My name is Kyle, and I have worked with the Rheumission team for around 6 months to treat my Ankylosing Spondylitis.
Growing up through post-college...
A little about me - I grew up in California, went to high school here, and played D1 baseball in college in the midwest, while finishing up my degree in communications.
Fitness is something I’ve always been very passionate about, I was into bodybuilding when I was young - my dad was into it too - and I became very involved in that community.
After graduating college, I went into the fire academy to become a fireman. I mostly worked as a wildland firefighter across Texas and California up until I got my autoimmune diagnosis.
My first symptoms
Shortly after I finished the fire academy, I was out for a run and started to feel a dull pain in my lower back and hip. With how physically demanding the fire academy had been, I assumed that the pain was just from overuse.
I saw an orthopedist first for treatment, but he couldn’t nail down what exactly was wrong. The pain never followed the doctors timelines or expectations - it would jump to different sides of my body, vary greatly in severity, and not respond to treatment when it “should” have.
It got to the point where I didn’t feel comfortable talking to my doctor about it because it sounded like I was making it all up.
I pushed through the pain as much as I could, but after a while I couldn’t put my shoes on or get out of bed and the fire truck would pull away without me because I was taking too long to get my gear on.
I would go to the gym & have to ask people to hand me the weights because I couldn’t pick them up myself. They would give me weird looks because from the outside, I’m a young, fit guy. They couldn’t see the pain or the other invisible symptoms I was living with.
The increasing pain, and chasing a diagnosis
The pain became too much again, and I went back to another orthopedist who told me that I had a torn labrum in my hip and needed surgery. After, I thought I would recover & be able to go back to work.
In reality, the exact same pain came back and I still wasn’t able to get up and walk.
So I went to yet another orthopedist who referred me to a rheumatologist. They ran labs and imaging and everything pointed to an ankylosing spondylitis diagnosis.
In total, I saw 4 different doctors before Rheumission – 3 orthopedists and 1 rheumatologist.
Knowing that I had the gene for AS, the HLA-B27 gene, helped a lot because it aided my research with patient groups who helped me know what others had tried and what questions to ask.
The 1st rheum: a 10 minute appointment
My first rheumatologist only met with me for 10 minutes or so, and immediately prescribed a biologic. I was hesitant because it’s a hardcore medication, and I wanted to talk to other doctors and know what my other options were. I dug into my research, tried a lot of different things, and eventually found Rheumission.
Starting with Rheumission
Since I started with Rheumission, things have finally started to turn around. I used to have flares that would last two weeks, then I’d get two weeks off, only for the cycle to start again.
Now, I can go three weeks feeling pretty good, and if I do have a flare, it’s usually just a day or two. It’s a huge improvement. I’m able to work a full day, get a workout in, stay active, and still feel fine the next day. That’s something I couldn’t have imagined before.
The biggest challenge has been changing how I eat. I always thought I was eating healthy—lots of whole foods, balanced meals, the usual stuff. But what I’ve learned is that just because something is healthy for most people doesn’t mean it’s healthy for me.
For years, I was drinking a protein smoothie twice a day with pea protein, thinking it was a great way to stay fit. It turns out that pea protein was a major trigger for my flares. When I cut it out, the difference was incredible.
The first four weeks of the program were tough. I had to eliminate a lot of foods and then slowly reintroduce them to see how my body reacted. It was a lot to manage, but the results were worth it.
Now, if I stray from the diet, I feel it almost immediately—I’ll flare up, and I’m reminded of how much impact food has on my condition.
I’ve learned to have cheat meals instead of cheat days, which has made a big difference. Once, I let myself have a full cheat day, and I flared up so badly I couldn’t believe it. Now, I mostly eat in and make sure I’m on top of meal prepping. It’s all about finding a routine that works for me.
Rheumission has given me my life back.
The biggest part of that is that I can forget about my AS at times, knowing this team is there for me – that is a huge freedom for me.
In the past I was constantly thinking about all things related to my health, and that consumed almost all of my thoughts. Now I can think about my business, my friends and family, and my future.
One of the biggest life changes for me in this time is that I had to give up my firefighting career, which was such a disappointment for me. I had to come to terms with this pain being my new normal, and I switched to working in sales.
But life does give you silver linings, and this transition into sales has led to me opening up my own business and hiring a team who works for me.
Without this diagnosis, I’m not sure that would have happened, and I’m really proud of being a small business owner.
I’m no longer constantly worried about whether something I do will cause a flare. If I stick to the plan, I know I’ll be okay.
And if something does come up, I can always reach out to my Rheumission team with a message in the app, and they respond right away to reassure me or answer my question. I’m starting to feel really good again.
My "more joy, less pain" moments
For me, being able to work out and be active is everything. Getting back into the gym and not being afraid of how I’ll feel the next day is huge.
My life is becoming more consistent, and I’m no longer defined by my AS. The convenience of being able to hop on a call or message with my providers means I don’t have to go through the agony of driving to an appointment during a flare.
It’s quick, easy, and lets me get back to my life without losing an entire day to pain.
Looking back, I’m grateful for the journey I’ve been on with Rheumission. The support I’ve received has been incredible—everyone’s been super cool, responsive, and always ready to help with my questions or reschedule when needed.
It’s hard to find anything that hasn’t been great. I’m finally getting back to living my life the way I want, without being held back by my condition.
