I actually slept ok last night.

I do think we need to get some proper blackout curtains though because I’m just waking up because of how bright it is more and more.

My back didn’t feel great when I woke up and particularly on the right side of my pelvis again it is flaring.

I am able to get up and walk about and do stuff but it’s really uncomfortable and it kind of takes over your brain space.

Pain-wise I would say it’s about a 5 or a 6.

I went downstairs and had breakfast and Kat had made me another delicious smoothie.

She is using a lot of bananas in these and it is just occurred to me that bananas could be a massive trigger food for my ankylosing spondylitis.

I’ve been wondering why I’ve been getting so many triggers recently and the morning smoothie would seem like the obvious culprit.

I checked on the Kick AS website and it’s specifically marked as a food to avoid so obviously contains starch in it.

So maybe she should stop those smoothies because I think they are causing more harm than good.

It’s good to have a list of trigger foods that you know you definitely can’t have and it seems to me that bananas are probably one of them.

Most of this morning I spent feeling quite sorry for myself because I can’t seem to get comfortable in my office chair.

I have had it a long time and the cushion has kind of lost its foam strength and I can no longer change any of the settings or the height so I think that is causing problems for my back.

Work told me to get the chair I want and that’s a huge relief. I feel good about that because at least I know it’s the latest model and everything should be working and I won’t have to faff about various parts on it.

I just need to choose which colour I want to go for but I suspect I should go for the dark one because it’s the cheapest and it will probably arrive the fastest.

I had ordered a little heated pad thing which arrived today and I tried it immediately when it arrived and it is fantastic.

It gets really nice and hot and it’s the perfect size. I tried it out on the bed and it gave me some immediate relief and then I also so kind of wrapped around my waist to see how it might be elsewhere.

It’s just the perfect shape and size so I should be able to use it on my chair downstairs if I want to too.

My TENS machine arrived too.

I was nervous about using this thing because there was lots of packaging and it looks quite complicated. But actually, once I figured out where to put the pads it was relatively easy.

The device itself is very small and looks like a little iPod so it’s perfect for taking out and about and I won’t feel too stupid.

If I’m going to use it when I’m with friends or on a night out then it needs to be something I’m not embarrassed about and that is small enough to slide in my pocket.

You do have to put two to pads on at once which is a bit weird because I only really wanted to try one but did it anyway. Then it was literally just a case of pressing a button and then pressing the up and down arrow to get the setting you want.

It really is that easy and the device is extremely powerful so that’s good. The only faff might be the pads because I’m not sure how long they will stay sticky but I can cross that bridge when I get to it and the replacements aren’t very expensive.

The only downside with this thing is that the pain relief stops as soon as you turn the thing off but really I think it’s going to be very useful when I’m in a situation when all I can think about is the pain and just need to be doing something or getting on with something else.

In particular I’m hoping it will just enable me to go out for exercise when I otherwise would be nervous too or if I’m waiting for a painkiller to kick in.

This could be really really useful for that and I’m actually quite thrilled with it because it’s the right size and very powerful.

It’s been grey and rainy all day today and it’s pretty miserable but at least I feel like I have some things in place to deal with my issues at the moment.

I’ve got the opticians tomorrow so that will be good and obviously I’ve got all my symptom relief devices handy if I have a bad flare up.

I feel like I’m doing all I can with the diet too.

As long as I’m doing something proactive I feel a lot better about things.

I had mushrooms and egg with bacon and salad for lunch and then almond cake with creme fraiche for pudding which was delicious.

The Biofreeze cream for my back arrived and after lunch I put it on and lay down in bed and I have to say this might be the most effective treatment I’ve tried so far.

I didn’t think ones that had a cooling effect would be much help for me but this one really really does seem to help.

I think I need to buy a portable sized one that I can take around with me as well. The good thing is it doesn’t smell as awful as the heat stuff which just smells like chemicals.

It’s actually a beautiful day now with blue skies so I’m going to try and do some more work and then head out for a walk in the evening.

I ordered the Herman Miller chair earlier and decided to go with a standard size B graphite one with normal legs. This is the cheapest variation and will arrive the quickest, within 10 days. It’s also probably the most versatile in terms of looks so that’s good.

I felt really hungry today. I went downstairs and saw Kat had kindly got me some little crunchy coated pumpkin seeds coated in chocolate. I ripped them open excitedly but before I put any in my mouth I quickly checked the back of the packet and saw that they had loads of carbohydrates in them. I think that means I can’t eat them unfortunately which is a waste.

My back is being really weird today I don’t know what’s going on. Right this second it feels like it’s dancing around the pain. I’m hoping that means it’s kind of escaping and giving up on me.

My tummy is being a bit strange again too. I’m wondering if this is due to the new diet, especially the smoothies in the morning. I think for whatever reason my body doesn’t cope very well with smoothies even though they’re delicious.

I’ve got to just sort out this diet and start getting better because I’m going to beat this thing and I can beat this thing.

I’m really hoping this chair is going to be a game-changer too but at the same time I’m nervous about pinning all my hopes onto it.

My chair in the office was excellent but that was a different style one so I just don’t know whether this isn’t going to be as good.

I do know for sure that the mesh seating thing is better for me I think because once the foam cushion goes it’s actually much worse for your back.

Hopefully being over to change a load of settings for lumbar support and posture fit or make a big difference too.

At the very least I’ve gone for the chair that gets the best reviews from people with ankylosing spondylitis that I could find online. I really can’t do better than that. If I went for a different style chair I always would have been wondering whether I went for the wrong one.

Kat asked me what was wrong during dinner and I was honest with her and said that I was just tired of being pain all the time.

It’s absolutely exhausting when you’re in constant pain and it affects everything.

I told her that I can’t really have parsnips and bananas any more. I’m going to write out or print out a proper list so that we both know what’s ok for the diet. I’m realising that this is the most restrictive diet in the world.

I’m wondering whether the parsnips I had with dinner is going to haunt me later but I took 2 ibuprofen anyway. The ibuprofen didn’t seem to have any impact whatsoever which is worrying because I do kind it rely on them.

Went to bed feeling a bit nervous because it feels like this thing is getting out of control and at times it feels like it’s dancing all over my body.

There’s a sort of wildness to it is if it’s not staying in one fixed position and as if it could spread anywhere.

Going up the stairs I noticed every possible joint in my body clicked going up the stairs. My knees and my ankles formed their own band. Today has been a really low point.

This latest flare up started on Friday I think and from Sunday onwards it’s just been hellish.

Hellish because it’s been so unpredictable and because it’s made me worry the diet isn’t working and because it seems to be have brought on by stress.

I need a new, stricter regime and I’m going to really be strict on the no starch thing and just take out those starchy vegetables and fruits which I suspect are causing more problems.

As soon as I can get rid of dairy as well which I know really affects my sister and so probably affect me that might help.

I’m also going to try having apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of olive oil each day too.

There were more points today where I really didn’t want to be alive and that’s not something I ever really feel and I don’t want that again.

I just need to blast this thing from all angles.