For years there was so much confusion about what was wrong with me. I had weird symptoms, and no one knew what I was talking about. No one could explain what was happening to me. Surprisingly, the first ray of hope came via my podiatrist. He thought I might have ankylosing spondylitis. I thought to myself, but that’s a man’s disease, I can’t have that. The podiatrist thought otherwise. After a terrible bout of iritis, my ophthalmologist also thought something was wrong but couldn’t quite figure it out. This was definitely the dark ages of ankylosing spondylitis. Fortunately, I found a rheumatologist who put the pieces together.
I finally am told what I have, ankylosing spondylitis. I feel that if I take the drugs they give me, it will clear up in 10 days and I’ll be done. How wrong I was! I found out in 1994 when I was diagnosed that I was already fused. This disease was going to be with me for life. However, there was another ray of hope. The rheumatologist suggested that SAA could be of help to me on my journey. There is support for me, there is information, there is a community – that I was totally unaware of. I am happy to be a member of the Quest Legacy Society. We all have to do what we can to keep others from going down the rabbit hole of trying to figure out a diagnosis. SAA has been beneficial to me in my life and something to fall back on. They were the first organization who knew what I was talking about. I know they will help others out there for years to come.
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