I had hip and low back problems most of my adult life and chalked it up to sciatica and the jobs I did. When I would go to the chiropractor it would be excruciating to get my lower back popped and he never understood why. When I was 41 I started getting sicker and weaker over time but just kept working thru it. I had a gall bladder attack and my gall bladder out and that's when life changed forever. When I went back to work I started to have troube getting up from a squatting position or bending over or lifting which I did all day every day and some nights. I had to stop working and my doctor at the time thought I had the flu....for 3 months (REALLY?!) I started getting all kinds of tests. I'd been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis since my mid-thirties so we started there. When I finally got to a rheumatologist who took xrays I had done enough of my own research to have an idea it was AS and the dr confirmed it. Apparently it had been there all that time but the gall bladder attack sent my body into all kinds of auto-immune issues. I never recovered and am now on disability which sucks cuz I LOVED both the jobs i did. So i guess I'm saying that it can come on gradually until suddenly you're aware somethin' ain't right. Hope this helps.

I don't really know what stages it attacks the joints in. My diagnosis was months after a car crash which was after a previous injury. The orthopaedic consultant diagnosed my condition as cirvical spondylitis from the results of MRI and other scans. But basically mine was due to trauma then degenerative forces took hold

CBD (no THC) works well. Experiment for dosage.

How are the CBD drops working for you? My doctor wants to put me on Cosentrix. I would like to try CBD

Hello, I'm just curious do you take biologics ? I worked for 30 years as a paramedic, and had to retire and they put me on Medicare disability. Now I'm unable to get any type of biologics due to my insurance change. So now I'm only on methotrexate, some light pain meds, vitamins, and acthar . I also take cbd drops. I'm trying to find a way to get back on biologics. I can't afford a $1,000 a month insurance policy. Lol
Thanks Michael