"I didn't know what was me, what was being a teenager, what was the drugs I was taking..." Do you suffer from joint pain? Are you in discomfort after a few minutes of sitting? It's possible you have a A.S. Amy talks about what finally helped her.

My name is Amy. I'm 26 years old. I'm from Astoria, Queens.



Around the time I was 14 or 15, my fingertips and my toes always feel really cold. I had this constant pain in my knees and my ankles, and when I'd get up in the morning, all my joints clicked. I don't know what that is, but it hurts and it doesn't sound like anything else that my friends are experiencing. So my parents took me to Hackensack University Medical Hospital. I was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, which part of the symptoms are juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.



So I have arthritis in my legs, my ankles, my hips. They were talking to me about getting my joints replaced and that was terrifying. I went through a fantastic variety of different prescriptions, which had all sorts of bizarre side effects. I didn't know what was me, what was being a teenager, what was the drugs that I was taking. I also was in physical therapy, which is probably been the best thing that I could have done for myself. I was a pretty active person, but because of my joint pain, I wasn't doing a lot for it. Most of the drugs that I would have been taking as a prescription or over the counter, so I've got my bottle of Aleve that I keep at my desk at work and yoga, which I do quite a bit. That's one of the better things that you can do, I think, for your problems.



So fortunately, I'm now 26 years old, going on 27, and most of my arthritis issues have been resolved through daily maintenance of anti-inflammatories and a decent amount of exercise.