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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Monday, July 19, 2010
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Hello Everyone,
This is my first time posting. My 3 1/2 year old daughter was diagnosed with presumed psoriatic arthritis a year and a half ago. She is now on oral Methotrexate and doing well. Recently I noticed my 2 year old daughter has a swollen finger that does not improve (X-RAY showed no trauma) and swelling in both ankles and knees. She is scheduled to see our Rheumatologist early March. The symptoms are so familiar that we'll treat her with Motrin and Naproxen until our appointment. I have one more daughter, she is 5, who does not (yet) have arthritis. Neither of my daughters has psoriasis but my brother, father and father's family does.
Has anyone else experienced more than one of their children having arthritis?
Thanks,
Leslie
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Monday, June 07, 2010
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I don't have any answers for you  I worry about it for our 3 other children, though I notice the one who is younger (bean is the 3rd out of 4) has hyperflexable joints like bean and wonder if he too will have an issue.
I would ask your doctor. You have earned the right (not that any parent doesn't have the right) to be worried!
Lis, Bean's mom - SJIA age 6
www.adiagnosis.blogspot.com
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Monday, February 15, 2010
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Hi Leslie,
Well I can only tell you from our experience. We have four daughters and Colleen is our youngest. She is the only one who has JIA. From my understanding it is fairly rare to have multiple kids with the disease. But it does occasionally happen. I know there is a lot of research going on to look at the family link.
Hope that having two children doesn't turn out to be the case for your family!
Let us know what you find out! Take care of yourself!
Annette
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Last Login: Friday, July 16, 2010
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I have two children who are now 23 and 21. They both have spondyloarthropathy. My son, now 21 was diagnosed at 12. My daughter, now 23, was diagnosed after my son, when she was 16. It has been a rollercoaster. When they were in their teens my son was definitely having more difficulty. We had to continually try new medications and adjust things and still the pain never left. When he was 18 and left for college (in a warm weather state while we lived in the northeast) he informed us that he was not taking his enbrel anymore because it didn't help and he would not take anything else. We are now 4 years later and he admits that his knees are worse than they use to be and that at times the pain if very very difficult to deal with, and to this date he has never been pain free. But he has made this choice and as he is an adult we have to let him make his choice and hope that at some point he will return to the rheumatologist and maybe get some help.
My daughter is 23 and her disease is very difficult to control. She is on an antiinflammatory, has eye involvement so she sees a specialist for her eyes, and has had hip surgery 6 months ago. She does go to the doctor regularly. Her pain level is up and down, primarily in her back. She told us that it was the eye involvement that scared her so much that she decided that she would always see her doctors regularly. She continues to live in the northeast.
WHy did both my children develop this? No one really can answer that question. Neither my husband or I have arthritis. We have been told that scientists think that some people are simply genetically predisposed. I don't know. I just know that we had our ups and downs. We continue to have our ups and downs with this. These day we are busy fighting the insurance battle about her surgery and her meds etc. But, you just get through it. The most difficult part was the psychological, for the kids and us. We went through real depression when our daughter was diagnosed. We were just coming to grips with the fact that our son would live with arthritis forever when our daughter was diagnosed. It took us a long time to come to pull ourselves out of this. But we did, and here we are. In May our son will graduate college. He doesn't have a job yet - anyone want to hire him???? But he did exceptionally well and will find a path eventually. Our daughter is applying to graduate school after being in the work force for a few years.
What I am trying to tell you is that you move through the stages with the second child differently than you did with the first and the disease process can be different even if the siblings have the same disease diagnosis. You will get through it. And you will help your children through it.
Karen
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Last Login: Friday, March 19, 2010
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| I have 2 children and only one has arthritis. However, my grandmother has had bad RA since her 30's or 40's. And a female cousin (same grandmother) had JIA in grade school but seems to have grown out of it. From what I understand though, having one child with JIA does not really increase your risk of having a second. Except that a few types of arthritis are inherited differently - I think spondylo is one, not sure about psoriatic. Ask your rheum. - they should know the latest genetics info. And as hard as it is, try not to worry about something that's not happening yet. Easier said than done, I know. ;-)
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Monday, February 08, 2010
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Hi All,
I signed on to this blog to research this exact question. My son 8 has JIA, and we're seeing signs in our 18 month old. I've always been strong, but this time it is getting me. There was a post regarding research into the family link - can anyone cite the researchers or the institution? I'd like to follow up.
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I have a 15 year-old granddaughter who was diagnosed with JIA in November of 2009. Her sister started having swelling in her knees and hand a few weeks ago. Her ANA was elevated and in a speckled pattern. We were worried that she might have lupus. She went to the Rheumatologist today and she thinks it is another case of JIA. So yes, it can happen and I think it is more common than some folks think. We are also lucky to have a great group of peditricians who take a mother and grandmother seriously when we say a child is having problems.
Dianne
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Monday, July 19, 2010
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Thanks all who answered my question about the genetic link.
It turns out that Audrey was also diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis and was put on Metho. After a month, the doubled the dose and we are hoping that it works else his plan is to switch her to Enbrel.
He told us that psoriatic arthritis is genetic so was not entirely suprised that two of my children are affected. My oldest daughter is fine and shows no signs of arthritis.
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Tuesday, October 05, 2010
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Hi its beth...My son has Poly JIA with enthesitis (worry about back due to achilles and low back pain sometrimes.)
