A.S. Face 0117: Deborah Laper

A.S. Face 0117: Deborah Laper

I was diagnosed in 1985 after being in and out of the hospital since I was 13 yrs. of age.
This is a horrible sickness that has caused me to be severely disabled.
I used to have a strong stomach, now I have to take Protonix daily to keep my stomach pains under control.
I have to take Align daily because of Colitis that I have learned usually goes with AS,
I was on Remicade, Humira, Embrel, Methotrexate both in pill form and injections.
The infusions caused me to be hospitalized from the bad reactions.
From the Methotrexate injections, my skin would shed and bleed causing my kids to nickname me
*Lizzie* after a Lizard.
I have been on steroids for 25 years. My face resembles a basketball.
I have had numerous surgeries, all linked to the AS. The latest being what they call the *X-Stop*.
The X-Stop is a new procedure where this Stop is put in between the vertebrae’s to allow the nerves to flow without entrapment.
Problem is that I have so much damage from constant inflammation caused by the AS that my spine is no longer stable and I am waiting as I type for a surgery date for a Lamenectomy on Lower Lumbar Disc’s, L-3,4 & 5, The Spine has been stabilized, and fused.
What most people do not know is that these surgeries are just stop gaps. AS never sleeps, it suffers from insomnia. The intense pain and damage continues…
as AS sufferers wait for some small sign of maybe a cure or at least a longer remission for all.
Keep up the good work,
Deborah
New York, United States of America