What is fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disorder that causes amplified musculoskeletal pain, and is often confused with arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. FM mostly impacts women with symptoms appearing between the ages of 20 and 50. Although less...
What are Crohns Disease and Ulcerative Colitis?What are the symptoms? The most common symptoms of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis include abdominal pain or cramping; diarrhea (blood in stool with colitis); nausea and vomiting; diminished appetite and weight...
What is the difference between “chronic fatigue” and “chronic fatigue syndrome”? Chronic fatigue syndrome is a disorder involving extreme fatigue that interferes with functioning. This fatigue does not go away with rest and can’t be explained by an underlying medical...
Tools to Support your Diagnosis JourneyDiagnosis can be a difficult and emotionally draining process. Learn about the different ways to get support during diagnosis, from talking to friends and family to seeking professional help. We hope you make use of these tools...
What is it and why should you do it? Advocacy. It can be a scary word and an even scarier thing to do. What does it truly mean to advocate? Sure, the dictionary says it’s “public support for or recommendation of a particular cause or policy,” but how does that...
It can be daunting researching medical information online. It’s easy for a quick google search of your symptoms to lead you to spend hours on your phone, doom scrolling through articles that leave you believing worst-case scenarios and crawling with anxiety about...
Has someone ever asked you what it feels like to live with a spondyloarthritic condition and you’re just at a loss for words? Sometimes it feels like SpA is impossible to explain and people on the outside will never understand. Some say “if you know, you know” but in...
Drawing how you visualize your condition can be extremely powerful. Art can be used as a therapy and has shown to lead to increased quality of life ⁽¹⁾. It can also help healthcare professionals understand the experience of health and illness ⁽¹⁾. Additionally, art...
It is no secret that SpA can have an effect on your employment and work life. In our 2020 Quality of Life Survey, 40.8% said that they are working full-time, including self-employment. 2.4% were on short-term disability and 15.8% were on long-term disability. We've...
How to have a healthy sex life while living with SpondyloarthritisChanges in your sex life is often an overlooked consequence of living with arthritis. Difficulties in washing the dishes, vacuuming the floors or walking up and down stairs are common points of...