Hi I am 60+ , I was fit and active and had never heard of AS, until it obviously really caught up with, pain I had just put up with in the past got to be too much.
My new local doctor put the wheels in motion, once the investigations got under way it didn't take long. I am now on Humira injections and take steroids. I am back doing water aerobics, still a work in progress , but am feeling like I am on the right track. The pain in my upper legs and pelvis never seem to fully ease but life is feeling soooo much better, so hang in there.

Thanks. I have Lupus, so I'm already on steroids. I tried enbrel at one point and it didn't agree with me. Hopefully my rheumatologist will have other ideas.

Thanks for replying, and I hope you feel better.

Hi,
It took years for the doctors to concede that I have AS since I was a woman. After all "women don't get AS" or so I was told. Mine started in my mid-twenties although it wasn't diagnosed until I was about 55. A lot of damage has been done by not knowing earlier and doctors refusing to believe that's what it was because I am a woman. One doctor even fired me as a patient because she was so afraid of a malpractice suite over her refusal to make the right diagnosis. Go figure.

I'm 63, and I was just diagnosed in January. However, I've had symptoms for many years. My father had back trouble, so I figured I just had to live with this like he did. But it was when the inflammation and pain started affecting my feet and ankles that I had to seek an answer.

My rheumy saw an MRI of my spine, and that's how I was diagnosed. My ankles had actually fused due to not having proper treatment and diagnosis. I didn't know if was mostly a male disease, until I started reading about it.

I am 33 and was diagnosed with AS this year. I'm female and my two other sisters also have it plus one of my brothers. I've had back pain for eight years and have had uveyetis or eyeritis multiple times but Drs. didn't know what it was. I'm kind of freaking out. too! My sister and brother are on Himara but I'm pretty scared to try it because they have had some really bad reactions! What are thoughts on medicine to prevent versus not taking medicine?

Female here! 55 year old with symptoms since age 19. Finally got the AS "diagnosis" about a year and a half ago (aha moment!). Yes, my rheumatologist told me that it's mostly a "male" condition. And even though I had practically all the symptoms of AS (including positive HLA-B27), she would only say that my diagnosis was spondylitis. The symptoms, at times, are hard to live with. All the best to you.

Hi
I have recently been diagnosed with AS.
I have had back pain for several years now and recently I started to get pain in my hands, feet, knees. I was referred to a rheumatologist and she sent me for a scan and it showed up. I also have rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. I am 29 and been suffering for years but went through all the other conditions as I was so young at the time When this all started. It's hard and I have 2 yound kids so makes it good and bad some days.