AS is not fun. You have manageable days and then you have really shitty days; there really aren’t any good days anymore. For the past month and a half my ribs have really, really hurt, even with medication. It makes it really hard to breathe sometimes since I get sharp pains every time I inhale. Now they’re starting to tingle, like the tingling you get when your arm goes to sleep. It’s not as painful at least, but boy does it feel weird.
And the fatigue has been pretty bad lately; for the last two weeks I can’t even remember falling asleep, I just wake up and don’t know how I got there. I wake up most of the time with Miles laying on top of me, and I have no clue how or when he got there. Autoimmune diseases are notorious for causing chronic fatigue. Inflammation is dealt with by your body by releasing cytokines; these cytokines cause mild anemia, and that causes the feeling of fatigue. Not to mention waking up every few hours (or more) during sleep can take a toll as well. It makes movement hard; it feels like your shoes and your pockets are filled with lead weights (well, maybe tungsten is more appropriate). Walking is hard, you feel weighed down plus there are sharp pains in my hip and spine every time I take a step. I’ve tried to toss away the cane, they upped my pain meds and it has helped, but this crap just keeps getting worse. I’ve had an eye infection for two weeks now, in my right eye, which is yet another symptom of AS. I’m getting pain in my knees too, the same stiffness that’s in my back and hips. Putting my shoes on is also a pain in the ass, I can’t reach. I got some lace-less shoes for like $7 at Wiz Mart, so I can just step into those.
This stuff sucks.
