My mother has ankylosing spondylitis

Well, the good thing is that the medications can and will help her. The bad thing is that those meds can only subdue the symptoms; this is a condition that will follow her to the rest of her life. She will most likely take some medication from the NSAID group, and they are known for the not so rare occurrence of the side effects.

I was diagnosed with AS 21 years ago. I am now 40. I suppose some people who develop AS suffer more than others. I am at the point now where my next set of pain killers are morphine based. You have good days and bad days. The main thing is to try and keep mobile. In the mornings she will feel stiff and will have pain as well. Depending on how serious she has it will depend on what the doctor subscribes. I found that if something wasn't working within 4 weeks, I would go back to my doctor and try something else. The other problem is constantly waking up in pain. I don't sleep very well and wake up generally every 30-45 mins. This is not to say this will hapen with your mother. Make sure she takes the anti-inflammatories and pain killers and she should have an exercise chart to follow daily. If she finds she is unable to do the exercises because the pain is too intense then dont force her. She will find when AS is active she has little pain, but when its done the damage and becomes dormant for a while the pain is increased. Hope this helps.