Possible JRA diagnosis ...others...help...personal exp?

Factual Questions
1

Our daughter (she is 2 and a half) was recently given a “working diagnosis” of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, pauciarticular. So far all it has effected is her left knee. She has had her eyes checked, nothing so far, and is on Naproxen. She was absolutely fine until just before august long weekend when she was paying with her day and she hyper-extended her left knee, since then it has been swollen and she complains of soreness. Sometimes, in the morning we need to carry her.

Here are a few concerns we are going to ask the doctor tomorrow -

I am going to ask when she needs her eyes checked next (I thought every three months, but the opthamologist says in two years, that seems wrong to me). I am going to ask how they are not sure that it isn’t a torn ligament or something. Should they do an MRI?
I am going to ask what sort of improvement we can expect and why her knee seems to be slightly worse the past few days.
I am going to ask if she needs a flu shot and a chicken pox shot, it’s an auto-immune disease so she probably should and we all should too.
Can she still start skating this year? We wanted to start her trying it out?
Can she still be given Advil when she is complaining about her knee, or should we be giving something else
Does she need to continue to wear the brace every night?
Should she be seeing a physio to ensure proper extension of her knee?

Any other parents or now-adult sufferers care to tell me their stories? Anyone have anything to add to my above questions?[ul]
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2

If it has been worse recently go and see a doctor ASAP, she could need intensive steroid treatment for a flare-up.

Your own doctor is also the person to answer your other questions, because they know what’s going on in your daughter’s particular case.

3

Hi Irishgirl,

As I said, we have an appointment this morning, in about - 1 hour.

I was just looking for people who have also dealt/dealing with this.

4

Look into caring for the full person. Emotionally, arthirtis can drain you, and your family. See to it that you know how to help her if/when depression strikes. It sucks to want to go out and run around, but you’re hurting too bad and you feel worthless, (pity, and feeling gimpy and grouchy and wanting to RUN, but you can barely walk) and you know your family wants to help you, but what you want they can’t give. That’s a whallop that it seems you didn’t anticipate. Other then that, just go with the flow, one day at a time as far as atheletics. (I ran cross country, track, and basketball myself so she’s not necessarily precluded.)