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

Hello all, I know that many 20 something year olds out there with AS are in College. And I currently am having a difficult time dealing with my classes, work, my social life, and my financial situation ect. So I was wondering what other college students do to live with their AS while dealing with what can be very rigorous scheduals? Also if anyone have had to change their career path due to AS?

Thank you

Hi Ken,

I wish I had words of encouragement for you, but to be honest, I'm in a very similar situation. AS changed my initial career path and even my back-up one. I originally wanted to be a Marine Biologist, out working in the field and saving animals... Over the last few years, things have gotten progressively worse with my AS and now I'm not working at all and I'm trying to get back to school on a part-time basis. It's rough, especially where most people don't know what we're dealing with. I went to a University for my Freshman year and it was very difficult for the other students to grasp why I couldn't go out for pizza at one in the morning or why I had to get back to my dorm at a certain time to take meds. I think that the college lifestyle for someone with AS may be difficult, but certainly not impossible. I think the most important thing may be for you to know and understand your limits. I happened to have a very bad flair while in school and that's what caused me to stop going full-time. I hope you're managing well!

Hi Ken,

I left college only a couple of years ago. I was undiagnosed at the time and was really hurting and tired all the time. They thought I had asthma but really didnt. Anyway.....Here is what I did....
It took me 6 years to get my degree. I took it slow. I took a low course load and worked part time. I lived at home with my parents to save money and went to the local college. Some semesters I didnt work at all due to the demand of course load. During those time budgets were really tight but I made it though. I learned from the first couple of years when I tried to work 30+ hours and take a full course load. I was miserable!! I really like my job and I am glad that I got the degree I did. However now I am considering going part time due to the activity of my AS and other conditions. I havent decided what to do yet. Any decision will be made in December.

Sorry for rambling. I hope this helps.

If you have any specific questions please feel free to ask!

Good luck in your studies.

i havent even had the chance to start applying to places, since most of my AS took place in those pivotal years of graduation and moving onto college/getting a job.

i got stuck with this disease at home. its really really depressing actually! I try and try to have a stronger more positive outlook on life but my environment makes it hard to.

i really want to go to school though and start working towards my goals! hopefully i do sometime this year. *fingers crossed*

I started on the nursing path before I began having any noticeable heath problems, and stopped because I married my husband who was in the Army at the time. We subsequently had 2 baby boys, now 1 and 2yrs old. I have gone back to nursing school and graduate soon, but I found an accredited online program through Chamberlain, where ALL of my classes are online, except labs and clinicals. The latter are at the most 2 days a week for 2hrs at a time. I feel like it's been a God send being in an online program. I can't imagine having to go to class 5 days a week for who knows how long just sitting in lectures. It's been great now that I have a family, but even more so now that I am dealing with AS. I have come to the realization that my specific career specialty in nursing may have to be altered due to AS, but not my career as a whole. It worries me to know end to have to be on pain meds and passing meds to patients. Or if I don't take the pain meds, but am in so much pain that I'm not thinking clearly. Take it as it comes I guess.

Consider working part time in your desired career field or exploring other career paths that you'd be more comfortable in (litterally) that you may like. Sorry I don't have any great words of wisdom.

I'm also taking the part time route with school now. I also work a desk job part time (24-32 hrs/week) and photograph a few portrait sessions or weddings per month. I'm busy, but I'm less exhausted than when I was doing 15 hrs of classes and working 20-30 hrs at Starbucks.

I really need to get set up with the disability office or whatever at school, but I only got my dx at the end of last semester and haven't made the time to do it yet. I do always let my profs know at the beginning of the semester that I have a gastrointestinal condition and an arthritis condition, so if I get up a lot during class, it's to use the restroom or because I hurt too badly to keep sitting. I don't want them to mistake it for rudeness/disinterest. I find the advanced notice also makes them more lenient toward absences/tardies so long as I keep them in the loop and don't abuse it, like if my GI stuff has me trapped at home. I make it clear that I'm not looking for special favors, but that there's the potential for unavoidable absences, etc.

