Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (Dr Jeffrey Chaitow)

As a parent, JIA is something quite disconcerting if your kid has it, especially upon initial diagnosis.

A definition from the internet:

The name comes from:
Juvenile: referring to children under the age of sixteen years.
Idiopathic: meaning it has no known cause.
Arthritis: conditions that cause joint inflammation and pain.

Keyword here is "idiopathic." 

A few years ago, when our son was in high school, suddenly for a time, it was painful for him to move. His joints hurt. It was tough for a sporty kid. Finally, the GP referred him to Dr Chaitow. Dr Chaitow is pediatric rheumatology specialist, practicing at SAN (Sydney Adventist Hospital). Our son was diagnosed with JIA.    We couldn't stop wondering why did our son get diagnosed with JIA ? BUT there was no answer. It was dumb luck or for whatever reason in the infinite wisdom of the universe.

Dr Chaitow has been managing our son's condition ever since. He prescribed and "stepped up" the "treatment" for our son. From the very start with steroid to ultimately Humira + methotrexate. These drugs basically suppress the immune system to stop the inflammation. Pretty potent/nasty stuffs actually.

Dr Chaitow is almost a grandfatherly figure. Exerted a calming influence when we met with him. Explained what was going on. Answered our questions forthrightly. Always had friendly chat with our son. Asked him about school and sports. At the end of each session, our son always got a snake from Dr Chaitow.

It has been 4 years. Under Dr Chaitow's care, our son's condition has improved. His Humira cycle went from every two weeks to every 6 weeks. Our son has had no flare up for some time as far as I know. 

Upon his JIA diagnosis, Dr Chaitow told us some kids with JIA eventually grew out of it. Fingers crossed this will be the case with our son as well.

I guess the message I would like to share is Dr Chaitow is a good doctor. If your kid has JIA, JIA can be managed and what the doctor tells you is true, kids can grow out of it.