Hello Everyone it's Moo Moo here!
I hope you are all well (as well as you can be)!

Just wanted to tell you all that yesterday my Rheumatologist confirmed that I DO have AS!
This had already been said by the New Zealand doctors while I was away but obviously docs here in the UK had to do their own tests...and boy did they take their time!!

But anyway....it's official yuk.

My Rheumy had me do a test to see if I am eligible for injections into my stomach (Adilmumab). So we'll see what happens!

I'm glad to finally know what is wrong with me but obviously I really don't want this. I am luckily that I have some wonderful people on here to talk to when things get bad though.

Love to you all,
Hayley xxx

Wow! so great that you did get confirmation of the diagnosis, and for the UK, in a relatively short time. Horrible that you have to deal with this, but hopefully once you get started on the biologics it will make a huge difference and you will never have to go through some of the stuff that people here have had to deal with. Stick around and let us know how things go with you.

i think anyone who had to wait a long time (while seeing doctors all the while who couldn't do the dx) understands the feelings of "not wanting this" but if i have to have it, "thank goodness i am now dx'ed so we can begin proper treatment!"

its like night and day the difference in how i'm doing now compared to before. yes, i still flare, but now have doctors motivated to helping me feel better. i do feel better between flares and the flares are shorter lived. being allowed proper medicine makes such a huge difference!

congrats!

Diagnosis is always a double edged sword. Those who wait years for and answer and treatment breath a sigh of relief when finally diagnosed and putting a name on it. On the other hand knowing we have a disease there is no cure for is a tough one to handle.

Cindy

Yeah I consider myself really lucky that I got a relatively quick diagnosis. I've had problems for the last 4/5 years so it feels a long time but I know people have waited waaaaay longer for that. I thank the doctors in NZ for listening to me straight away and getting the tests done so quickly. They set the basis for the tests over here and ensured I got referred immediately.

I just need to find my way now and see what medication helps me. At the moment I can't work very much at all without really struggling so I'm working on that.

Xxx

I am so glad you are going to get some treatment. Early on, when I was going through test after test after test, I had a neurologist tell me "Joyce, I am going to tell you what evidently the others drs. won't tell you. It is time to quit the tests. All we are going to do is treat the symptoms anyway." and that was just such a relief to me. I did quit the tests. We started treatment for autoimmune disease and the diseases reached a point where they were easily diagnosed.

I am all for getting a diagnosis if that is the only way you can get treated. I was very blessed to have drs. who treated symptoms and not diagnoses.

I hope you start feeling better very soon.

Hugs and Blessings.
Possi