The Girl With Arthritis

"Call if anything changes," my doctor will say at the end of my appointment. Hearing that is such a friendly reminder. Having a good relationship with your rheumatologist is vital for anyone with arthritis. It's so important to be able to reach out and get a response when you need help. But, when you live with psoriatic arthritis (PsA), that advice can be a little challenging... Click here to read the full article at Psoriatic-Arthritis.com.

People with arthritis often talk about how they 'pay' for being too active one day with a lot of pain the next day. I can completely relate: there have been plenty of times when I accidentally overdid it while having a fun day out and about. The overexertion aggravates my psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and this pattern makes it hard to balance my need for social interaction with my need to take care of my body.  View the full article at HealthGrades.com.

In autoimmune arthritis, there are tons of treatments you can try- from DMARDs to diets. Okay, there aren't tons,  but there are several treatments out there. You might be lucky and find that your first pick gives amazing results. But, more often than not you'll try a few. I did, and it took a few years to find what works best. To be honest, it should've happened earlier. My first rheumatologist liked to stay with one treatment, regardless of what happend. I remember one DMARD made me extremely ill for the month I took it, and I later learned that they were extremely serious side effects. Towards the end of my two years with my first rheumatologist, I wasn't feeling well at all with Methotrexate and we weren't seeing any improvements. That's when I asked my doctor "Isn't there anything else we can try?" He sighed and I remember his exact words: "We would be going to the next level after Methotrexate, and you don't want to get to that...

When I was going through early treatment for arthritis, I was very depressed. Part of it was due to medication. Very few people realise it, but medicine can affect our mental health more than we think. It makes sense when you think about antidepressants affecting one's mood. What we put into our bodies has a great affect on what comes out, whether it's a good result or a bad attitude. Many medications warn they can cause mood changes or depression. Medicine for autoimmune disease is no different: several of these can cause mood changes. I can't talk from personal experience about many of the medicines, however I can talk about two: Methotrexate and Enbrel. If you're a frequent reader, you may already know that methotrexate did not work well for me whilst Enbrel has. I've taken Methotrexate for two years; one year at a time with a year between. I took it both through subcutaneous injection and orally. Both times I experienced mood changes. The first year I mostly...

I stand at a family gathering, watching the events around me. I had been sitting all day and just needed to stand for a minute. Also, I had a bit too much chocolate cake and hopped standing would help my over filled stomach. That's when my auntie came over to me. "You shouldn't be standing: it's bad for your back." She means well. "I've been sitting all day, I really need to stretch." I didn't feel like adding the bit about stuffing myself with cake. I began to ponder the reason standing would be bad for my back when she began to speak again. "You know, the other day I read about a remedy that works wonderfully for people with chronic arthritis..." I could feel the corners of my mouth move up. Not into a grin, but into a smirk. The kind of smirk that appeared when my mum asked me if I liked a red and white striped blouse and I began to sing 'The Candy Man Can.' I tried to get myself to stop, but I couldn't help it. She...

Yesterday I was talking with a friend who was trying Methotrexate for the first time. She told me how tired it made her feel and how it hurt. We both agreed that it would probably take a while for her to adjust to it. That's when I said, "The thing about medicines is that they are like shoes: they're painful to wear until you break them in." It's true in some cases. Sometimes a medicine will cause very ongoing side effects. Other times, they'll gradually (or even rapidly) lessen or even disappear. I went through about three weeks of horrid side effects with Enbrel before they began to go away. Like a good pair of shoes, Enbrel hurt for a minute but then became very comfortable and worked for my benefit. And in my life, I've tried too many 'ill fitting shoes.' And, like shoes, medicines are necessary. Sure, we could definitely walk around without shoes but it would be rather painful on sharp rocks or slippery on some floors. Many shops and place...

It's been said that the best medicine is laughter. And I agree, however I would like to change that statement a bit. "The best medicine is laughter... and art!" Maybe I'm biased because I'm the artistic type, but I one hundred per cent believe art is one of the best medicines. I think people can find a lot of benefit in art, for a variety of different reasons and a variety of ways. Making art, looking at art, listening to music, making music and all sorts of art forms can really help people feel better. And so, this is my list of reasons why art is one of the best medicines: 1. It Relaxes . Many people find it easier to wind down and relax whilst drawing, painting, listening to music, looking at books of paintings or photography or doing craft projects of some kind. When your mind is at peace, it can help your body be at peace as well. 2. It's a Form of Expression . The great thing about art is that there are no wrongs. If you're able to, using art ...

I think there is a lot of communication in the world. Cellphones have made it so an individual can be reached in a moments notice. The Internet has made it easier than ever to be connected with others from countries half way across the world from you. We even have more travel opportunities than ever before. However, as much as we would like to say people communicate more wisely today, we really can't. Our communication can only go so far. In the medical world, communication is a very complicated thing. It can go several ways and is different for every person.  A patient may be in extreme pain and can express that pain, but for whatever reason that pain may not be  received by a nurse or doctor. A doctor can recommend a treatment, but a patient can reject it without hearing the explanation of why it's needed, the consequences of not having it, and the benefits. A doctor or nurse may not communicate with a patient or quickly dismiss them. And there are many ot...

