A.S. Face 1824: Jennifer Konkler
This is me at 43 years old. I was just diagnosed with AS by a surgeon this summer. I had figured it out a while back. I started going to doctors after I had my last child. 18 years ago. I never fit into one certain group to make the doctors happy with a solid diagnosis. I was told it was arthritis. I did pain management, biologics, chiropractors, physical therapy and a psychiatrist. I did all of these this twice! Nothing ever helped.
I am on disability. My physical pain is minimal, most times. It is the mental pain that bothers me the most, the stares and whispers that hurt me the most. I do not take any medications other than an occasional naproxen. I have pretty much given up on doctors. All they have ever wanted to do was give me more pills. That is not the life that I want. I have an opportunity to have surgery to straighten my spine, but it scares me so much! I am for the most part pain free at the moment, and my concern is the pain afterwords, or the complications that could come with it. The surgeon thinks that my spine will not get an worse.
So this is me. I will not let AS stop me. It may slow me down (a lot), but it will not stop me. I have my days where I lay in bed crying “why me”, but the next day i am up and outside. Playing with my dogs, or in my garden, or running my kids around. I can not stop. I will not stop!
Texas, United States of America
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This is me at 43 years old. I was just diagnosed with AS by a surgeon this summer. I had figured it out a while back. I started going to doctors after I had my last child. 18 years ago. I never fit into one certain group to make the doctors happy with a solid diagnosis. I was told it was arthritis. I did pain management, biologics, chiropractors, physical therapy and a psychiatrist. I did all of these this twice! Nothing ever helped.
I am on disability. My physical pain is minimal, most times. It is the mental pain that bothers me the most, the stares and whispers that hurt me the most. I do not take any medications other than an occasional naproxen. I have pretty much given up on doctors. All they have ever wanted to do was give me more pills. That is not the life that I want. I have an opportunity to have surgery to straighten my spine, but it scares me so much! I am for the most part pain free at the moment, and my concern is the pain afterwords, or the complications that could come with it. The surgeon thinks that my spine will not get an worse.
So this is me. I will not let AS stop me. It may slow me down (a lot), but it will not stop me. I have my days where I lay in bed crying “why me”, but the next day i am up and outside. Playing with my dogs, or in my garden, or running my kids around. I can not stop. I will not stop!
Texas, United States of America
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