What is Sacroiliitis?

One of the things that I struggle with medically is Sacroiliitis. My PA and I believe that I now suffer with this condition and will for the rest of my life because of an untreated urinary tract infection. The not so funny thing is that I had been trying to get one of my many specialists to treat me for the urinary tract infection for over a month and a half before I found my new PA and he agreed to prescribing antibiotics.

Here is some information about Sacroiliitis. (More information can be found at the Mayo Clinic Website)

Sacroiliitis is an inflammation of one or both of the sacroiliac joints, which connect the lower spine and pelvis. With Sacroiliitis, even the slightest movements of the spine can be extremely uncomfortable or painful.

Sacroiliitis symptoms may include:

• Pain and stiffness in the lower back, thighs or buttocks.

• Pain that worsens with walking because the motion of the hips strains the sacroiliac joints.

• Inflammation in one or both of the eyes (uveitis or iritis).

• Psoriasis, an inflammatory skin condition

• Pain radiating down the leg.

• Limping.

• Decreased range of motion in the hip joint.
  

• A fever that appears quickly.

Complications:

• Delayed treatment of Sacroiliitis — Either because of an incorrect diagnosis or because of delaying going to the doctor — can cause serious harm to the sacroiliac joints.

  Sacroiliitis may be part of a larger inflammatory arthritis condition known as Ankylosing Spondylitis. Complications of this condition can be very serious, including difficulty breathing, spine deformities, lung infections and heart problems.

• Ankylosing Spondylitis is a chronic inflammatory disease that primarily causes pain and inflammation of the joints between the vertebrae of your spine and the joints between your spine and pelvis (sacroiliac joints). However, Ankylosing Spondylitis may also cause inflammation and pain in other parts of your body as well.

Initial symptoms - Early signs and symptoms of ankylosing spondylitis may include:

• Chronic pain in the lower back and hips, especially in the morning and after periods of inactivity.

• Stiffness in the lower back or hip area, especially in the morning.

As the condition progresses - The condition may change over time, with symptoms getting worse, improving or completely stopping at any point. Over time the pain and stiffness, which usually begin gradually, may progress up your spine and to other joints. One may experience inflammation and pain in these other parts of the body:

• Where the tendons and ligaments attach to bones.

• Joints between the ribs and spine.

• Joints in the hips, shoulders, knees and feet.

• The eyes.

Symptoms of advanced stages - In advanced stages, the following signs and symptoms may develop:

• Restricted expansion of the chest.

• Chronic stooping.

• Stiff, inflexible spine.

• Fatigue.

• Loss of appetite.

• Weight loss.

• Eye inflammation (uveitis).

• Bowel inflammation.

About Me

Hi! In case we haven't met before I want to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Stephanie and I am a 34 year old female with a husband and 2 huskies furbabies. My husband and I have been married for over 5 1/2 years now!

I live in a small town in Southeastern Wyoming called Medicine Bow. The population is under 300 and the closest town with grocery stores and shopping is 60 miles away. I was born and raised in Florida just about 45 minutes outside of Tampa. So moving here was culture shock on many levels!

I know that this may come as a shock to some of you, but I am an educated women with a B.S. in Biology from The University of Tampa and a M.Ed. in Exercise Physiology from Auburn University. I sometimes work at The Historic Virginian Hotel, Cafe & Shiloh Bar here in Medicine Bow. I also do freelance work part time currently but I am trying to build that aspect of my employment up.

I have PCOS, IBS, GERD, PMDD, Sacroiliitis, asthma, a ton of allergies and food intolerances. One of my biggest food issues is my problem with dairy in any quantity at all. I also am working on getting a firm diagnosis on what appears to be Fibromyalgia. I am admittedly overweight, but I am working on that at www.SparkPeople.com where my username is SLColman as well. I also use my Wii and Wii Fit to help get in some fun exercise when I can.

I love food and cooking. I enjoy scrapbooking, gardening, and other crafty type things.

My husband is a Southern Baptist Minister, so faith plays an important role in our lives. However having said that, we still are real people with real issues living out in the real world. My husband is also the mayor of our small town - Talk about a man with many different hats!

If you want more info on me just let me know!