Welcome to my first ever blog post!
Hello and thank you for stopping by. Grab a cuppa and sit with me for a moment...
I’m Amanda and I am the writer of this new blog ‘In my bones’. This is the first blog I’ve ever written, however I’ve always loved writing and have kept a journal for as long as I can remember. For me, writing is a great comfort and a way for me to process what’s happening in my life.
I have recently been diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) or Anky spon as I ‘affectionately’ call it (I would get the disease that’s really hard to pronounce wouldn’t I !?). Today is World AS Day! A day that is dedicated to people living with this disease, so I thought this would be a great day for me to launch my new blog and to start documenting my journey. It will not only help me process this challenging time, but I hope it will eventually help others who are going through a similar journey, and to make them feel less alone.
If you’re anything like me, it took me a long time to get my official diagnosis. There were many fraught years of crashes in my health with no real explanation to why that was. For 10 years I went back and forth from the Doctors, but still no one could ever get to the bottom of what was wrong. They either dismissed me, told me I was fine, or told me the classic line it’s ‘just’ anxiety (like anxiety alone isn’t hard enough). However, I felt deep down ‘in my bones’, that something wasn’t right.
Ironically, and unknown to me at the time, in my bones was exactly where the problem was. It was only when I started to get serious pain and stiffness in my lower back, hips and other joints in early 2023, that my GP referred me to Rheumatology. It then took nearly a year of many, many tests and hospital visits, to then be told my official diagnosis.
A year and a half has passed since the GP sent that referral and I am still trying to come to terms with what exactly this disease is, how it will affect my life and what I can do to make me feel a little better. While there is currently no cure to this disease, it is in fact a chronic illness, I am discovering that there are a few things I can implement to help me cope.
I hope to publish an article once a week (my fatigue and illness permitting!). My next few blog posts will go into a bit more detail about what exactly Ankylosing spondylitis is, and my own journey with it so far. Come take a seat (because who has the energy to stand for long anymore) and follow me along on this journey to discover the tips and tricks I have picked up along the way.
The thing with this illness is, that it’s pretty much affected every part of my life, so I have plenty to write about and explore. I hope to throw in facts & research I’ve found useful, the odd book review, a recipe or two, and just general wellness chats. I hope it will be a place of connection and comfort, because let’s be honest, this journey can be pretty scary and lonely at times.
There is much more for me to learn, but I hope we can keep each other company on this crazy ride!
Sending healing thoughts to you all.
Love and hugs,
Amanda x
P.S To any of my friends and family that are reading this, thank you for wanting to understand more about this disease and what I’m going through. Your support means the world to me.