I never had a chance to go to college because of my lack of mobility from the AS. Once I have had my hips replaced and my mobility hopefully restored I really want to go to college and study to become an art therapist. But I am worried if that will even be possible. I hope it will be, but only time will tell.

I wish I could go to school part time, but at the school I go to there are only two programs, and they are both very accelorated. In less then 3-1/2 hours I recieve my bachelors degree; and thats great that I get a degree so quickly, but that also means that I have to sit in class for sometimes 6 to 9 hours depending on the day. And I also have to work because I have a tremendous amount of student loans that I'm going to have to start paying for soon. So everyday it's a struggle for me, I just can't wait until this November when I finally graduate.

As for my career path, I feel I'm going to be forced to change. I have wanted to be a cook/chef since I was a little kid, but the kind of restaurants I want to work in will require me to work 12-17 hours a day, 6 days a week. And that seems impossible right now considering I can barely get through my class schedual right now.

I just don't know what to do

I went to college online so I could do my work at my own pace at home instead of trekking around campus from class to class. I know this isn't an option for everyone but it was really helpful to me.

I've been able to take one online class and I LOVED it. It was the perfect set-up for me. I wish my degree plan offered more online courses.

I'm doing school full time, but it's 100% to keep my health insurance. I must admit I'm not doing as well as I should, but as long as I'm enrolled in the classes- I keep my insurance. Being on $20k+ medications, that's pretty vital. After my 22nd birthday in April, my student status won't matter. I've been at a community college for four years, changed my major three times. I can't put my heart and my effort into it, and haven't been the best student, because frankly- I don't want to do what I have spent the past 4 years working toward. I'd love to open a bakery with my sister, but that idea is a bit scary. Maybe years down the road if we were successful, we could hire people and not work all the time...but when we get started, it's a lot of stress on my already suffering body.

I'm in one class that meets 2 nights a week, one night is 3 1/2 hours and it's torture. In casual conversation, I brought up my condition to my professor. I didn't mention it in the beginning of the semester because my pain was pretty well managed, but now, I need to get up and stretch a bit. So I told him, and he was very understanding. I work five days a week, eight hours a day as a nanny, and on school days I head straight to class after work. Having an 11 hour day plus all the driving is starting to really weigh down on me, I just can't wait until it's over.

After that, I have to figure out my path. The idea of not going to school is scary, just because that means I really have to start thinking and making decisions about my future. But I'm happier to do that than to suffer through school anymore. Some people are cut out for school, I am not one of them.

Sorry, this wasn't really advice. But just know I'm with you, in the same stinkin' boat.

I've found that it's best to be honest and up front with professors (and bosses, for that matter!) regarding how you're feeling physically, how many doctor's appts you have, etc. It helps if they understand the severity and chronic nature of what's happening to their student/employee.

When I had my first iritis attack, it was just after spring break. I had two music classes: one, had to drop, and the other I just barely passed with a C. My professor was lenient about me missing three weeks of school because HE had personally had iritis attacks in the past, so he understood completely. Honesty!

My iritis is getting worse, but I'm nearly a senior in college now. I'll do anything it takes to finish with a bachelor's.

My AS came on furiously during my senior year in college. It was *HELL* finishing up my double major in chemistry and biochemistry. I had a few months of just lying in bed because I felt sooooo sick and out of it. And all I had at that point was joint cracking. The pain hadn't even started yet [but by then end of spring semester my ankle was "sprained"]. Just that initial surge of systemic inflammation sucked the life out of me, though.

As far as career path goes... with my background, if you want to rise to the top and not spend your time being a non-thinking robot exposed to toxic chemicals all day long, you must get a phD or got a to a professional school like medical or dental school. The phD route involves 5-7 years of hard lab work and then another 3 years of lab work as a post doc. Med school has crazy hours etc. With this in mind, I am going to have to bail. What a shame! I was definitely on track to be a scientist until AS came. I've worked as a research technician doing full-time labwork alongside PhD students and senior scientists, and I just can't keep up with them because of my fatigue/low stamina. And the breakthrough pain certainly doesn't help.

