I’m away from home for a little bit, in Bath, having treatment to help the aches and stiffness resulting from a lot of years of ankylosing spondylitis. I used to go every 3 or so years, but since everything stopped during Covid it’s been over six years since I was last here. In that time the old Mineral Water hospital in the centre of Bath has closed and the course has relocated to the bigger hospital on the outskirts of the city. The facilities are first rate, as is the accommodation, but it just ain’t the same not being in the centre of town.
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| Phone snap of the new 'Min'. The hydro pool is on the right, behind the fancy windows. |
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| Facilities in the Brownsword Therapies Centre. Right at the top is the Ankylosing Spondylitis Course. Quite right, too! |
Having called it ankylosing spondylitis (AS) for several decades we now have to get used to a new, umbrella term: Axial Spondyloarthropathy, or AxSpa for short (phew!) Well, AS is still valid, but only where skeletal changes are present under X-ray. With the advent of biologic drugs some years ago, there are fewer cases presenting with bone fusion, which is of course a good thing. So with my fused spine and neck, I come under Radiographic AxSpa, whereas someone without the fusion (but still with inflammation and probably pain) would be labelled Non-radiographic AxSpa. Got it?!
Spondyloarthropathy? Why must the medical community come up with such unpronounceable names for things?
ReplyDeleteI hope you're getting some relief at the new Min!
I know! It doesn't exactly roll off the tongue easy, spondyloarthropathy.
DeleteThanks Jim, it's helping already. The hard part is keeping up the work when back home - real life has a knack of getting in the way. But still, having 12 days ring-fenced for intensive physio is great and I intend to make the most of it.