Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion Young Adults - The 20-Something Club Am I making a mistake here...

Hey there, I'll try to keep this short as possible.

I am 26 years old. I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis when I was 10 years old. At the age of 23 I had an MRI and it was found that I have ankylosing spondilitis as well now, maybe perhaps due to all the inflammation of my stomach in my younger years... progression of the disease.

I have episodes where my lower back is in massive amounts of pain and inflammation, along with inside my hips... the joints. I have general somewhat manageable amounts of pain everyday. I can still do what I need... I exercise, but mostly calisthenics. NEVER can run. I work as an electrical apprentice but have been finding I need to take more days off lately... I will be changing my path soon.

Just how bad are TNF Blockers? I take azathioprine right now... I have been since about 20 years of age. I take as little as possible just to manage it with some pain because I've heard and read they are really bad for your body... Will they effect me worse then AS in the long run?

I also was throwing down the idea of lifting weights and really clearing up my diet, it isn't that bad right now but could be better. I have heard lifting weight for some has improved it... and not in others.... thoughts?


Thank you, merci.

I'll just address the part on TNF-blockers, but keep in mind that everybody is different. I am 21 and was diagnosed when I was 19 with AS. I was put on Simponi (a TNF-blocker) a few weeks after I was diagnosed and since then, I've been able to walk, jog, and even run. My doctor doesn't know any of the long-term effects and I guess that's kind of scary, but my desire to move around completely overpowers my fear of long-term consequences (maybe just because I'm still young). The only bad thing is that because of the immunosuppression, I do get sick pretty easily. I have not gotten an infection since November 2012, however, so I would say I'm doing quite well. Good luck!

Oh and I don't really exercise except for when I walk to campus. Maybe I should exercise more... oh well

Welcome Merci,
I'm sorry that you have to be here, but you've found a great bunch of supportive people. I don't think the AS was caused by your ulcerative colitis, but certainly probably wasn't helped by it.

As AS if different with everyone, the biologics help everyone differently. For some people, they're make drugs. For others it doesn't do an ounce of good. Personally, when I'm on them, they help me for the first few weeks and then fade into nothing. It's a very personal choice, I wish you luck.

I started on humIra in June and while at first I thought I was seeing progress with the injection I also started to experience side effects such as drastic weight loss and chest pain, I've missed an injection and I'm definitely feeling the effects of it now. Personally at this point my benefits outweigh the side effects. I wasn't even able to get out of bed to take care of y daughter most days before the injections. I really do think they are just like every other medication, they have risks, they can have benefits. But they won't always work the same for everyone it's best to discuss your options with your doctor and continue to speak with others about their experiences to see if you'd be comfortable trying it. I was scared at first, but St this point I don't regret it.