The more I think about it, I need a career that allows me to set my own hours and work from home. I wish myself luck in pursuit of this career.

Career/education has been a major source of stress for me these past few years. How do you establish yourself in a career path and support yourself as a a young person with these issues? At times I have been kept awake at night hoping that I don't end up homeless or something when I am older.

I've found school to be so taxing, and sometimes it's really hard to keep up with things due to AS. It sucks! For me, my two downfalls are fatigue and constant pain. While I see everyone effortlessly glide across campus or running, I feel so left behind. Another thing I've noticed is every since I've started having difficulty with AS my mind has been very foggy. I'm not sure if it's the medication that does this, the lack of sleep I get due to pain or what, but the it makes the academic portion of it very difficult, and I've always been a straight A student.

A few things that I've found help:

-Be honest with your professor. Unless they have miserable lives, they will usually be understanding, but keep in mind that there is a limit to their understanding.
-Get good rest. I've found that the college party scene isn't a good idea. Staying up late night after night just doesn't mix with AS.
-Eat right! This is probably a "duh" bullet point but pay closer attention. I've noticed a difference when I don't eat meat and drink all the water I can stand and constantly snack on fruits and veggies. Try it out
-Have a support system. Besides us, that is. Everyone needs a friend to vent to, someone who understands or tries to understand what we're going through.
-Don't work if you can. I've done the full time student and full time worker routine for years and I recently quit my job. It might not be reasonable for you, but if you can swing it, it helps so much.
-Exercise. Finding 30 minutes a day to do any type of exercise helps with energy and arthritis.

Anyway, those are the things I've notcied makes the biggest difference over the years.

Good luck.

Chemman, I would urge you not to burn bridges at this point while you still don't have your fatigue sorted out. I am convinced that once you find the right treatment, you will feel 100% better and have your energy back. This could be a matter of months only.

As for setting your own hours, I have a Ph.D. and can perhaps give you some advice. Keep in mind that graduate school is one of the more forgiving occupations you can have for the next few years, precisely because you can to some extent set your own hours. Of course it depends on the precise field, but especially if you do something involving more theoretical or perhaps computational work (e.g., bioinformatics), you are often able to work whatever odd hours you wish and can often work from home or a coffee shop. Even if you do labwork, keep in mind that your fatigue is not permanent and once that goes away, you will be able (like I am already now) to be on your feet all day (in fact I feel better when I'm on my feet and moving around all day than when I'm still, which is not uncommon for AS).

This is not directly related to AS, but I found the book The Anatomy of Hope by the famous hematologist Jerome Groopman very inspiring. I'm referring to one particluar chapter in that book, where he describes his own experience with chronic debilitating back pain due to a botched operation that lasted decades, overlapping with his residency, his fellowships, and his practice as a doctor, and how he dealt with the struggle of only being able to sit for a few minutes in the lab, etc. I think it is a great read for anyone considering giving up, especially for someone like you and me whose prognosis is much better than his was.

Anyway, don't make decisions you may regret later based on how you feel right now.

I can relate to many of you in dealing with AS and going to college. I was hoping to be finished at the age of 26 or 27 with my bachelor's degree. Up until the fall of 2005, I was very healthy and active. I did very well in my classes (except math). I had my first iritis bout diagnosed on Nov. 4, 2005. At the time, I was taking eleven hours of classes. Fortunately, I was also taking online classes. I also had to instill eye drops every hour (including at night) in addition to taking predinsolone pills. I felt tired and did not have energy for anything. When I was not studying, eating going to class or my eye doctor, I napped. The eye doctor told me my left eye cleared up on Dec. 2, 2005. Trying to finish up a semester when I was not feeling well was not fun. But I managed to pass all of my classes.

