Parents practical guidance on raising children with juvenile arthritis, juvenile lupus or other rheumatic diseases.

Parenting a child with a chronic illness is not simply a full-time job; it’s an all-time job. Quite unlike most other jobs in life, your first day as the parent of a child with juvenile arthritis usually begins with little or no training, no orientation, and no helpful coworkers or encouraging boss to lead you through the ropes. You’ll be required to gain confidence and comfort in this job, day by day, through your own research and discoveries, your intuition, your inner strength, and your enduring love for your child. Living with Juvenile Arthritis: A Parent’s Guide provides support to parents and caregivers of children with juvenile arthritis through helpful tips and guidance from a parent who has successfully navigated the challenges of raising two children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Allow author Kimberly Poston Miller to help you and your family find your path. Learn more about arthritis, its symptoms, diagnosis scenarios, treatment options, managing pain, and handling flare-ups. Discover strategies for dealing with the unpredictability and individuality of your child’s condition. Build a support team of health-care professionals, cultivate healthy relationships within your family, and focus on what’s most important—raising a happy, well-adjusted child.

Paediatric Rheumatology is an indispensible resource for the identification and management of specific rheumatological disorders. As well as covering common and rare rheumatological problems, there are also chapters on investigations and emergencies, designed for quick reference. The handbook includes dedicated topics on systemic diseases affecting rheumatology; the relevant clinical guidelines and information needed for a rheumatologist to successfully management a young patient; and, a coloured section for guidance on rash-related investigations. Paediatric Rheumatology is also fully endorsed by the British Society for Paediatric and Adolescent Rheumatology and the UK Paediatric Rheumatology Clinical Studies Group.

A self-help guide for youth, Juvenile Arthritis: The Ultimate Teen Guide is also useful to family members, friends, and caregivers of those suffering from the disease. Author Kelly Rouba has prepared a truly comprehensive resource without making it overwhelming, in order to help those who have the disease lead the best life possible. As someone diagnosed with a severe form of juvenile arthritis at the age of two, Rouba is very familiar with how difficult—physically and emotionally—it can be to live with this chronic illness. Readers get an overview of juvenile arthritis from the point of view of teenagers and their parents, and the book also includes discussions related to diagnosis, symptoms of the disease, its history, and various related conditions. Treatment options are also provided, as well as tips on how to adapt to life with the disease including exercise, diet and therapy. A list of applicable Web sites and other helpful resources is included at the end of most chapters.

In the United States alone, roughly 300,000 children suffer from some form of arthritis or rheumatic disease, and millions more are at risk of developing one of these diseases. In this marvelously down-to-earth guide, Thomas Lehman--the head of one of the leading pediatric rheumatology programs in the world--offers a gold mine of expert advice invaluable for pediatricians who want to become more proficient in understanding, diagnosing, and treating rheumatic disease in children. Dr. Lehman helps pediatricians interpret their patients' complaints and determine whether and what type of medical attention is needed, explaining what symptoms to look for, what questions to ask, what tests to run, and what to expect when treatment begins. Using illustrative anecdotes, this book sheds light on a wide range of rheumatic disorders--including juvenile arthritis, Lyme disease, lupus, Kawasaki disease, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome--and it addresses such crucial topics as drug safety, genetic considerations, the potential risks to children posed by medications, the difficulty of family life when a child has a chronic disease, and much more. A Clinician's Guide to Rheumatic Diseases in Children captures the expertise of a dedicated physician with over thirty years of hands-on experience helping children lead normal, happy lives. It will help pediatricians make sure that patients achieve the best possible outcome.

An essential survival guide for parents whose children suffer with persistent and often debilitating pain Approximately ten million children are living with chronic pain. Most people would be surprised at such numbers, but for the parents of these children, the challenge of helping a pain-stricken child live a normal life is a frightening and frustrating reality. Chronic pain in children can manifest as abdominal, migraine, or facial pain. It also stems from a wide variety of disorders such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, cystic fibrosis, hemophilia, and childhood cancers. No matter what type of chronic pain the child suffers with, a parent must be armed with an understanding of how a child's expression and experience of pain differs from an adult's. Trained in pediatric anesthesia and intensive care at Boston Children's Hospital, Dr. Elliot Krane has devoted his entire professional life to refining and innovating techniques, strategies, and therapies to relieve the suffering of children with pain. In his book, Relieve Your Child's Chronic Pain, parents will find the information and tools they need to get the very best care for their child. It will help you: Recognize, measure, and evaluate your child's pain properly Learn about the many alternative pain-management approaches that can be used at home Dispel fears about addiction if your child is prescribed a narcotic Find an appropriate pain-management clinic for your child Reduce the stress and anxiety in the home in a way that benefits the entire family You may not always be able to eliminate chronic pain entirely, but you can succeed in minimizing your child's suffering.

Arthritis is usually considered a disease of older adults, but nearly 300,000 children in the United States suffer from some form of arthritis or rheumatic disease, such as juvenile arthritis (JRA), fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, or Kawasaki disease. Yet until now very little information has been available to guide parents and doctors in properly diagnosing such children. Here is a readable, reliable guide to the common causes of bone, joint, muscle, and arthritis pain in children, designed to help parents and physicians understand these disorders, arrive at the proper diagnosis, and choose the most effective treatment. In this comprehensive resource, Dr. Thomas Lehman--the head of one of the most prestigious pediatric rheumatology programs in the world--offers easy-to-understand information on the causes, symptoms, tests, and treatments for a wide variety of rheumatic diseases and childhood pain. Dr. Lehman writes with great clarity, providing numerous case examples that illustrate the topic at hand and offering practical, down-to-earth advice. Equally important, he answers the questions that parents are most likely to ask: What should they observe in their children? What questions should they ask their doctor? Which tests are necessary? What risk factors should they be aware of? And how can they help their children cope with the social and psychological aspects of their illness. The book summarizes diagnostic tests, discusses the most effective medications, and discusses physical therapy, alternative therapy, and surgical options that are available. Clearly written, thorough, authoritative, and up-to-date, It's Not Just Growing Pains is the definitive resource available on the subject for parents and health care professionals, helping them to understand the children's pain and find the best available care.