Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
Hi guys, i dont personally have arthirtus but my mum does. i am 13 and finding it hard to deal with it. What is happening is this.. My mum had surgury last year to stop her having periods becuase they were causing a lot of pain and it worked! But only for a while. Now everytime she would have got a period she has a flare up. These are extremly severe.Like the one now has stopped her moving her shoulder,not being able to move her head and cant walk. I find it scary looking at my mum like this and i have to balance school and looking after my mum. Could someone please help me or give me tips on how to deal with this.
Thanks. Erin<3
What a great daughter to be looking for help for your mom! It is really hard to deal with this disease, and also hard on family members.
Does your mom have osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis or both? Is she taking any medications for her arthritis?
For women, hormonal changes (first period, each period, pregnancy, and menopause) all may make chronic disease worse. Depending on what surgery she had, she sounds like she still has the hormone changes even if she is not having the period itself. She should talk to her doctor about making sure her hormonal balance is taken care of.
I am sure it is scary to see your mom having pain or difficulty doing things, and it is great to help her out when you can. But you need to be sure you are taking care of yourself as well, in school and other activities. Do you have a friend or teacher or coach or someone you can talk to? Do you have other family members or neighbors, or people who know your mom, who can help out?
You sound very strong to be looking out for your mom - she is lucky to have you in her corner!
I got hit with RA when my daughter, my youngest was 10 years old. She was dressing me, brushing my hair and doing everything for me. I felt so horrible for her. But when I got on better meds, I was able to recover a lot of that. She loved figure skating, and somehow, I got her to the rink, to tests and competitions. Eventually she became a coach, but by then, she had her own driver's license. I hope you have something that you love to do, that you can do.
My daughter is grown and married. How did she turn out? Well, she is happily married to a doctor. She is a social worker, and she helps kids in abusive situations. We are very close!
If I was giving you advice, I would say try to be there for your mom, and try and help her if possible. And get a doctor to see her and put her on better meds. Stopping periods is not the way to stop Rheumatoid Arthritis. Many women continue to have them, including me! Although I did have some major issues at menopause, because of the meds I was on. Still, I got through it.
I hope that helps a bit. There might be a friends and family of RA group on here, but I don't imagine it would be very active. I hope your mom gets the help she needs, and don't give up hope of her improving. It happens to most of us.
depot