Health Update 02/06/2016

I wanted to wait until information is more definite to talk publicly about what's going on with my health lately, but I think it'd help me to just let people know. My neck, shoulders, and my back have been stiff and hurting almost constantly for 2 1/2 weeks now. It has made me exhausted and is generally getting worse as time goes on. The cause is not fully diagnosed yet, with the doctor running some blood tests and analyzing some x-rays that I will discuss the results of with them in two weeks. In the meantime I'm on 800mg ibuprofen and also muscle relaxers at night.

It is a fairly high chance that I have developed ankylosing spondylitis(A.S.), an incurable arthritic autoimmune disease that attacks the spine. Among various other symptoms this can cause the vertebrae to fuse together, immobilizing the spine. My dad has a severe case of this condition, with only the top two vertebrae in his neck being able to move at all; the process of having the spine fuse is the most painful thing that he ever went through. I have a 50% chance of carrying the primary gene associated with the condition, and the patterns of my symptoms match up fairly well for the onset of A.S.

I won't lie this is frustrating, tiring, and terrifying for me. There are several unknowns right now, including if I even have A.S. at all or something else entirely. Paired with my hemiparesis, whatever else I have could potentially have major impacts on my life if it is chronic like A.S. This has all been very stressful and I have never hoped to be wrong more in my life.

Thank you for any support and understanding. I apologize in advance if it turns out to be nothing serious in the long run.

-halfcoordinated