I thought I'd introduce myself!

I used to be a hardcore runner (won junior titles in athletics) and triathlete (had done several Ironmans, and was already entered in the next year's Ironman too).

Went from: this is weird, an injury! Can't be running related??? Never had that before! (seriously, I was the perfect running machine, never ever injured seriously. Not even once)

To: damn, this is being a real pain the [*bleep*] (literally!) as it *still* here!

To then: oh crap... this is going to last a while, but fingers crossed it will eventually go away. (as surely this is just some random one off? Right??)

But then: girl friend can't put up with the screaming at night I make from the constant pain (not to mention during the day, when I can't even get up in the morning without her lifting me up) so she drags me off to hospital (against my wishes!! I'm a bit of hard nut like this).

So then: lots of different doctors, all very quizzical (they engage in a little game of "pass the potato" too, as they examine me then determine I fit in some other specialist's field so pass me along...).

Then anyway: put on bed rest and I get pumped up with drugs, which seem to help eventually...

Then at last: yay, is gone! I can start jogging again! ("sort of" jogging, still got little niggles which are gradually going away...) Even did one 5km race in an ok but average time of 22 minutes (was actually my first run ever after this started, not bad for the first hit out I suppose even though went though hell in the amount of pain it dished out to me)

Some weeks later: WTF WTF WTF!! Not again... it is back :-( Back I go on the lethal cocktail of meds as prescribed by the doctor and being a coach potato (no exercise for me! boo hoo).

After two years: yikes, I've got to deal with this for THE REST OF MY LIFE?!?!

Later on: but why the hell don't they still know WHAT IS IT!

Four years after the start of this nonsense and we reach what happened about a week ago: which is when I got told by a specialist at the hospital I've got ankylosing spondylitis :-( Oh well... I suppose it is good at last to know what it is and have a specific name for it.

Hi, welcome. There are a few other NZ'ers here at kickas and lots of great people and tons of good info. When AS strikes you down in your prime it is a bit like getting bowled an underarm delivery but at least you now know what you are up against. AS is harder to beat than aussie cricketers but it can be battled into submission.

Yep - Then you get hellish googlies to deal with let alone the swings to outer-field; boundary catches, with silly mid-offs into the bargain - tell ya, jroc has it summed up - the AS team is a stinker to beat...and, they don't play fair, keep changing players and finding new 'ways' to torment one, as for their 'body-liners' Ho-Hum!! <LOL>

Hi Ironman, Welcome to the KA family. We're pretty good at KickinAS in finding many stratergies to bring to our defence. Liked your pharma post, now, that's a good one. Understand the play as t'were. Oh help, someone stop me. (jroc, your fault!)

Am stumped - (leaving the field in battered state - a maiden over, ya might say...hahaha)

Welcome to KickAS, sorry you have AS though, sorry for all you have been through. I like this support group,its been so great for me. I have learned alot, take care!

Hi Welcome: Hope you find this support group help you as much as it has helped me. Sorry, you have AS too. I too, was struck with it in my 20s when I was running, biking, etc...

Although, I can no longer run, I still walk and bike short distances. My passion is still there to exercise. Hope your passion is still there because I know exercise on a daily basis with this disease is important to maintain your range-of-motion, increase bone mass, increase circulation, decrease pain/inflammation, etc... You just have to modify your exercise routine so you don't over do. On really bad pain days, I take a pain pill and take a short walk or do some gentle stretches.

I know there are some ASers who still run so it is possible for some.

Welcome aboard!

Shari

hi and welcome!

i used to run, play tennis, swim, bike through my 20s and early 30s.

climb trees and ride horses too as a kid; jumping out of trees, getting thrown off a horse a few times when she got spooked.
and no injuries, nada.

then like you, got to a point where i was straining muscles and developing tendonitis or pulling tendons from such simple everyday mundane things.

like you, thinking, how odd is that! i used to be able to play tennis, now i tear a ligament pouring water from a pot into the sink, and i was only in my 40s.

and like you, took a while (a dozen years, as i tend to flare and then get manageable) but finally good doctors and good treatments so doing better.

it is constant work to be as functional as we can be, but with the right doctors and right treatments, often there is good results. of course its easy to talk like that in between flares. during flares, i sound a lot different, but they are fewer and shorter now than in the past, so that's good.

as you said, getting dx'ed is a good first step to getting treated properly.

i still walk and ride my bike. and a few here even run. and quite a few swim. there's an "exercise" thread that erica started. she initially started it for swimming but now anything that is movement counts. i know it helps motivate me to go out and walk, even on the days i might not feel like it. and movement seems to help as much as anything else for me.

http://www.kickas.org/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=469395#Post469395

Welcome Ironman!

Glad you found us!

Hey Ironman, welcome.

My hubby Jon got AS when he was 27 too. He's now 35 and doing well without meds fortunately....he uses the No Starch Diet to control his AS symptoms. He is also a web developer like you and he runs a web hosting company. We are in Auckland too.

Sorry you have AS but you're in the right place for support anyway.

Welcome...sounds like so many others stories and a bit like mine as well. come back and visit often, use the tools here, ask for help, feel free to $itch too.

Alida

Hi mate...
Its an all to familiar story unfortunately and im sorry to hear about your dignosis of AS
But like you said its good to put a name to the pain.

Im a very active person and have found just the right amount of training and medication
Works for me .
Just remember not to give up and to keep trying new things to see what works best for you.
Im only a hop skip and a jump from ya over in OZ so not to far away and im on here a far bit so if ya want to compare war wounds im here to chat..