Papayas and Arthritis

While we are all for medicine and have seen the instant results steroids can have on our kids' joints, I love when I stumble upon "natural" remedies to combat arthritis.

We have been told that when Mia starts methotrexate (DMARDs - disease -modifying anti-rheumatic drug), she will need to take daily folate to reduce the side effects of the drug (liver damage, nausea, vomiting, mouth sores, hair loss, etc.):

Methotrexate hinders the absorption of folate.  However, if you take methotrexate for RA, you can use folate supplements safely.  In a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of more than 400 people with RA, folate supplements helped curb the side effects of methotrexate, including liver inflammation.  A double-blind study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association reports stroke patients who took folate and vitamin B-12 has a lower risk of hip fracture compared with those taking placebo.

Besides starting Mia on a daily supplement to prevent these horrible side effects, I started looking into other alternatives to getting folic acid into her system. One thing I thought of was, "My kid loves smoothies." So, in my research I discovered a bunch of new smoothies that are loaded with folic acid. Going a little further, I noticed that many of them contained papaya. 

Not only do papayas contain folic acid, but they also help reduce inflammation in the body, boosts the immune system (because JA IS actually "Autoimmune Arthritis"), and protects against rheumatoid arthritis:

Anti-Inflammatory Effects

Papaya contains several unique protein-digesting enzymes including papain and chymopapain. These enzymes have been shown to help lower inflammation and to improve healing from burns. In addition, the antioxidant nutrients found in papaya, including vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene, are also very good at reducing inflammation. This may explain why people with diseases that are worsened by inflammation, such as asthma, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis, find that the severity of their condition is reduced when they get more of these nutrients.

Immune Support

Vitamin C and vitamin A, which is made in the body from the beta-carotene in papaya, are both needed for the proper function of a healthy immune system. Papaya may therefore be a healthy fruit choice for preventing such illnesses as recurrent ear infections, colds and flu.

Protection against Rheumatoid Arthritis

While one study suggests that high doses of supplemental vitamin C makes osteoarthritis, a type of degenerative arthritis that occurs with aging, worse in laboratory animals, another indicates that vitamin C-rich foods, such as papaya, provide humans with protection against inflammatory polyarthritis, a form of rheumatoid arthritis involving two or more joints.

The findings, presented in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases were drawn from a study of more than 20,000 subjects and focused on subjects who developed inflammatory polyarthritis and similar subjects who remained arthritis-free during the follow-up period. Subjects who consumed the lowest amounts of vitamin C-rich foods were more than three times more likely to develop arthritis than those who consumed the highest amounts.

Below is a great smoothie I found that is loaded with folic acid and joint-friendly fruit, papaya:

Orange-Papaya Shake Break

Whip up a quick batch of this smooth drink for an afternoon pick-me-up. 

1 8-ounce carton vanilla low-fat yogurt

¾ cup frozen Florida orange juice concentrate, thawed

1 small papaya or mango, seeded, peeled, and chopped

½ cup skim milk (I substitute with rice milk because we are a DF house)

2 tablespoons honey

8-10 ice cubes

Place yogurt, thawed concentrate, papaya or mango, milk, and honey in a blender container. Cover and blend until smooth. With the blender running, add ice cubes, one at a time, through hole in lid. Blend until smooth. Garnish each serving with a skewer of fresh fruit. 

Makes 3 (about 8-ounce) servings. 

Nutrition facts per serving: 194 calories, 5 g protein, 42 g carbohydrate, 1 g total fat (1 g saturated fat), 4 mg cholesterol, 1 g dietary fiber, 52 mg sodium. Daily Value: 172% vitamin C, 11% vitamin A, 13% thiamin, 12% riboflavin, 11% calcium, 16% potassium, 104 micrograms folic acid.

For more great folic acid boosting smoothies, go here.

Just thought I'd share this with all of my JA friends out there who are fighting the same daily fight that our family is. Hope this helps in your fight!!

MTX for Juvenile (Autoimmune) Arthritis

9 Things Parents Should Know About Methotrexate 

Methotrexate is one of the most commonly used DMARDs for kids with arthritis. What should you know?

By Mary Anne Dunkin

Arthritis Today

waiting

Friday is the big day. And, until then, we wait....and do what we can for Mia to ease her pain and make her most happy - resting on the couch, keeping knee elevated, wrapping her warm rice sock around her knee, warm baths, etc.

Today, she woke up late, complaining of pain in her left knee. Today was the first day since she started Kindergarten that we had to drive her to school and pick her up because she could not ride the bus. Luckily, she did not have gym class today. It was Library Day. The school nurse greeted her when we got there, encouraged Mia and then spoke to me on the side (she said she could see her swollen knee even through her pants).

Mia made it through the day. But, when she got home tonight, she was complaining of pain, again. By this evening, her knee looked like this:

We are taking each day as it comes right now, trying everything we can think of until we make it to Friday where she will receive ultimate relief. The last time she had her knee drained and steroid injecion she was 3 years-old, the next day she was like a different child. We are believing for the same positive response towards the medicine like she had last time.

Thank you for standing with us and agreeing with us during the challenging, temporary season in our girl's life. 

