Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion Young Adults - The 20-Something Club hi this is awesome

I just met with my doc today (by the way I am Ashley) and was telling her how alone I felt being 25 and not know anyone else going through the some junk. So I feel ecstatic I found this forum!!!

Yay, welcome! Boo that you need us, of course, but very glad you found us. I was fortunate enough to find the SAA forums the day after my diagnosis. There were 2 other active 20-somethings at that time. A whole bunch more have chimed in, in recent months, so we got this separate little home for us. Be sure to check in at the main forum too. There is great support to be had from the older crowd too. Just as it's helpful to talk to people in the same stage of life, it's also invaluable to talk to folks who have Been There and Done That.

I know how you feel! After my rheumy suspected AS (since then been officially diagnosed) I googled and found this place. I was unsure what the age group would be like but I joined regardless. When I saw that there were people here around my age, I was soo happy. Not happy that other people have this disease but happy to have people that can relate to what I am going through in this day and age. I just love that because I don't know anyone that even remotely goes through what I go through every day in real life. So I kind of get that from this forum. It's kind of calming to know I am not alone when I have my feeling low times.

a cool sort of related story. I was on livejournal and was commenting in a community post about work out gurus and their un healthy methods. I happend upon someone that left a comment asking what kind of exercises were really easy to do because of pain she dealt with and how she wanted to get her body in better shape. well in her comment i noticed a lot of what she was saying was sounding like AS. So i asked her if she didnt mind if she could specify if it was or not. She said she had never heard it so linked her to the main website so she could read up on it. she replied and agreed that she could have this. Apparently her doctor hadn't suggested AS but they did specify that it was some sort of auto immune disease. so she said she was definitely going to talk to her doctor about this. a day or so later after the conversation in the comments she messaged me saying that her grandma was diagnosed with spondylitis and that she now strongly believes that it is indeed what is wrong with her as well. she sees her doctor today, so i hope she messages me back and tells me how it went. that or she joins the forum like i suggested and posts about it.

i just thought it was awesome how i helped someone become aware of spondylitis and potentially get them closer to their diagnosis and help them have a better life by knowing what is wrong.

Hello Ashley,

I know what you mean feeling alone with AS, I was diagnosed right after I turned 20 so I know what you mean feeling alone, being young with this disease. This forum is a fantastic tool, I feel confident that I can ask any question regarding my health and the disease in the forums and recieve an accurate, quick response. If you have any questions feel free to ask or msg me.