Now few people believe that children can get arthritis. And I think that is the first thing I want to correct any reader of this blog on. Children do indeed get arthritis, in fact, its not even that rare. About 300,000 children in the United States have some form of juvenile arthritis. This can be JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis), SLE (Juvenile Systemic Lupus Erythematosus), JSp (Juvenile Spondyloarthopathy), and more. JRA is the most common type of arthritis in children and I am one of those children affected. My start with JRA started when I was only 2.5 and my parents noted me complaining consistantly of knee pain. It was a long journey of tests and mystery diagonses and medications and alternative therapies ahead. My current Rheumatologist has also diagonsed me with FMS (Fibromyalgia). She believes that this started because of having JRA as a child. I have learned that this is quite common. Many people with RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) also develop FMS.
Arthritis literally means "inflation of the joints." Now this term is used much more loosely and with over 100 types of arthritis, not all involve inflation of the joints. With all of these 100 plus types of arthritis, over 66 million Americans have arthritis. Nationally, 1 in every 3 adults is doctor diagnosed with arthritis. And it is the number one cause of disability in the United States.
Now what exactly is arthritis? Well as I have JRA and FMS, I will tell you a little about them. On my sidebar I have included several links as well. One is to the Arthritis Foundation. They are a great organization that gives out brouchers, hold arthritis walks, have exerice programs and support groups, and have speakers that can come out and talk with you. (This last year I have worked with my AF and volunteered at JAM (Juvenile Arthritis March) and as a speaker to go out and speak about arthritis).
JRA (Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis) effects one or many joints and can also effect body organs as well. Some symptoms for JRA are joint pain, inflammation, and stiffness. Many children with JRA also have symptoms that include uveitis, anemia, fevers, rashes, nodules, etc. I have what is called polyarticular JRA, which means that my JRA effects more than 5 joints. For me, these joints are: both of my hips, knees, and ankles, and starting in January, my right jaw as well. Children with JRA in four or less joints have
Pauciarticular JRA. The thrid type of JRA, and the most rare (thankfully), is
Systemic Onset JRA. Systemic Onset JRA effects the entire body. Many children with this type get daily high fevers and rashes as well as typical JRA symptoms. I'd like to add that not all children have the same symptoms and that everyone is effected differently by their arthritis,
FMS (Fibromyalgia) is a condition that causes wide-spread, chronic pain. It is a confusing condition that doctors still don't know too much about. It effects many different things in the body, including (but not all) pain (especially in the 18 tender points), fatique, depression and anxiety, migraines, word mix-ups and difficulty concentrating, abdominal pain, bloating, constipation and diarrhea, skin color changes, tingling limbs, and jaw pain. I have most of these symptoms and also several more not noted.
I am constantly in some form of pain or another, but I have learned to live with it as well. My grandmother also have Juvenile Arthritis, and her sister had lupus, in my family we believe that it was my genetics that caused my JRA, not everyone has a reason they can find and doctors and researchers are searching for reasons and cures. Because my grandmother died of ulcers from all the medications she took I no longer take medications on a daily basis. I did from when I was 2.5 up until I was a young teen. I decided on my own that I would stop and only take medication when I most needed it. I then explored many different alternative therapies, some worked and some didn't, but each one helped me along with my arthritis in discovering more about it and more about me.
..CD..
