Systems Management. Before I came down with AS symptoms I wanted to be a doctor. I'm lucky if I can walk more than 10 minutes at a time-- Med school isn't an option for me. I took a while to watch how my peers fared in their careers before electing to go to business school.

I'm a professional photographer (by accident, which is a bit of a story), a mother to a vibrant 6 year old girl, and I've been married 7.5 years to an incredibly patient man.

I'm finally breaking down and going to an immunologist to seek treatment. I've managed to cope on ibuprofen & nerve blocks for years, but I'm fused up to T-2, my shoulders are fused at the collar bone, my sternum is fusing to my ribs & my neck is starting to fuse. Who knew that the neck would be what hurt the most?

For those who have neck involvement, how do you work through it?

Em

I'm not sure if it will help you, but try to avoid any grain alcohol. I noticed a drastic decrease in my inflammation pain when I cut out gluten. Yes, it could be a placebo effect.

Here's a list of gluten free alcohols, but make sure your medications are safe with them: http://www.celiac.com/articles/222/1/Gluten-Free-Alcoholic-Beverages/Page1.html

Em

I know that I tend to flare after drinking beer, despite not having a gluten intolerance, so there may be something else to that too. I actually do better with mixed drinks than beer/wine for some reason. If I have a GI flare though, I don't drink at all or I really regret it. I also didn't drink for pretty well all of 2011, first because I was very sick gastrointestinally at the start of the year, and then because I was dx with latent tuberculosis in March and was on heavy duty antibiotics until late December.

I have recently been diagnosed, but have dealt with the pain for a while now (since before undergrad). I am in my masters program now -might be a little different because I am in special education so all my instructors are amazing and so understanding!
The student health center at my school has also been wonderful giving me disabled parking (since some days walking is brutal) so I can park in staff parking (or disabled only on my really bad days). Financially I am not sure what to do with the frequent visits to a doctor -that still scares the heck out of me!
I have always been in the field of special education because my family and I have been touched by different types of disabilities. Luckily I even get to work in my field with a job off campus (they are really understanding -giving therapy to little kids with disabilities, mainly autism) and an assistantship (working with college age adults with intellectual disabilities).
Socially I have my husband and a few supportive friends I have met in my program. I have my days I don't want to talk to friends, but it is nice to have them around too.
So far I have lucked out with support. I also am a huge list person to break down what I have to do and only do what I have to do (I have stopped reading text books as much as I used to because I just don't have the time or energy to do it with everything else).

I am barely trying to get my Bachelors in English and Psychology. I am cutting back on my work load so I can dedicate more time to exercising. My only problem is that with the future costs of medical examinations and treatments. I need to figure out how I can afford them without quitting school. I used to work, but customer service stresses me out and stress is a problem for me.

I was recently diagnosed with AS and I am 25. I am going to college to be a pharmacy technician. I am going to an online school. It is much easier to manage your time in conjunction with your symptoms and flairs. My particular college (Ultimate Medical Academy) also will allow me some extra time when I need it to submit assignments. I really miss the more social aspect of the college atmosphere, but going to school online has worked out much better for me. It has been a good experience! Perhaps what you want to get a degree in is available at an online college too.