I'm so glad you are pursuing your degree. Hope it opens many doors for you. I've been dealing with AS since my 20's. That was in the 70's. I was young & dumb & strong, so it was an occasional inconvenience in my hips. Very physical job for 10 years. Blamed it on the job, so I quit & got a desk job. Helped a great deal until I got in to my 50's. The pain was severe from my hips to my neck. Sometimes my head felt like it weighed 1000 lbs. pushing down on my spine. It would take 10 minutes just to get out of bed. Still dumb, though. Wouldn't listen to Docs until it got so bad my boss had to carry me to the Docs office. Meds weren't helping anymore. Finally I agreed to Remicade infusions every 8 weeks for almost 10 years now. I have my life back. I waited too long though & my spine started fusing. The infusions stopped any further progression. Now the occasional pain is back to being just an inconvenience again. Sorry about babbling. Hope you are doing well. Stay strong & try to keep your spine nimble. Just hanging works. Peace.

I was a cook when I was diagnosed in 2015. I knew standing all day chopping stuff and hauling giant pots around was not sustainable. I also didn't have benefits or good pay so I applied at Starbucks for the stability of a large corporation. I figured retail/foodservice was less physically demanding and felt that way until about a year ago when my symptoms got worse. I decided to use their college benefit as an exit strategy, since now this "less demanding" job was too demanding. I went from full-time to part-time this past fall, and now since May I have been on a medical leave. My essential function of being upright for hours at a time was no longer something I could do. I am not sure what my future holds, but I am hoping to finish my degree in 2 years, so I just need to hang on until then.

That's an interesting statement. My spine is fused due to the AS. I tried PT but, my spine refused to go along with me. I had to find something else. Water works well. You make the change!! That's why we are so adaptable. You'll work it out, I'm sure. Stay strong. Peace.

None of my business but, I'm gonna ask if you are single. That could send you down the right track if you have 2 tracks to choose from. Having a spouse could be something you could fall back on. Only if the spouse is also helpful with your medical issues. If you are basically alone, that's a much more difficult situation. Are children involved?? You need not answer me. I'll understand. Work if you can. You must have the courage of your conviction. Don't be afraid of what's around the next bend. The Sun comes up everywhere. It's a matter of priorities & focus & confidence. You put them all together & the world will be at your command!! Stay strong and always kind. Peace

So happy to be useful.