Medicine has come a long way since it's very humble beginnings. I'd like to thank the people who invented life saving procedures and equipments. However, I have a message for the people who invented hospital gowns, Foley catheters, plasters (band aids) that are just TOO sticky, and braces that are extremely uncomfortable and inconvenient: I hate you. It's surprising how many things in medicine that are supposed to make us feel better, actually make everything feel worse. For example, after being injected with contrast for an MRI, the technician put a plaster over the injection site. After a bit, I decided to take it off. I didn't realise how sticky it was, so when I went the 'get it all over at once' method and just ripped it off.... Well, it looked like I burnt myself! My skin was so red and raw, I probably did take a layer of skin off. And, who likes the hospital gowns? They open in the back and you never know if you're giving the world a peek. I heard...

I can't say that I'll go in remission, but I also can't say that I won't. You don't know when your bad days will happen, because once in awhile there could be a good day after a day you over worked yourself. Occasionally, you find a medicine that actually works. But sometimes it won't last long. That's the thing about arthritis: You never really know what's going to happen tomorrow. And so, it's only appropriate to say... "The suspense is terrible... I hope it'll last." -Willy Wonka

I'm actually writing this as I try and begin an art project (just a painting of a kitten), so please bare with me. I think it's funny how people have to take medicine to care for the side effects of the medicines that care for the symptoms of a disease. I remember taking one NSAID that caused me headaches, severe light headedness, fatigue, muscle ache and later extreme nausea. The light head feeling was so bad that I would tip my head upside down and cover it with a pillow just to feel like I actually had blood in my head. I ended up staying home from school for about a week, with that weekend being filled with- to put it bluntly- vomit. I think the worse part about this all, was the doctor kept telling me to push on. I actually ended up in way more pain from the medicine than I ever have from the disease. My mum, being the smart woman she is, took me off of it after I couldn't move. And me, being as stubborn as ever, eventually fired that doctor after two years of him ig...

Dear Juvenile Psoriatic Arthritis, You have caused me so much pain, anxiety, depression, illness, isolation, and guilt. Thank you. You've made me a better, stronger person than I ever would have been without you. I lhave earnt to push past pain and function as normally as I can because people can't see you hurting me: They don't understand the chronic pain. You showed me not to have self pity because as bad as you are, I could have it much worse!  I've always felt guilty to ask for a break, as if I'm ruining the plans, so I simply don't say anything now. (Provided it is not extreme pain.) My whole life you've made me feel odd, weird, like a cry baby for complaining sometimes when the pain got serious, and like I was alone. You isolated me from other children my age because I couldn't always participate, and when I tried you made me run awkwardly and slowly which made the children (to my horror) call me 'Limpy' and 'Faker' and othe...

I haven't updated much about my arthritis in a while so I think I'll start off with that. My muscles are really sore and my joints are creeky, but nothing out of the ordinary. What amazes some people is that I typically am in a lot of pain but I don't take pain medications. I mean, treatment like Methotrexate is just that: Treatment. It's not a huge pain reliever, though it is for some people. But mostly we all take medications to cope with the pain and some have nasty side effects. And I don't bother. Really. I can take about three times more ibuprofen in one day (Doctor prescribed) versus the average dose for others person and still be in a lot of pain. My mum tells me it makes me look more relaxed and calm and that's good when it's time to calm down like at night but not when I need to get homework and chores done, on top of finding time to talk with my friends. At the moment I am researching arthritis treatments that relieve pain. I've found a few ...

Sometimes on television I find ads for miracle joint looseners or bone strengtheners or something to keep your muscles strong. They're meant for people older than fifty and they show fifty, sixty and seventy year olds do gymnastics, climbing mountains or carrying hundred pound sacks of flour on each shoulder. I can't do anything like that. I get angry (not jealous, angry) that these people who are older and have had so much experience be strong as a bull, versus my friends and I with arthritis who have no experience and are very weak, even with physical therapy and medications. Most of them have had arthritis since they were toddlers or young children: The oldest age to discover their pain was -I think- ten or so years. But you would think we were envious at that. We really aren't. Or that I know of. Perhaps we all do but we just don't admit it. If anyone really wants  to do something, they do it. No one goes and runs and puts themself in pain for nothing: Granted, ...

They all say its the easy fix. Methotrexate, they claim, is a little miracle and all it takes is some little pills, a little liquid or an injection once a week. That's all, and there shouldn't be any side effects and if there are, we'll take care of it with this little pill. They coax you to take it and claim any side effect is all in your mind. But it's much more difficult than that, I promise you.It has side effects! I take about 20.0 mg of this wonderful drug once a week. It's not a lot compared to the amount others take, and though I try and tough it out, today I simply cannot. I can't tell you which day will be my Methotrexate day: Some days I just can't handle taking it. It's an extreme battle for me to take it. I use a clear capsule to put all seven of the small tablets in. My mum does this for me because I can't handle the smell of it. When I actually take it, it's not the simple fact of swallow with a little water. It's choke it do...

I never realised just how sensitive medicines make you. Recently we have recieved very good weather, and while the other kids in my class complained of how hot it was I was still very cold and I didn't warm up for a little. There was a nice breeze but that's what was so cold for me! It makes perfect sense however as when I was in Florida during their  summer season I longed for a pair of long trousers because though it was hot, it wasn't hot enough . Whether or not it really is the medicine, I see that when someone is sick one way or another the number one thing that bothers them is the temperature. But when someone is ill for a long time with arthritis or cancer or anything else you can think of, even the perfect temperature cannot keep them comfortable: once the wind blows, they shiver or shake. Let's not only use the weather as an example but most anything whether it be a nice walk upseted by a pain or a miracle drug that gives you headaches. Keep Your Chin Up, El...