The Seated View

Joint inflammation or contractures. Nodules (small lumps under the skin or in other tissues). A weakened or hoarse voice. Children with these symptoms may have been diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) or other types of juvenile arthritis . But do they actually have JIA or do they have Farber’s disease? An equine digression When you hear hoofbeats, think horses, not zebras. This is an adage in the medical world that encourages doctors to not wander off exploring rare and esoteric reasons for a patient’s symptoms. Because most of the time, that hoof beat of a rash likely isn’t the plague, the joint pain more likely a type of arthritis than the bends (especially if the person has never scuba dived) and you get the picture. But once in a while, it actually is a zebra. And even if it’s first identified as a horse, eventually, the stripes come through. It took five years of my parents running around to different doctors before one finally recognized that I had...

“Relax,” he said. “Hi!” I replied. “Have you met me? I am not a relaxed person.” I have lived with anxiety since I was a child. My first memory of being really anxious was the first day of Grade 1. I remember the red dress I was wearing. I remember being one of only two students who could read the sign with their name on it on one of the small desks. And I remember being on the verge of throwing up all morning. Because anxiety always hits my stomach. Part of the problem is that I have a vivid imagination and it occasionally veers towards catastrophizing. Another reason is having lived with an unpredictably capricious disease for fifty years. Never knowing how you’re going to feel tomorrow, or if you’re going into the hospital, or if the damned RA is about to do a clog dance on your joints makes for a great deal of uncertainty in life. And it could be argued that we all have a great deal of uncertainty in our lives, but my rebuttal is this: when you are a genera...

“Why don’t you try The Arthritis Society?” Do you remember my experience with a youthful OT when I tried to get splints for some finger deformities? If not, you may want to go read In Which I See an OT and Come up against a Stereotype first. I’ll wait with the update until you’re back. Oh, and until you’re done with that eye roll. Not to worry. I rolled my eyes, too. When I published that post, the lovely Annette immediately mentioned The Arthritis Society . They have occupational therapists, as well as physiotherapists and a social worker. Which I’d completely forgotten (because blonde isn’t just a hair colour, but a state of mind). So I called and made an appointment, because — guess what? — you don’t need a doctor’s referral. You know your body best and if you think you need help, that’s good enough for them! And I did need help. I have a number of deformities, but my thumbs have been particularly affected by using my camera, worsening as my cameras have i...