Living with Ankylosing Spondylitis: Carlos’ Story | Inmunidad Consciente Podcast – Ep 2
- Cristina Montoya, RD
- Sep 14, 2025
- 3 min read
Updated: Apr 7
Welcome to Inmunidad Consciente, the first Spanish-language space where we open a dialogue about autoimmune diseases, co-hosted by my colleague Carlos Ferragut.
We both share a deep passion for anti-inflammatory nutrition and gut health for autoimmune rheumatic diseases. We also live with them!
In this first episode of Inmunidad Consciente, we explore my story (Cristina Montoya) with Sjögren’s and rheumatoid arthritis.
I wanted to provide you with a summary of this touching episode. Thank you for supporting our channel, and please share our videos with anyone who speaks Spanish and might benefit from our discussions.
🦴 Understanding Ankylosing Spondylitis and Spondyloarthritis
It is part of a family of diseases known as spondyloarthritis.
This group of inflammatory rheumatic diseases includes:
Ankylosing spondylitis
Psoriatic arthritis
Peripheral spondyloarthritis
Enteropathic arthritis (associated with inflammatory bowel disease)
Reactive arthritis
Juvenile spondyloarthritis
Undifferentiated spondyloarthritis
These conditions are often misunderstood as “just back pain,” but they are complex autoimmune diseases that involve systemic inflammation and immune dysregulation.
Many people experience symptoms such as:
Chronic back pain
Morning stiffness
Fatigue
Reduced mobility
Pain that improves with movement but worsens with rest
Because symptoms can appear gradually and mimic other conditions, diagnosis is often delayed, which is something many patients—including Carlos—experience.
💪 Carlos’ Story: From Athlete to Diagnosis
Carlos’ symptoms began when he was 18 years old.
At the time, he was very active and practiced rowing. During the summer, he started experiencing strange muscle pain in his legs, which initially felt like intense muscle soreness.
Doctors first attributed the symptoms to:
muscle overload
vitamin D deficiency
sports-related strain
Like many autoimmune patients, Carlos spent years searching for answers.
Eventually, he moved to Valencia and continued his training while preparing for the physical exams required to join the Guardia Civil, a Spanish national police force.
During this time, the symptoms worsened. The pain increased and began affecting his mobility.
Then, everything changed.
⚠️ The Turning Point: A Sudden Health Crisis
In late 2017, Carlos experienced a severe infection.
For two weeks he suffered from:
high fever
severe mouth ulcers
extreme weakness
rapid weight loss
After recovering, he ran a local race. At the finish line, he suddenly felt an overwhelming stiffness in his legs—as if they were “made of cement.”
What followed was a rapid deterioration.
Within weeks:
walking became extremely difficult
the pain spread to his back and legs
he eventually needed crutches
and later a wheelchair
Carlos could no longer perform basic daily activities without help from his parents.
After multiple hospital visits, a doctor finally suspected something more serious.
On February 14th, 2018, he was admitted to the hospital for further testing.
After a week of exams, he received his diagnosis:
Ankylosing spondylitis.
Doctors believed the infection may have triggered the genetic predisposition for the disease.
🩺 Treatment and Recovery: Finding the Right Therapy
Initially, Carlos was treated with anti-inflammatory medications, but the side effects were difficult and the results were limited.
Because the inflammation remained severe, doctors later prescribed biologic medications, which are advanced treatments used for autoimmune rheumatic diseases.
Biologic therapies work by targeting specific components of the immune system responsible for inflammation.
After starting biologic treatment, Carlos experienced a dramatic improvement.
Within a few months:
the inflammation decreased
pain improved significantly
he regained mobility
🧠 The Emotional Impact: Body Image and Self-Acceptance
Living with a chronic, incurable, and unpredictable diseases like Sjögren’s and Beyond the physical symptoms, the disease also affected Carlos’ self-esteem.
Before his diagnosis, he had recently started focusing on fitness and strength training. But months of immobility caused severe muscle loss, especially in his legs.
He described feeling self-conscious when returning to the gym because his body had become physically unbalanced.
Over time, however, his perspective shifted.
Carlos realized that everyone carries their own struggles, whether physical, emotional, or personal.
Instead of worrying about how others perceived him, he chose to focus on his recovery and personal growth.
This mindset became a crucial part of his healing process.
Final Thoughts
Our goal with Inmunidad Consciente is to create a space where patients feel heard, supported, and informed.
Autoimmune diseases are complex and often invisible, but sharing our experiences helps break the isolation many patients feel.
If you or someone you know lives with an autoimmune disease, we invite you to join this conversation.
Follow Inmunidad Consciente and share this episode with anyone who may benefit from hearing Carlos’ story.
Together we can build a stronger, more informed autoimmune community.
Carlos Ferragut @nutritionaltrainer
Cristina Montoya en TikTok @arthritisdietitian (Español)
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