Living with a chronic illness

For this blog I decided to interview my father who has been totally disabled since May of 2000. After my father became ill he was not diagnosed until a year from his intial symptoms. When my father was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis I experienced alot with him but there were many experiences he encounter that I didn't understand nor did I know how it affected him as a man.After my father was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis which is a serve form of arthritis in the spine, he became totally disabled. When I ask my father how becoming disabled made him feel he said, " it was very frustrating because I could no longer support my family and give them the basis needs". He also told me he had alot of guilt for several years because our family loss our home due to the halt of his income. My father also explained dealing with fear and depression because of the disease and feeling shameful for being ill.Once a week my father has to give himself injections for the Ankylosing Spodylitis. The shot allows him to function without pain and it also reduces inflammation in his joints. My father told me that he recently bought a treadmill to exercise on which helps with his disease and controls his weight. Although he is not able to work he currently volunteer's at his church as the security guard and he takes my mother to and from work everyday. He says that living with his disease has become easier because he now has medicine to control his pain and he now able to contribute to the family income since he gained approval for his disability.