No white coats - just one AS patient's experience
AS isn’t a posture thing. It’s an immune disease - and working that out early would’ve saved me years.
I’ve had AS for about 20 years. This is the site I would’ve wanted when I was first trying to figure it out.
- 20 years with AS
- 12 guides
- Free content first, always. Paid only when it’s genuinely worth it.
Three ways in
- 012 min quiz
Is This AS?
Symptoms that sound familiar? Short quiz, no diagnosis — just the vocabulary to raise it with your GP.
Take the quiz → - 02Start here
Newly Diagnosed
The first-year playbook. What matters, what can wait, what nobody tells you at that first appointment.
Begin the guide → - 03All guides
Living with AS
Treatment, exercise, work, relationships, diet, pregnancy — organised by topic, written from inside.
Browse guides →
Membership
Everything here is free. Membership goes further.
Free content is the main thing - guides, tools, and resources that stay free. Membership adds the personal tracking layer: log symptoms, flares, medications, and movement, and start seeing your own patterns.
Symptom Tracker
Pain, stiffness, fatigue, mood, sleep - logged and charted over time.
Flare Diary
Record severity, triggers, and what helped. Useful data for your next appointment.
Medication Log
Track doses and reactions. See what is actually working.
Movement Tracker
Log sessions with before/after pain. Find out which activities genuinely help.
From the guide library
Recent guides
The First Year: A Guide for the Newly Diagnosed
“Eleven chapters covering medications, flares, sleep, work, relationships, and everything else nobody tells you in the first twelve months with AS.”
Get the guide →How to get your GP to take your back pain seriously
“Most AS patients spent years being told their pain was not serious before getting a correct diagnosis. This guide is about how to break through that - what to say, what to ask for, and how to escalate when you are not being heard.”
Read guide →AS and pregnancy: what you need to know before, during, and after
“Planning a pregnancy with AS requires more advance preparation than most people realise - some medications need to stop months before conceiving. Here is the practical guide to AS and pregnancy, covering what to expect before, during, and after.”
Read guide →Explaining AS to people who can't see it
“AS is an invisible illness. You often look completely fine while feeling terrible. Explaining that gap - to partners, family, friends, colleagues - is one of the harder ongoing tasks of living with this disease.”
Read guide →Diagnosed in your 20s: identity, career, and AS
“Getting diagnosed with a chronic condition in your twenties is different from getting diagnosed at fifty. Your identity is still forming. Your career is just starting. Your social world revolves around things your body may struggle with. This is for you.”
Read guide →Women and AS: why it takes 11 years to get diagnosed
“Women wait an average of 11.2 years for an AS diagnosis - more than double the time men wait. This is not bad luck. It is a systemic failure with specific, identifiable mechanisms. Here is why it happens and what women can do about it.”
Read guide →Diet and AS: what the research actually shows
“Diet is the most-discussed non-medication topic in AS communities. The gut-AS connection is real and scientifically grounded. Here is what the evidence shows, what patients report, and how to approach dietary changes without false hope or cynicism.”
Read guide →AS Diagnosis Red Flags Checklist
The list of symptoms and patterns that point toward AS - the ones doctors often miss in the first few years. Enter your email and I'll send it to you.