But, I also worry that he will develop Psoriatic Arthritis, since hes already going in the spondylaropathy direction. His Great, Great, great grandfather had it and his Grandmother and her cousin have it. It seems to skip a generation. We took the blood test and it was negative, but of course nothing is definitive.
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Monday, July 19, 2010
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Hi Beth,
When you say "We took the blood test and it was negative" what blood test are you referring to and who is "We"? Did you take a test?
Thanks,
Leslie
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Last Login: Tuesday, October 05, 2010
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Hey there,
Bruce (my son) took a blood test called an HLA B27. It is a genetic marker, it helps the doctor like a stepping stone to determine if Bruce had the disease(psoriatic) or not. His came out negative. They also use it for other types of arthritis. Kind of like a confirmation. Like when they test for your ANA. That was also negative. Infact all lab work was negative...everything was negative, scans, mris all of it, but does that mean he wont at some point get psoriatic arthritis, no...it could be later on in his life. He could get psoriasis and no arthritis in those spots or he could continue to just have pain and stiffness in all his large joints and some in his knuckles.
Since its on my husbands side we thought about getting him tested, but b/c my husband does not have it at this time the docs dont think its necessary...also they look for the pitting on the fingernails. Bruce didnt have that either. I have seen 3 peeds rheumy docs and they all said it was not psoriatic arthritis.
but as usual nothing is difinitive. One of your tests can be positive and no signs. Or, tests can be negative but you have signs....very frustrating. I have a chapter on it if you would like me to read it to you. This psoriatic arthritis falls under spondyloarthropathy so I am keeping a careful watch on his situation, b/c once again....nothing is difinitive....gosh I hate that saying. E-mail me bbkdavis@bellsouth.net.
I think the reason that I am giving my name, e-mail out an phone is b/c I did research since Nov. of 09. b/c its hard to see your kid sick and not know what to do about it. I want to pass it on to other parents. I was not going to walk into a dr's office and not understand. Did I piss a dr. off...Yes I did.B/c on spondylorathopys you have to be aggressive and I wanted the MTX. After our last Dr.(who is great) agreed with me my husband asked if I felt vindicated and I said no, Im mad that it took this long, 3 mris with contrast and w/out, bone scan, muscle biopsy and my son went through a flare from nov. to march without meds except for NSAID an infusion of steroids that lasted 5 days and half the time he couldnt get off the ground or out of bed b/c he had joint contracture I had to put him in a wheel chair and no one wanted to touch him b/c they didnt know what he had. At one point they thought he had Muscular Dystrophy. I told my son everyday he cried that I was working on it and I truely think he stopped believing me b/c it took 6 months. What does an 8 year old understand about time. Im just thankful someone saw what I saw. Half the time I thought I was going to go nuts b/c I couldnt get the help that I wanted. You are not interupting me call me and Ill read it to you or get the book on line..."Its not just growing pains "by Thomas J.A. Lehman, MD.
Sorry, Im ranting. I just wish Dr.s would listen to the parent and look outside the box and compile everything together like my new Dr. did. Do I feel like I wasted 6 months b/c my son had no meds to supress, yes. But hes feeling better and thats all that counts.
Boy did go off the deep end...thats what happens when you dont talk to any adults for a day!
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Monday, July 19, 2010
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Hi AnneMarie,
Our Dr. specializes in pediatric psoriatic arthritis. I wonder if this is why my children are both diagnosed with presumed psoriatic arthritis. The only reason he gave me was because of the involvement of the joints in their fingers and toes and that there is psoriasis in my immediate family (brother/father/cousin). It is my understanding that psoriasis is genetic and I guess, that makes psoriatic arthitis possibly genetic? Anyway, I feel like I know very little about what is going on and perhaps am even in denial thinking that they are going to grow out of this soon . I don't have any links to research to share.
Leslie
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Last Login: Friday, June 04, 2010
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Hi all...
I am new to all of this and was planning on posting a similar topic so I thought that I would jump on here.
My first (and only) child just turned 2 yrs old last week. He has been officially diagnosed with JRA poly for a couple months. We have been doing Naproxin and are now going to add MTX orally. I am of course very concerned about side effects, but it seems that this is the next "step". He has 6 active joins including both his knees and ankles. It breaks my heart but he is a trooper! <3
My husband and I have been researching the likelyhood of a second child having an autoimmune issue like JRA too. No one has any answers!!!! I want to contine to have more children but I am so afraid to bring them into this world knowing that they will be in pain.
Could you share with me if you have more than one child and if they all have an arthritis of some type. It is not in my family very obviously. My great grandmother had adult RA and my sister in law has lupus...but that's it.
Please share and help me figure this out!
Thanks
:O) Noah's Mommy
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Group: Forum Members
Last Login: Tuesday, March 15, 2011
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| Thanks so much for your post. I am taking my 16 year old daughter for her first appointment in 2 weeks. The pediatrican has been OK, but I had to ask for the referral. My daughter has been complaining for at least 2 years. It is so bad now, she can't go to school many days. We have worked that part out, but I am sure I have upset off the doctors. Growing pains, just aches from a sinus infection among other diagnosis. My daughter told me the other day, "I just thought everyone hurt like this." I wanted to cry. Thanks for giving me the reassurance to be the advocate for my daughter that I need to be in this process.
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