The only time I was sick in 2006 was when I had a really bad cold and I did not have to go to the doctor that year at all. I did well in my classes and was going to get my associate's degree the following spring.

Shortly after my 25th birthday in Jan. 2007, my joints started to ache, I started feeling weak, my hair was falling out, I had lost a lot of weight. I was also having ankle and foot swelling around spring break. I was also taking yoga and dance areobics at this time for my P.E. credit. I went to the doctor who took x-rays and they could not find any broken bones, but he told me to take it easy. My yoga and areobics teacher was very understanding and let me modify my exercises and watched me like a hawk. It was a miracle that I finished off my semester in my yoga and areobics classes and my other two classes. I made A's and B's for that semester. On May 12, 2007, I graduated with my assocaite's degree.

Summer 2007 was not a fun one for me. I finally was encouraged to see another general practice doctor, who ran a bunch of tests on me. I was tested for thyroid issues, RA, lupus, and everything but AS. I was anemic and my vitamin D was very low. I was referred to a rhemy and had to wait until Oct. 2007 to see her. During this time, I was accepted at Houston Baptist University. During the years I was there, they did not offer any online classes. I started feeling a little better with the vitamins. HBU was on a quarter system until fall 2008. This meant I had classes that lasted for nine weeks and a short ten day break and classes started up again. Anyway, back to my health issues. The first rhemy tested me for everything but AS and gave me pills that did not do anything for me. I had to cut my hours and take fewer classes because I still did not feel like I can keep up with a full time load. During that time, I also had to take physical therapy (I would go to physical therapy about two hours before I was to be in class). I still had problems with my neck and feet and actually begged my rhemy to send me in for MRIs and more X-rays of my spine. She told me that these tests were just overkill and refused send me in for more tests. At that point, I was ready to fire her and go to another doctor. During the summer of 2008, I decided to see an orthopedic surgeon. He ran more X-rays and sent me for some MRIs, which revealed some arthritis, but the doctor was more concerned about my neck mobility. I had more physical therapy and I got a TENS unit. I finished physical therapy in the week classes started up again.

Fall of 2008 was interesting. I still did my exercises and was doing my field work in a second grade classroom which I served as a teacher's aide to the teacher and learned about lesson planning. It was frustrating about the fact that I had to have someone drive me to and form class and field work. Spring 2009 was good because I got to work with first graders and read to them for a month. I was not feeling up to taking the fifteen hours I needed for a quicker graduation, so I took twelve hours or less.

In the fall semester of 2009, I was ready to take a full load of classes with sixteen hours so I could get closer to graduating. Just when things were looking up, my right eye started to bother me. Back to the eye doctor. I had another bout of iritis and had to take eye drops every hour at first (during my waking hours) and gradually lower the frequency of the dosage. My eye doctor told me that my iritis was likely the cause of an autoimmune disorder and the next time I had a problem that she would refer me to another rhemy. I tried to talk her into refering me to the doctor then, but she did not want to put me through that. I wished I had pushed harder. I had to tell some of my professors that I had to leave the room to take medicine (some of my classes were an hour and a half long). My professors were very understanding. I remember how my Math for Preadolesents professor would ask me about my eye, she cared and was very concerned. That semester was when the swine flu and other nasty bugs were going around. A number of my classmates got sick and were coughing and sneezing. : If things could not get worse, I came down with a bad case of brochitis and had to miss several days of classes. My professors were understanding. In addition to my eye drops, I had to use an inhaler, take antibiotics and other pills. My energy level slowed down and I managed to push though the semester. My eye was finally better on Nov. 7, 2009, but my cough lasted until mid November. I managed to get caught up and finish my assignments. It was a stressful time because I still did not have energy from being sick and had to make sure everything was turned in and finishe on time. I made only one C and A's and B's in my other classes. I was proud of myself for sticking it out. I was disappointed in the fact that I could not be like a healthy college student and enjoy hanging with my friends as much as I wanted to.

