A.S. Face 1670: Brianna Williams
I’ve never been one to share, when I think about it I get upset. I think its time that I admit that I have AS and its not going anywhere. I figure letting people read this is a way of overcoming the fear of judgments as AS is classed as an “invisible disease”. I got diagnosed with AS when I was 17, but the pain started after a visit to the chiropractor when I was 14. Don’t get me wrong chiropractors may be beneficial to some, but I wish I knew I had the gene and that AS could be activated at any moment. When the chiro used the applicator on my neck, from that day forward everything got worse. I started getting headaches, swelling and pain I never felt before. We started going to the doctors but we were told it was just growing pains and it would go away. It’s only now that I know that that’s when my Ankylosing Spondylitis activated and changed my life. After almost 3 years of doctors telling my mum and I there’s nothing I could do, it’s basically in my head, we got recommended to a rheumatologist by a family friend who had been on a clinical trial for AS. Within 5 minutes of talking to him he diagnosed me with AS, it’s like everything made sense. We then went onto do the blood tests can I came up with the markers for AS. I’ve accepted it now, I know I have AS for a reason, just waiting to meet that reason. God and my mum have gotten me through this first haul of the long race that is Ankylosing Spondylitis.
Queensland, Australia
Dear Brianna,
Thank you so much for sharing your story.
Sincerely Cookie