We took Paige to the pediatric rheumatologist a couple of weeks ago and he was very hesitant to make a diagnosis of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA). He did a complete assessment and we have obviously still been somewhat concerned because she has been limping for about 8 mos. now. It's worse when she wakes up in the morning and from naptime and then tends to work itself out where we don't really notice it. Everything looked really promising and the Dr. still ran some tests just to be thorough. Well, the nurse called on Wednesday with the scannogram results, which is an x-ray of the lower half of her body to determine any leg length discrepancies. The nurse said that her left leg was a little longer and that was consistent with JRA. He started her on some Naprosyn twice a day, which is a perscription anti-inflammatory drug. He initailly wanted to follow-up in about 3 mos., but would like to now see her in about 6 weeks after the new findings. Our next appointment is Jan. 17th. There is a very promising side in that alot of children who are diagnosed this young with these mild symptoms, can "outgrow" it. The symptoms seem to dissipate or go away after a year or so, which is obviously what we're praying for. I think the most heart-wrenching factor is that she's probably been in pain the whole time. The Dr. said that almost all children with JRA do not express pain. They learn to compensate for it. He said it doesn't mean they don't feel the pain, that's just what they know, so they deal with it differently. I have asked Paige countless times if she hurts and she always says no. It's just hard as a mother to know your child might hurt and there's really nothing I can do about it. I know that God created everything about her. He does not make mistakes and He is very purposeful. However, it doesn't make me not want to intervene any less. We trust Him and pray that He heals her and takes away any pain she might be experiencing. Please pray with us as we daily surrender to the Lord with Paige.
6 comments:
It is really hard to deal with your kids in pain or with them having physical things that are not "perfect." we will be praying for you guys!
We will pray! We love you guys.
Gosh i hate to hear about babies in any kind of pain, emotional or physical. We will pray for sweet Paige and her sweet parents.
My heart goes out to you. My son was diagnosed with a severe polyarticular JRA at age two. He started out with a limp and a swollen left foot that was hardly noticible except he would cry out in pain when I put his shoes on. With in four short months he stopped walking and his foot ballooned. He also had swellings in his left elbow and left jaw. He developed a swollen right knee about a month after. But the good news is that he is not only walking but running and climbing and he is in no pain. When I heard the diagnosis I didn't even know what it was. I went home and did some research and I found that certain foods aggrivate this condition ecpecially refined sugars. We are now feeding him only organic (from a local farm) whole foods; meaning lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and organic meat. We are lucky because we live near organic family owned farms that we can trust are not using pesticides or herbicides or any kind of chemicals on their food. Other foods that aggrivate JRA are wheat and milk. I would stop feeding these to her but by no means buy packaged gluten free products as they have lots of chemicals as well. Stick to organic fruits, vegatables, nuts and meats. You can substitute wheat with almond meal, macademia nut meal, coconut flour there are many wonderful substitutions for wheat. Go to a nearby Whole Foods Store they will be more than willing to help you. If you google SCD recipes you will find some delicious recipes that I think your family will enjoy. Also Weston Prices website has a lot of information about eating how God intended us to eat.
Man made food can not and should not ever substitute the food that God put on this earth for us. We were meant to eat as God intended and He provides us with everything we need.
I too will pray for your family and I know that your daughter will come out of this fine. Here is an excellent website that has helped educate me about nutrition and health and I attribute this website with helping me get my child healthy. http://www.naturalnews.com/
If there are any questions that I can answer please let me know and I will be more thatn willing to answer them.
I know how she feels I'm 12 years old and I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rumituid Arthritis when I was 11. I have Arthritis in my fingers, toes, back, and knees. I've also had 1 surgurey for it, and I have done physical therapy for 2 years. I will pray for your family and Paige, because I know how it feels.
I'm 12 years old and I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rumetuid Arthritis when I was 11. I have it in my whole body, I'm always in so much pain. So I will pray for Paige and your family, because I am going through everything that Paige is right now. Best wishes.
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