A.S. Face 1878: Kelly Arend

Face 1878

I was diagnosed on my 40th birthday, back in 2014. I was having severe lower back pain. I went to the Dr, and she told me it was just a pulled muscle. I was put on muscle relaxers, and some pain pills. It went away for a bit. When the pain returned, I went back to the Dr, and was given the same diagnoses. I decide to try a chiropractor. Made a appointment with him. After a few visits, he said to me that he thinks I may have a condition called AS, due to the curvature of my upper back, and the fact that he couldn’t get me to stand up straight. So I made a appointment with a Rheumatologist, and she confirmed the chiropractors diagnoses. I was put on Humira, then had to change insurance companies, so had to change meds to Embral. Was allergic to Embral, and fought to get put back on Humira. It seems to be working, so far.

I am a dad to two great kids, and try to stay as active as I possibly can….most days that is. I try to not let this beat me down. My only concern is that my 18 year old son, was diagnosed with Bursitis, and his doctor isn’t worried about the fact that I have AS.

Wisconsin, United States of America

2 Responses to “A.S. Face 1878: Kelly Arend”

Dear Kelly,
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.
Sincerely Cookie

Cookie Has A.S. said this on January 6, 2018 at 1:13 pm | Reply
Oh my goodness Kelly ! I also live in Wisconsin.
My heart goes out to you. Along with having
A.S. my body is a host to other health issues
also. I’m older than you and I totally understand
your concern with your son. I also have 2 kids.
And omg my son is 32 and has many
questionable health concerns that scare the
crap out of me. I pray he doesn’t have to go
down the A.S. road too.
I found Cookies website almost 6 years ago
and I’m sooo hesitant to put my FACE out there.
Why I don’t know. I don’t just want to put my FACE out there with no story and I also don’t want
to go on and on about depressing health problems.
There’s too much to say and some of it is pretty
scary 🙀. If you ever feel the need to reach out
to someone who will really understand, whether
it’s a good day or bad, I’m here.
Blessings and comfort
☮️✝️ audieann@hotmail.com

audieann said this on May 26, 2019 at 11:50 am | Reply

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