nephew having bad flare up | Arthritis Information

He is having a very bad time right now. His knee is swollen very bad maybe 2 to 3 times regular size. What can I do for him to get the swelling down? Would ice, heat, or elevation help? His Dr. is trying to avoid removing the fluid but it looks worse today. He is 11 by the way.

Elevating helps my knees when they get that way. You could try giving him ibuprophen. It's an anti inflammatory and it can at least take the edge off the pain. Alternating heat and cold might make him feel better too. Poor kid. Hope he gets through it quickly.

hi justbro sorry your nephew is having a bad time.. i hope he can find some relief.
and his rheumatologist can sort him out..

Boney

He has had JRA a few years now and he has been on Aleve and Methotrexate. He was taken off Methotrexate for about 6 months due to all of his blood work coming back bad. He is going in for an MRI next week because his Rheumatologist thinks he has Ankylosing Spondylitis. (sp?) So as of now all he is on is Aleve twice a day. After he has the MRI they are going to put him on Humira. He is so not happy about that I don't know how we are going to give him the shots. His Dr. said if the swelling in his knees gets worse she will have to drain it and give him a steroid shot in his knees. I want to do everything I can to avoid this He is going to be out of school for all of next week so at least he can rest. Aww, poor kiddo!! Why is the doc avoiding removing the fluid? When I hurt, I like to sit in hot Epsom salt baths. It seems to help with the pain/swelling. You might try cold, too, though (like an ice pack) as some people respond to heat and others cold. I hope the swelling goes down quickly. Let us know how he's doing and tell him he has fans that are rooting for him. Poor kid. Definitely try some ice. You can easily make gel packs at home by putting 1 part rubbing alcohol to 3 or 4 parts water or dishwashing liquid into a sturdy ziploc bag and freezing. (I use a bag of frozen peas myself). Put a pillowcase or something in between the skin and the ice pack, and apply for 15 minutes several times a day.I'm in a flare myself, but thats soo not fair, esp for a 11 yr old!!

I can't stand Ice!! eeeeek...

I'm a heat person, myself...

like someone said, depends upon the person, Humira, well ok, its not that bad,

sucks shots, but get her done!

and if it helps, then it'll be worth it.. and its usually what only once a wk..

I always did at night before bed and took sleep meds, bc it did burn for me..

(didn't help me much and i'm off it, but maybe it will help)

ELEVATION major key!! always keep elevated!!, that really helps and hugs

Thanks everyone! I think his Dr. is avoiding the fluid removal because she knows he is going to freak out. When she showed him the Humira pen and explained everything he really freaked out on her. When they drain fluid what is involved? Do they numb the joint or anything? Does it hurt? He is so sensitive to pain and he flat out told us he will not do it and that is not like him. She is giving it until April 21 and if the swelling is not down he will have to get it done. That poor baby. It just breaks my heart I read about children with this disease. I'd like to add that you're a wonderful aunt to be posting on his behalf and I hope the advice you've gotten from the others gives that poor little guy some relief. Bless his heart and yours too.

Hey Bro -

Have you checked out www.roadback.org? We use antibiotics to control our RA. There is another mom here (or more, I'm getting my boards mixed up) that treats her 5 year old with Zith. An 11 year old is old enough for the tetracyclines as all of their teeth are in by then except for the wisdom.

I'm an APer, as are a few of us on AI. GoGo above is too. We'll answer any questions you have if you check us out.

Also, a more natural way to cut inflammation is the Whole Lemon Olive Oil drink. If you search here you'll find the recipe. It tastes like a frothy lemonade so he'll probably love it.

Also, there are HUGE connections from AS to leaky gut. He can probably really benefit from adding probiotics to his regime. It should cut pain and inflammation within a week. Go to Whole Foods and get some of the 'good stuff' out of the refrigerated section. Get the most strains and the most live cultures. Start slow and work his way up.

I'm off to search for my Minocycline/AS studies. Some darn good research.

Hugs,

Pip