Throughout my life I've been given plenty of non professional advice from people just trying to help. I get it, you can't stand to see Little Sarah in pain, well guess what. There's nothing anyone can do about it, even myself.
Every child living with Juvenile Arthritis is different.
In the weekly #SupportMondays poll in the Australian First Online Support Group run by Kids Arthritis Australia, I asked parents and careers what was the best way to reduce their child's pain.
Number one answer. Medication.
Medication in 2016 is strong, toxic stuff, but you know most of the time it gives the relieve the body so badly needs. It might be overwhelming for the parent to hear all the side effects that come with the medication, but recent research has shown that with early strong medicaiton intervention the child's JIA could be better off later in life.
Second answer. Heat/Cold Packs.
Whether it's winter or summer a child living with Arthritis body needs to be at a good temperature (just like anyone elses). With the interaction of JIA and medication this can be a problem. Hot packs are also good for pain during winter and cold packs are great for sudden joint swelling.
Third answer. Good nutrition and exercise.I know as an adult eating right and exercising can be hard, but for a child living with Arthritis sometimes and they might not even know it, can get medication cravings (yes another Sarah word).
When I was having Actemra, the craving I received after the infusion was salty foods and it became a tradition that I would cut up fresh potatoes and deep fry them and eat them with dinner that day. It just happened and I don't know why. Exercise can also be hard due to pain and stiffness, but with the help of your local physiotherapist this can be made easier.
Excess weight is bad for anyone, but if you live with Arthritis and you become over weight you place more stress on your already stressed out joints which creates more pain.
What other ways do you reduce pain?
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