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Thanks for posting this. My wife has Ankylosing Spondylitis. She was having hip problems for years. Sometimes she would "lock up" and not be able to move anymore. This was okay at home where I could carry her to bed, but out in public was a different story. She then developed terrible pain in one eye (another AS symptom). Her eye doctor did a number of tests and sent her to a rheumatologist who disgnosed her with AS. After all the time of pain & stiffness, we were just glad to have a name.

She now gives herself 2 shots a week and they have helped tremendously. She can function normally and can play with the kids. It is hereditary and is more prevelant in American Indians , so we will see about our kid's chances. Everything we have discovered has pointed to remarkable progress in treating AS and I hope it continues. Sorry to hear about Mars & his daughter....sounds like he's got some bad symptoms...:o(.

My wife has Ankylosing Spondylitis. She was having hip problems for years. Sometimes she would "lock up" and not be able to move anymore. This was okay at home where I could carry her to bed, but out in public was a different story.

Wow, does that bring back bad memories. My wife has AS, too. I remember the first morning when she literally could not get out of bed. She said it was like fire in her hips when she'd move.

We found that the best tx was a steriod shot in the joint causing trouble: hips, wrist, ankle, even toes. Of course, the most serious one is the occasional iritis which cause cause permanent vision problems if untreated. Steroid drops clear that up quickly so we keep some around all the time.

My wife's AS is fairly mild and not chronic, but episodic. Have you noticed that your wife's problems are exacerbated by emotional extremes? When my wife gets very upset, the iritis starts up again.

AS is a weird duck. We always thought it was part of our infertility troubles. Once we had our daughter, my wife's AS became suppressed for several years (even though it was stressful!).