Suspisions confirmed

Had a rough day yesterday after my visit with the rheumatologist. It seems my back pain is due to more than just 'poor posture' and I have Ankylosing Spondylitis which is arthritis or inflammation of the spine. I need to have some more tests and x-rays to confirm which type of arthritis and further treatment. I'm already taking the first line of drugs and it does seem to be helping along with exercise, so I'm hopeful that if I start taking the fully recommended dose (I tend to undermedicate) that it will help even more. Except for the pain at night, which has diminished quite a bit the last few months, and altering my routine in the morning on account of stiffness, I'm functioning pretty well physically and can do everything I need to. Mentally, I'm a little, ok maybe a lot, shaken up because I worry about 4 small children depending on me for everything right now, and I want to be 100% for them. Also, the factor of there really is something wrong and it's not all in my head (as much as I would like it to be) which is kind of the attitude I've seen from some doctors. Sometimes it sucks being right...

Anyway, if you're interested here's the quick version of the big words. If you want the long version click on the title above.

Ankylosing Spondylitis At A Glance

Ankylosing spondylitis belongs to a group of arthritis conditions which tend to cause chronic inflammation of the spine (spondyloarthropathies).
Ankylosing spondylitis affects males two to three times more commonly than females.
Ankylosing spondylitis is a cause of back pain in adolescents and young adults.
Tendency to develop ankylosing spondylitis is genetically inherited.
The HLA-B27 gene can be detected in the blood of most patients with ankylosing spondylitis.
Ankylosing spondylitis can also affect eyes, heart, lungs, and occasionally the kidneys.
The optimal treatment of ankylosing spondylitis involves medications that reduce inflammation or suppress immunity, physical therapy and exercise.