Spring 2010 was a busy time for me and I did well in my classes, but still had aches and pains. I had to take summer school classes that summer so I could graduate the following spring. I was starting to feel tired, my hair was falling out, my joints were starting to swell again. I managed to stick it out for my summer classes. One session lasted five weeks and the other session last four weeks. During the last week of my second session of summer school, my eye was bothering me again. I waited until I was finished with my finals before calling my eye doctor.

She was able to see me the next day and I told her how my joints were swelling, my hair was falling out, and how tired I was in addition to my eye problem. I also told her that I was going to be going to do field work at one of the schools in a few weeks and I needed to have my health issues taken care of. That was enough for her to finally refer me to the rhemy that she works with. My eye problems was just simply a scratch in my eye. A few weeks later, I saw the new rhemy, who ran x-rays, blood work in addition to evaulating me. He also did x-rays of my spine, because I could not bend over to touch my toes.

I also started my fall semester during that time. Field work didn't start until the end of that September. I still did not feel well. Between the time of my first visit with my rhemy and the day I had to go back for my follow up, I ended up in the ER during Labor Day weekend with my left knee swollen and could not even bend it. My first thought that I had a blood clot.
I did not injure it because I did not have the energy to exercise or could recall falling or twisting it. The ER doctor x-rayed it. I simply had too much fluid on my knee and had to have it drawn out a few days later. The doctor told me to stay off of it as much as possible. Well, that was not an option. My Statistics professor assigned homework for that weekend the Friday before and wanted it turned in the next Tuesday and take a quiz. Since I could not use the computer to show how I solved my statistics problems, I had to do it all in pencil and paper. To get the full credit for my homework, I had to show my work. That meant that I had to go up to the college and turn it in. Tuesday, my mother had to take me to the school just so I could turn in my Statisics homework and and tell the professor that I had to leave. I had to limp my way to the classroom. A number of us waited for fifteen minutes only to learn that the professor was absent, but would be back on the following day. I was ticked off. It would have been nicer if he had his secretary call or leave us a message on our answering machines to let us know that he was not going to be there. The next day, I had to have the fluid drawn off my knee and the doctor wrapped my knee in an ACE bandage. I was again, told to stay off my knee as much as possible. The next day, I went back to school anyway to turn in my Statistics homework, take two quizzes (the professor should have had us take one quiz that day). I will never forget how that fool professor behaved toward me that day. At the end of class, I waited for all of my classmates to leave the room so I would not be in their way. As I stood up and started limping out of the classroom, that fool walks slowly in front of me. It was obvious that my knee was bandaged up and I was limping, that professor was rude. I even sent him an email the day before that there might have been the posssiblity that I had to miss class because of my knee problem. He should have either let me pass or walked around me.

The next week, I got the news of my AS. I was glad they found out what was going on, but sad that my AS would change my life. I started feeling better with Remicade and methotrexate. I had to miss some field work time, but I made the time I missed by staying in my field work an extra week. My mentor teacher and my supervising professor were understanding and I even had doctor's excuses to prove that I had a medical reason to miss some classes for treatments. I had no idea of what to expect out of my first treatment, so I told my Statistics professor the possiblity of my absence the next day in his class. Well, you know what he said? He said that he hoped my treatments would help my allergies and coughing (I did have a cough from my ragweed allergies) and had to tell him that the treatments were for an automimmune disease. You'd think that he would have brain. He actually had the nerve to tell me that infusions were expensive and that my treatments were not working. I was glad to get out of his class with a C in Statistics. I still laugh about how brainless I thought he was.

Anyway, I had to change my degree plan because student teaching did not work out for me and I graduated on May 14, 2011 with my General Studies degree. Maybe in a few years, I may go for my master's degree and maybe, try to go for teaching again. As of now, I may settle for clerical work, or substitute teaching. I still have not heard from the school districts yet, as I sent out some applications. I hope to hear something soon about a job possiblity.

