Brittany M. Huynh, MD, MPH, presented an abstract at ACR Convergence of her paper, Adolescent and Young Adult Rheumatology Patient Reports of Reproductive Health Screening and Counseling in the Clinical Setting.
In this paper, Huynh and her colleagues found that only 38% of pediatric rheumatologists were screening patients between 14-23 years of age for sexual activity. Only 17% of patients surveyed had conversations with their rheumy about pregnancy prevention.
Photo from The Gender Spectrum // VICE
I recently had the honor of working with the American College of Rheumatology as part of a team alongside pediatric rheumatologists. Our team developed a series of parent and family-focused handouts covering a range of topics, from practical tips for managing daily activities to emotional support strategies and more. We believe that these resources will be instrumental in providing guidance and fostering a supportive environment for families facing juvenile arthritis.
You can view the PDF handouts our team created here.
I’ve pulled this information as well as some additional education, links, and more into the following page.
As patients, we often rely on doctors to provide us with the best possible care. However, it’s important to remember that our doctors are only able to help us to the extent that we communicate with them. There are certain things that doctors need to hear from their patients in order to provide the best possible treatment. Let’s explore some of the crucial things that you need to communicate to your doctor during your medical appointments. By doing so, you’ll be better equipped to receive the care you need to get closer to optimal health.
Chronic pain affects millions of people worldwide and can have a significant impact on daily life. Unfortunately, many people who suffer from chronic pain struggle to communicate their experience to their healthcare providers. It’s hard to explain this stuff to people who have no clue! That can lead to suboptimal treatment and frustration.
This won’t be as much fun as my sarcastic post on this topic a few years ago. My hope is that this one will actually be helpful.
In this article, I will provide guidance on how to talk to your doctor about chronic pain. From preparing for your doctor’s visit to developing a pain management plan, I will cover key topics to ensure that you and your healthcare provider can work together to manage your chronic pain effectively.
Before making any changes to your medication regimen, it’s important to carefully consider the possible risks and benefits. Your doctor may recommend a medication change to better manage your symptoms or improve the effectiveness of your treatment. However, it’s crucial to fully understand why the change is being made and what the potential side effects or interactions may be.
In this article, I’ll outline some of the key things you should ask before okaying medication changes, including understanding the risks and benefits, discussing alternatives, and monitoring your health. By being an active participant in your healthcare decisions, you can make informed choices about your medication and ensure the best possible outcome for your health.
Let’s talk about the best masks, how to care for them, and how to care for yourself during COVID-19.
When I started methotrexate in late 2010, it was rough. I started on the pills and then discontinued them, moving on to biologics. After switching to a new rheumatologist a year later, I tried it again – this time as an injection in conjunction with Enbrel.
About this time is when I noticed that anything containing gluten made me incredibly sick. We ran a Celiac blood test but, as I wasn’t eating gluten, it came back inconclusive.
Dragons are elusive creatures, but when you find one you have to really put your all into the fight. It’s no wonder why Still’s Disease is also referred to as ‘the dragon.’
There are two forms of Still’s disease – systemic-onset juvenile idiopathic arthritis (SJIA) or adult-onset Still’s Disease (AOSD). Both are considered fairly rare so it can be pretty hard to get an accurate diagnosis.
So yesterday, I had an ensure for breakfast… a handful of chips for lunch… some popcorn at the movies… and an ensure at like eleven. I’m just not hungry for some reason. Obviously, it bothers me that I’m not eating. I usually do alright with trying to make myself eat a little bit. Right now though, I think this appetite thing is the worst it’s been in a long long time.
Lately, especially in the last week or so, I have begun to deal with more and more fatigue as a result of my arthritis. It’s gotten to the point where I am nearly passing out from exhaustion, only to sleep for 2-4 hours at a time (well, at least today… then again, I was up most of the night). I’ve been reading up on fatigue in the past few hours and found out some interesting things.
It feels overrated, but is a huge necessity for me right now.
Alright, so a lot of people say that they get their best ideas on the toilet right? You can consider me one of them right now. For people who maybe don’t quite understand how Still’s Disease/JRA affects the ‘everyday’ stuff that I do, I thought maybe I’d just list the things that are harder to do when the arthritis is acting up (like it’s been lately).
Ah, yes, the knee saga continues.
I’ve been working without a day off for a while here now. It’s not terrible, but I’m definitely getting pretty tired of it. I had a cramp yesterday in the back on my right leg that didn’t go away until after work today. On top of that, it’s time to get certified with the cleanliness of our store, so I’ve been in contact with a lot of chemicals today that, with my allergies and asthma, I probably should not be. Needless to say, I’m still a little light-headed. Oh well, tomorrow is another day.
My appetite, she has returned. It is a miracle!
No, not the girly kind. Bear with me while I explain some background junk before getting to the cramps.
And some pretty interesting abdominal issues as well, but that’s a part of the JRA itself.
My sister has not had another seizure. She has an appointment to do an MRI and an EEG on June 11th at Children’s Hospital. Hopefully, if there’s anything wrong to find, those in-depth tests pick it up. She’s been sleeping a lot lately, which she is worried about, but I am convinced it’s a good thing. My finger is no longer as numb as it was… or I’m getting used to this strange feeling. The infection seems to be gone, or mostly so, and I’m hopeful that I’ll be fine.
Every so often, I get what I like to call pitcher’s shoulder. Basically, it feels as though my shoulder is detaching from torso. This feeling generally starts in the lower neck – sometimes as a crick, other times on it’s own – and moves down to the top of my shoulder. This movement also causes the top of my arm to ache terribly and can make it near impossible to move, let alone do anything else. Occasionally the pain will move down my arm until it hits my fingers.
Since I can’t go play catch by myself at the moment, I’m using the Wal-Greens brand of hot patches. It’s not helping a ton, but it feels a little nicer at least. Pitching really is the best way to work out this pain.
Edit: If you’re coming across this sometime after 2019, I have hypermobility and the pain I’ve described here is from a subluxation or dislocation.
