Hi Lizzy, and welcome to KA. I`m so sorry you`re in such a bad way with pain and doctors. You are not alone with this, but you are the second woman to post today with the same issue. Please go to the discussion called `Rheumatologist Appt but Feeling Sad!!` because I posted some serious links about women getting AS, all from very reputable rheumatologists and other sources. They`re from the UK because the woman who posted that discussion is from the UK. You don`t say where you live, but someone here might also be from where you are and be able to help you find a competent rheumatologist. I`m really glad to hear other doctors in your life are more open-minded.
It sure sounds like AS to me, by the way ... especially given your family history (jeepers creepers, so many women in one family having AS!!) and the fact that you feel worse if you sit for a while. Other things rang a bell with me, too. I`m no doctor, not by a long shot. Just a relatively knowledgeable patient ... who happens to be a woman ... who hates hearing, twice in one day, that the `women don`t get AS` fallacy is still out there. Dear god, give me patience.
I hope some of the links I`ve posted in the other discussion are helpful to you. You aren`t alone anymore. Also, several folk here are parents and might be able to help you find ways to look after your baby. At least, they`ll have understanding of what you are experiencing and I know that can help an awful lot.
Warm hugs,