For those of you who are still in collge, you can be successful if you are persisitent and do not give up. Good luck to you.


Thank you for taking the time to read my very long story about how I got through college and how my AS afffected me during that time.

I got through college, 2 master degrees, and a PhD program with AS. The PhD took more years than I thought it would as my health problems, including fatigue and chronic pain became more difficult. But getting through the study programs is actually not as hard as working if you end up in the wrong career. My advice is to not assume you will be as well in the future as you are now. Age alone will make things more difficult over time, but my disease got dramatically worse when I was around 40. Try to aim at a job that will allow you to work flexible hours, so you can work around your disease (flares or fatigue). Don't aim at a physically demanding job, unless you enjoy working out and staying in top shape. Most schools and professors can be quite flexible on deadlines if you have valid medical reasons. Don't be afraid to ask for some accommodation if you need it. But do your best to not have to ask -- don't overdo it or take an overloaded schedule. Lack of restorative sleep can make your whole day bad, with more pain and fatigue, and lowers productivity. That is what I have learned over 30 years of AS with much of it being a student.

I've thought about changing my career path but I'm not going to let this get me. I'm currently in nursing school. It is tough. I noticed this quarter my symptoms were a lot worse while I was in school. I took 17 credit hours this quarter and worked full time as a nursing assistant night shift. It was tough. When I got on break, my symptoms were a lot less. It's a lot, being young and knowing that you are going to be in pain the rest of your life. You feel like you're old. I just started some antidepressants and I think this is going to make a big difference handling stress this winter quarter. Just manage the pain the best you can. You have to live so try to make the best of it. If it is getting the best of you (like it was me), you might need additional help. For me that additional help was antidepressants. Good luck!

If you don't mind, which medication are you using for depression?

Response to these meds depends on the individual patient's biochemistry, but I am just curious.

Hey, I definitely understand what your going through. I was diagnosed with Spondylitis, Sjogren's and some other stuff my junior year of college. I was 21 and thought I was going to lose my mind. I finally realized by after the first year of struggling by myself that I needed help. There are people on campus that are there for you. I confided in one of my professors and she helped my through all of this.
I talked to the office for Students with Disabilities and they helped my out a lot. Were not disabled but we do need extra time to get to classes and if we happen to be sick one morning and miss class.. We shouldn't have to run to the doctor every time to get an excuse. I have arthritis in my hands so I got someone to help me write my notes. Auburn is awesome at making accommodations as long as your willing to make the effort. Its hard.. Even with help when you don't feel good everything else becomes 10 times harder. Make sure you have a good line of communication with a professor. Someone who can help you out. I would love to talk to you more. If you have any questions just ask me. And what ever you want to be.. don't let change your mind. I want to be a physical therapist.. that is a terrible job with a back problem but I love it. Hope this helps!

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.

I am 23, mother to a 2 1/2 year old boy, wife, student and I work at a bar a few days a week. After a car wreck when I was 17 an x-ray of my spine showed old damage to the lumbar area of my spine but I was raised in a family of seven (all 3 daughters have AS) and unless you were bleeding profusely of fixing to die you just sucked it up. When the pain became so severe I couldn't walk without help (right after my son was born) I was diagnosed with AS, but didn't start Enbrel until about 6 weeks ago.
The pain from sitting in class for hours is second only to my shifts at the bar standing for 6+ hours. After every single class I have to stand VERY slowly as my knees tend to give out on me. This is all aside from the obvious exhaustion that everyone with AS experiences. Thank God I have a husband that understands I need a minimum of ten hours of sleep every night to function as a normal person.
All in all, normal life is really hard not to mention school! What makes it even harder is that the pain and exhaustion we endure isn't visible to others, my stepfather regularly accuses us of over-exaggerating for attention (Seriously?) Trying to go to school, work, heck even getting out of bed often is hard. The way I look at it is I will be so much prouder of what will I accomplish because its not easy for anyone, and so much harder for me.