Stacy Lynn Perdue
My name is Stacy Lynn Perdue. I am a 44 year old woman with ankylosing spondylitis. I was just recently diagnosed, but I have had it for YEARS! It all started when I was 18 and my then bf, now ex husband and father to my only daughter, pushed me down a flight of stairs that was concrete. From that day forward I had back problems. But I always thought it was just that, back problems. It got worse after my daughter was born and I told myself it was from the epidural and they told me it might do this. I can remember it taking me twenty min to get from the bed to the bathroom that was in the same room with me. I would cry and cry. It was awful. I hate to even admit this, but I found things to ‘numb’ my pain and I eventually became a addict. I would clean up at times in my life then go right back. It numbed me emotionally, and physically and I needed that so badly. Time marches on, I waste my life and at 32 finally clean up for good. I have not had anything sine July 2007. I began hurting so bad in 2016 that I could not handle it anymore. Between the migraines and my back I literally thought I was slowly dying. I finally got my headaches under control and learned to live with the back pain, because everywhere I went said I was fine. Everything looks good. Finally, a couple months ago, I get told that I have AS. Not just positive for AS, but HLA-B27 positive! What made me the most mad, was that there was a report on both a MRI and a CT scan stating how my back was fused together at the bottom, but no one said one single word!!! Now, I fin out it is fused bad going both ways on bottom and the middle is in third stage. I started humira about six weeks ago, a lot of my pain is finally going away. I am so thankful, but I also am still very upset that it took this long and so many doctors ignored me. At this point, I am doing my best to look at it like maybe from here on out I can just try and have the best quality of life possible.
Georgia, United States of America
Dear Stacy,
Thank you so much for sharing your story with us.
Sincerely Cookie