JIA Stories - 4 - Emotions | AboutKidsHealth at The Hospital for Sick Children

Описание: Children and teenagers get a kind of arthritis called juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). In this video, Duncan, Danielle, and Lindsey discuss their emotions as they manage their chronic condition.

This video is provided for general information only. It does not replace a diagnosis or medical advice from a healthcare professional who has examined your child and understands their unique needs. Please speak with your doctor to check if the content is suitable for your situation.

For more information, visit https://www.aboutkidshealth.ca/jia
Teens can visit the JIA teen site to learn about managing symptoms, and coping with JIA management now and in the future, https://teens.aboutkidshealth.ca/jiat...

Subscribe to the AboutKidsHealth YouTube channel: http://ow.ly/CzrN50ClHN3

Follow us on:
Facebook:   / aboutkidshealth  
Twitter:   / aboutkidshealth  
Pinterest:   / aboutkidshealth  

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT:

Duncan: I wasn't able to necessarily play as well as I could if I didn't have it and that's always been a challenge for me because I've always sort of felt like the underdog. It sort of felt like I was disadvantaged. Even though I really didn't want to feel that way.

Dr. Cameron: Like many other young people with arthritis, you might also have feelings of isolation, helplessness and depression.

Lindsey: For a long time I was questioning where the line is between myself as a person and arthritis. Because, am I the disease? Like has my entire life been shaped by this disease and does that make me like does that make my entire life about arthritis? And in many ways, it has.

Duncan: I've dealt with the challenges that arthritis has brought to me. My number one, keeping routine.

Lindsey: I matured earlier than a lot of people I know and a lot of people my own age because I had to deal with something as big as having a serious health issue.

Dr. Levin: One other thing that's really important, I find, for kids with JIA is to meet other kids with JIA. Not everybody has the same kind of JIA or the same kind of eye problems and sometimes it's scary to meet someone who may be didn't do as well as you're doing. But they give you a lot of information about how they live with the problem.

Danielle: People don't understand why a week ago you were okay and now you're not.

Lindsey: And that's understandable. I mean a lot of kids won't understand and won't be able to even if they try. But those who do and do show up when you're sick and, you know, are there for you, are your real friends and that's something really authentic.

Duncan: You have to have a lot of dialogue and communication with the person to make them understand and in turn, it sort of makes you feel better about yourself.

Danielle: What I do to help with my flare-ups is I just have to take my medication a lot.

Lindsey: I usually just try and, you know, rest because I will get exhausted if I try to push myself. And that doesn't help just because once you're exhausted, you feel worse and then once their joints hurt even more, I can't sleep, which leads into exhaustion and then I'm tired and then I don't want to go to school. And it's all can become kind of a domino effect.

Danielle: If you could just relax for a little, it's all gonna be like this for too long hopefully, and you can call your doctor if it's really bad.

Dr. Cameron: Coping strategies are another effective way of dealing with symptoms such as pain, stress, or poor mood. And again, can increase your ability to do things. These strategies involve changing the way you think, feel, and behave in response to these symptoms and how you feel about your arthritis. They can increase your sense of well-being and increase your ability to do things you want to do.

Duncan: Always keep a positive attitude. If you have a positive attitude, you can do anything. And, you know, even if it doesn't actually do anything to your knees, it can make you feel better.

#JuvenileIdiopathicArthritis #JuvenileArthritis #Arthritis