The Saint Louis Support Group

My name is Kristen Ray. I live and work in St Louis, MO with my fiancé and our 2 dogs, Bella and Gus. I have chosen not to have children, so I do a lot of volunteering with children’s groups to fill that void. Three to four years ago I left my career in the medical industry to find a position that was more comfortable for my health. From the twelve to fourteen-hour surgeries, then reporting to clinic for an eight-hour shift of scheduled patients got to be too much, as standing for long periods became more of an issue. After four more years of college, this time for business, I was able to land a position in the insurance industry where I am thriving. This position has also given me the ability to be in and out of the office for multiple doctors’ appointments, or work from home if I am unable to make it out of bed. I am extremely aware of how lucky I am to have found something that not only am I good at, but I thoroughly enjoy and works well with my newfound disabilities.

I have had quite a history with AS, starting with costochondritis and pleurisy at age 5-6. I have had several surgeries including disc replacements in the neck, and an ulnar nerve displacement surgery. I have several more surgeries in my near future, mostly attributed to the lack of control of my AS. I was doing great on Humira and NSAIDS for years, but after a break necessary for the ulnar nerve surgery in 2016, I have been unable to get the same sort of relief. I currently use (laughter! – the best medicine) physical therapy, chiropractic as emergency, pain management, Botox for migraines, rheumatology, neurosurgery, and most recently dermatology as I have now been diagnosed with Squamous Cell Carcinoma most likely from years of Methotrexate use.
I consider myself to be an old pro at this AS thing after so many difficult years just trying to get this under control. I am extremely excited to learn more about the other types of spondylitis, and even more excited to be doing it in a positive and supportive environment. Jed and I both carry a lot of passion for making this support group everything that it can be and look forward to having our members help us in that regard. I plan on learning just as much from the members, as I do from the materials that we cover at each meeting.