How musician Dan Reynolds deals with a Monster Pain in the AS

Celebrities are just like us is a truth that we often forget… and sometimes they do as well, but not Dan Reynolds, lead singer for Imagine Dragons. Dan hasn’t forgotten the struggles that he’s gone through to get where he is, because in many ways they aren’t over.

It’s difficult for me to think of someone like Dan Reynolds as a “struggling musician” but there was a time when that was true. A time when he was a struggling musician with a newborn and no health insurance. During this time, he was struggling not only with anxiety and depression, but also Ulcerative Colitis (UC) and undiagnosed chronic pain.

This is a struggle I can identify with. Maybe not the parent of a newborn part, but certainly the trying to navigate a new marriage and a career while trying to find answers to the pain I lived with day after day. I was lucky though, I had insurance. I can’t imagine how much harder that struggle would have been had I not had insurance; had I been struggling to financially support a new family.

These days, Dan isn’t a struggling musician. Dan’s band, Imagine Dragons, is a phenomenal success by all accounts. Imagine Dragons has multiple albums and singles on the Billboard Top 100, and has won several awards including a Grammy, and multiple AMA awards.

Health insurance is no longer an issue for Dan. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t struggling. He’s still facing his mental and physical “Demons” – the depression and anxiety, as well as UC. His unexplained pain has since been diagnosed as Ankylosing Spondylitis (AS).

Dan is open about his struggles with all of these chronic issues. Dan’s openness goes beyond just words into actions. Many of the songs on his album, Night Visions, are inspired by his battle with depression. In 2017, he launched the charity music festival LOVELOUD to encourage acceptance of LGBT youth, with all profits going to LGBT organizations.

This year, Dan teamed up with global healthcare company Novartis to create the Monster Pain in the AS campaign, raising awareness for Ankylosing Spondylitis. His goal is to help others who are struggling find answers and treatment faster. It was through this campaign that I was provided the opportunity to talk to Dan about his experience living with chronic pain.

Dan’s journey with chronic pain begins

Dan’s chronic pain experience isn’t unusual. It began during an otherwise healthy stage of his life. He was an active guy in his early 20’s, working hard to launch a new band. Then suddenly one day while he was running down a mountain, he was struck with unexplainable pain that didn’t go away. The intense pain kept him awake at night. In the mornings, the pain continued and left him stiff.

Dan said that having dealt with depression and anxiety from a young age made him realize just how important it was to get help early.

Like most of us, Dan saw at least three or four doctors before his chronic pain was diagnosed. He went from doctor to doctor, with each thinking they knew what it was, ordering tests, and then sending him on to the next doctor. Dan says the doctors “were very sure of themselves until they weren’t.”

“Nothing is worse than dealing with bad health, all the other issues minimize when you can’t get out of bed without extreme pain. When you lose your health, it puts everything in perspective. When I finally received a diagnosis, it was a relief.”

Dan believes that had he had access to more information and better tools, he would have received a diagnosis faster, and that’s why he partnered up with Novartis for the Monster Pain in the AS campaign. They’ve put together a 5-minute quiz to help you determine if your pain may be caused by inflammation.

Chronic Illness Runs in the Family

Chronic illness runs in Dan’s family. Not just AS, but UC as well (AS often overlaps with digestive issues). He feels that receiving his diagnosis helped his brothers get theirs faster. While his brother (and manager) Mac was diagnosed a few years before Dan, another soon followed, with a second tentatively diagnosed. The two remaining brothers are now seeing a rheumatologist and expect that they will also be diagnosed with AS.

I asked Dan if he ever had a doctor tell him the pain was all in his head. This is a situation that is often portrayed as a strictly female experience. Generally, it is believed that the male pain experience is more believed. Dan’s answer surprised me a little. “The doctor alluded that it was just caused by stress. He asked if I struggled with depression and anxiety…” His brother got it even worse, with the doctor telling his mother that he was making it all up in his head. Thankfully, she didn’t listen.

Chronic illness affects all aspects of your life

As chronic illness usually does, Dan shared that his experience with chronic illness has affected every area of his life. He was already trying to balance performing and family life, and this made it more difficult. The pain prevented him from picking up his newborn daughter. He says “it was a scary place to be in,” but thankfully his wife was very understanding. He realizes that he’s been lucky in that respect, as it’s too often not the case.

Dan says that learning to balance his work and family life against living with chronic pain has been a “learning process” but he’s thankful for all of the support he’s had along the way.

As a professional musician, Dan has had to perform through the pain. He said that he’s performed through probably 10% of his shows despite some sort of flare, whether AS pain or UC stomach issues. This often left him performing while stiffly holding onto the mike stand, to avoid the additional pain that movement would cause.

I asked Dan how he deals with guilt surrounding his chronic illnesses. He replied that he’s experienced a lot of guilt regarding his interactions with others. Chronic pain often affects his mood, causing mood swings that lead to him lashing out at those he loves most. “You want to be happy but you’re in so much pain that you just can’t.” Dan reminds us that you have to take care of yourself first. “The best thing you can do to love those around you through this, is take care of yourself, so that you can reduce the pain and then be able to love them and take care of them.”

Getting the pain under control

Thankfully, Dan has learned what is needed to control his symptoms. Dan shared what it took to make that happen. “You’ve got to reach the low where you are willing to do anything to feel better.” He found that “moderation is key. I still do all the things I want to do, and eat what I want to, but I do it in moderation. If I am less stringent in one area, I need to make it up in another area.”

For Dan, controlling his symptoms means addressing three primary areas – diet, exercise, and treatment. He worked with his rheumatologist to develop a plan that has made all the difference. He says if one of those treatment areas falls out of balance, he has to make up for it in another area. He expressed that for him, the two most important things he does to control his symptoms are daily yoga and a diet that avoids sugars, alcohol, and inflammatory foods.

Dan reminds us that we are all unique and what works for him may not be the answer for you. “Just because cutting certain foods worked for me, I’m not going to say that everyone else needs to do the exact same thing. It’s trial and error. Go see a rheumatologist as they will work with you find the treatment that will work for you.”

There is hope

Above all else, Dan reminds us that we are not alone and that there is hope; “there are millions of others who understand and empathize.” Dan’s advice is to look for support groups and seek out a good rheumatologist who can help you form a personal treatment plan. Finally, he says “be willing to take action and do whatever is necessary to fight, rather than give in or give up. Your life is worth the discipline. “

Talking with Dan reinforced my belief that he is no different than we are. His struggles just occur on a larger stage. I found Dan to be extremely authentic and open. Much of what he shared aligned so closely to my own story and experience that I felt that in many ways his story is my story. His story is all of our stories.

Be sure to check out Dan’s Monster Pain in the AS playlist on Spotify. I found it to be a really encouraging listen.

Related Posts:

• Tips for pacing when you have chronic illness
• The impact of chronic illness on marriage
• Distraction as Pain Reliever: 10 ways to distract yourself from pain
• Chronic illness does not mean you are a failure: You are a success story