Going Back to School with Juvenile Arthritis

It is that time of year again!  Children are going back to school soon or have already started. 

If your child has juvenile arthritis, going to school can be a difficult experience.  Many children, and some teachers, just do not understand the effect juvenile arthritis can have in a school environment.  If that sounds like your child’s situation, check out this book:  Taking Arthritis to School by Dee Dee L. Miller.

This short book is about 32 pages and describes arthritis so children can understand it.  It can be read to classmates to help them understand what their fellow student is going through.  Classmates will also learn that their fellow student is just like them despite having juvenile arthritis.

This book would also be a great way to introduce to your children or young students that people are different in the world.  The sooner we start educating our kids about the differences in people and that being different should not set us apart from everyone else, the better we will be.

Check it out!

Take a Few Moments to Read “Poor Liam” by Jack McGlone

I just came across this touching little book on the Arthritis Foundation website.  The book is Poor Liam by Jack McGlone.  It is about Liam, who is diagnosed with arthritis, and is written by his second-grade brother.  It is very fitting since July is Juvenile Arthritis Awareness month.

This book shows that arthritis does not just affect the person who has it, arthritis affects the family and loved ones of the person who has it as well.

Take a few moments to read this touching book. You can read the entire book online at the Arthritis Foundation website.

Kudos to Jack for writing this book about his brother!

You Don’t Look Sick: Living Well with Invisible Chronic Illness

I just finished reading the book, You Don’t Look Sick: Living Well with Invisible Chronic Illness by Joy H. Selak and Steven S. Overman, MD, MPH.

It is a true story about a woman, Joy, who goes through many experiences with her illness.  The experiences include becoming sick, searching for a correct diagnosis, realizing that her life is different now, learning to live with the illness and learning to live well.  Through the process, Joy learns how other people perceive individuals with invisible chronic illness and how to deal with it.  She also chronicles the difficulties encountered with medical and disability insurance companies and how she handled it.

It is difficult to live with an invisible chronic illness, not just for those that have it, but for those that are around the chronically ill as well.  There are many experiences in this book to identify with and learn from.  In addition, Joy’s doctor, Steven S. Overman, MD, MPH, provides his knowledge and perspective throughout the book which is helpful.

Having arthritis for many years now (since I was a child), I found that I could easily identify with Joy even though our situations were different.  I learned from some of Joy’s experiences and was reminded about some of life’s lessons as well.  I am very thankful I read this book.

This is a good book for those recently diagnosed with a chronic illness or for those who have been living with a chronic illness.  At about 145 pages, this book is a quick and easy read too.

Prayer, Humor and a Good Book!

I am currently reading You Don’t Look Sick: Living Well with Invisible Chronic Illness, by Joy H. Selak and Steven S. Overman, MD, MPH.  Since I can relate to the title of the book, I thought I would check it out.

I immediately experience a connection with this book, when I read the following prayer in the introduction of the book:

Dear God,

I want to thank you for being close to me so far this day.  With your help, I haven’t been impatient, lost my temper, grumpy, judgmental, or envious of anyone.  But, I’ll be getting out of bed in a minute and I think I’ll really need your help then!

Needless to say I was hooked when I read this prayer.  In the beginning, I’m thinking this is a great prayer.  Whoever created this prayer knows me!  Then, when I get to the last sentence, immediate laughter bursts through!

I can relate to this on so many levels.  I’m sure you can too!  First, maybe we should be praying when we have a good day and not just when we find life unbearable.  Second, laughter is great.  It makes us forget, if even for just a second, that we are in a great deal of pain.  When you’re experiencing chronic pain, how much do you laugh?  Probably not much.  So, the humor in that prayer was much needed!  Third, the phrase, You Don’t Look Sick explains it all.  Struggling to get through the day, week, month, etc. and the people around you constantly think “You don’t look sick”.  It’s enough to drive a person crazy.

So far this book has my attention.  I will keep on reading and report back.  In the meantime, I want to hear how you relate to this. 

Do you pray often because of your arthritis?  Do you have a special prayer just for your pain or arthritis?

Do you find that humor is a necessity, but you don’t experience it often?

Can you relate to the phrase “You don’t look sick”?  How do you handle it?