Lynda
Hello! My name is Lynda and I have Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS) on top of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) and Cushing’s Syndrome. Both AS and EDS cause me to have chronic pain and very susceptible to infections due to the medications I have to take to attempt and slow down the damage. After prolonged use of steroids before figuring out the underlying cause of a lot of my symptoms was AS, I developed Cushing’s. The treatment for Cushing’s? Yep, steroids. In the photo, you can see me, my medical alert service dog “Ditzee May” and my baby ball python “Harley”. Ditzee lets me know when I have an infection, which comes in handy because her early warning lets me get medical attention before I end up sepsic. She also can detect when my blood pressure is going to drop before I feel it. Our first ambulance ride together happened when my BP dropped to 80/26. She let us know… they got me some water, took her outside to potty before the ambulance got there and had us ready for transport. Ditzee loves her Harley, by the way… likes to give her kisses.
Maine, United States of America
The Faces Of Ankylosing Spondylitis 
Dear Lynda,
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.
Sincerely Cookie