Date: 08.05.2013
From: Phil
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Subject: childhood arthritis
Hi all My name is Phil and i come from the northwest of England. I am aged 38 and am married with young children.
When i was eleven years old i was diagnosed with childhood/juvenile arthritis. My Knees would swell up and my ankles, elbows and wrists would lock and hurt all the time. not sure if this was eighties medical thinking , but i had to sleep in splints for my legs and wrists. -not nice and not something i would like see happen to my own children. This went on to varying degrees of pain until i was 15. It then cleared up but came back suddenly when i was 20 and pretty much affect my movement all the time. I was admitted to hospital and given a steroid drip for 7 days. This helped me so much and pretty much cleared up any pain (that could stop me)until aroung 4 weeks ago. The pain has returned and i getting worse and it is affecting more areas - my hips being one.
What i am asking is
A. Have any of you found your problems have passed to your children - this is worrying me.
B. Are there any treatments avaliable now which can help - as i am sure when i go to my new Drs this afternoon the standard answer will be -Ibuprofen !! which i take anyway.
sory to have dragged on - but would appreciate any advise or knowledge you can give me thanks Phil
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Date: 08.05.2013
From: Tara
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Subject: Re: childhood arthritis
Hi Phil
sorry to hear your suffering
i am 41 with 6 kids and have ra
my dad has ra and now i have a 10 year old little boy with suspected ra
we are waiting on his first rhuemy appointment for little man
so i guess the ans is yes it can be passed on
there is a lot of different forms of arthritis and a lot of great drugs out there
i would ask your doc to refer you to a rhuemy and start from there because it will be the rhuemy who will diognose you and start you on the right meds
sorry i not really much help
but i know how you feel its hard work with little ones
take care hun
lets us know how you get on today
hugs
Tara
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Date: 08.05.2013
From: rhona
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Subject: Re: childhood arthritis
Hi Philip, Sorry to hear that you are suffering just now and i agree with Tara in that you should get referred to a rheumatologist. It sometimes can run in families but not always and they do say it takes something else to trigger it. My mother had r/a and i have r/a and i worry that my 3 daughters will get it but i have 2 brothers and a sister that didn't get it. It's not good too take ibuprofen for too long, i was on them for 3 months and then got an ulcer so it is best that you get the right drugs from a rheumatologist if you have any inflammatory arthritis as they are the only ones that can prescribe them and they slow down the disease. Good luck x
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Date: 08.05.2013
From: Heather
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Subject: Re: childhood arthritis
Hi Phil
I had JIA from ages 8-14 - pretty much the same story as you - splints at night, ibuprofen (900mg, three times a day for all of that time - left me with tummy issues now). Then one day I woke up and it was gone. It was pretty much as quick as that! Then about 8 years ago I started getting pains in my wrists and hands and my fingers were really swollen...FFW to now (I'm 35) and I have RA. I have no siblings and my father died when I was young so I don't really have a medical history on him, but I've read RA is genetic.
My husband and I are currently torn about starting a family and this is a real consideration to put in the mixing pot.
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Date: 09.05.2013
From: Deborah
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Subject: Re: childhood arthritis
Hi Phil,
Sorry to hear your arthritis has returned and that you are suffering at the moment.
I just wanted to tell you that I know pshoriatic arthritis is hereditary,I can trace five generation's of my family who had some form of it, the women in our family take pshoriatic arthritis and the men take anklosing sponditlitis. I have pshoriatic arthritis but none of my sister's have it but my son has it and then I have another son who does not have anything. I hope this has answered your question a bit best wishes Deborah.
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