Jeremiah 33:6  But now I will heal and mend them. I will make them whole and bless them with an abundance of peace and security.

Knee Drain & Steroid Injection #3

I finally got some answers to all the questions I had yesterday! :)

Mia's rheumatologist responded and wants to act quickly to get the fluid off of her knee. The longer the fluid sits there, the more damage is causes to the joint, resulting in long-term damage to the knee. So, she will be going in next Friday for her third drain and steroid injection procedure. The last time she had this procedure done she was three-years-old and she had both her left knee and right elbow drained and injected. She will be sedated for the procedure and it is really quick....and provides instant relief to the joint.

In regards to medicine, her doctor said it is time she starts something stronger. She has been on Indocin (NSAID) for over a year-and-a-half. Before that, she was on Ibuprofen and before that she was on Naproxen. She has moved up through the NSAIDs family to the strongest "ibuprofen-like" medicine. And just like with the ibuprofen and the naproxen, we reach a point where the medicine no longer works and she need something stronger.

But, this is the first time we won't be doing NSAIDs. Mia's doctor wants to start her on methotrexate (MTX) - a chemotherapy drug. It is administered either orally by pill or by weekly injection. With every drug, there are always side effects. The most common side effects with MTX is nausea, hair loss, gastrointestinal upset, and mouth sores. Each child is different though, and some experience some of these side effects and some do not. We area believing that this medicine will do what it is intended to do, make Mia's joints happy again, and nothing else.

OH! And remember that "topical numbing gel" that the doctor wanted to give both kids? Well, our pharmacy called me yesterday and it is on BACKORDER and told me they can not get it. So, after all of that, the gel wasn't even a possibility!

In the meantime, she has been keeping her leg elevated and icing it. Most of the pain is directly behind the knee. She has also developed a fever that I am trying to keep down with Tylenol. She is still taking Indocin for now, but I have also doubled up on her cod liver oil, which is supposed to help keep joint happy. We are just doing what we know to do to keep the pain down as much as we can.

We have been down this road before, but it is never an easy road. Bottom line, though: we know God is in control. Mia will overcome this! She will have a testimony to share one day of how God healed her body from juvenile arthritis. Despite how grim things look right now, we know that God is at work and healing and wholeness flows through her body and her immune system lines up with God's Word.

And, sometimes we have to stop and remind ourselves of God's promises and go back to the beginning:

Mia Grace

“My Grace”

Our Confessions for Mia:

“He's your bodyguard, shielding every bone;

not even a finger gets broken.”

Psalm 34:20

“Your body will glow with health,

your very bones will vibrate with life!”

Proverbs 3:8 (Msg.)

“It shall be health to your nerves and sinews,

and marrow and moistening to your bones.”

Proverbs 3:8 (Amp.)

“This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones:

‘I will make breath [a] enter you, and you will come to life’.”

Ezekiel 37:5 (New International Version)

“’But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds,’ declares the Lord…”

Jeremiah 30:17 (NIV)

“For He has fortified your gates against all enemies and blessed your children.”

Psalm 147:13

He who began a good work in MIA will continue until the day of Jesus Christ – developing that good work and perfecting and bringing it to FULL completion in MIA’s body.

Philippians 1:6

You have given MIA abundant life. As your Word is spoken, life flows into

EVERY JOINT, TISSUE AND BONE of Mia’s body bringing healing and health.

John 10:10

Through Your Word, You have imparted life to MIA.

That life restores her body with every breath she breathes.

John 6:63

He sent His Word and healed MIA and delivered her from all destruction.

Psalm 107:20

…Himself took MIA’s infirmities and bore her sickness.

Matthew 8:17

…by His stripes, MIA was healed.

Isaiah 53:5

…for I will contend with him who contends with you and I will give safety to MIA and ease her.

Isaiah 49:25

I proclaim healing over MIA GRACE DEL TURCO. By Jesus’ stripes she was healed. The healing, life-giving, disease-destroying power of God is working in her body. It drives out all manner of sickness and disease. She is full of life, health, strength, and vitality. She is healed, healthy and whole from the top of her head to the soles of her feet. Every JOINT, TISSUE AND BONE in her body operates and functions the way God created it, with no disease or malfunctions. Every system in her body operates and functions with supernatural efficiency. Jesus Himself bore all sickness and disease; therefore, sickness and disease are not allowed to exist in MIA’s body.

She is free from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

The divine life of God flows through MIA, quickening and making alive her mortal body. She is free from pain, discomfort, distress, and all symptoms of sickness. God’s Word is medicine to her flesh. We are not moved by how she feels, how she walks, or any negative reports because we believe God’s Word and His Word says 
MIA GRACE DEL TURCO is healed! She is healed, healthy and whole in Jesus’ name.

Hell Hath No Fury

Hell hath no fury like a mother scorned and fighting for her child.

Right now, "furious" is such an understatement.

Our eldest child, Mia, who was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis (or, a more precise name for it would be - autoimmune arthritis), has been complaining of pain in her left knee..again. She has severe pain behind the knee and the joint is very hot. We have been down this road many times already. I know the signs. I am no dummy. And, I refuse to sit around and wait for a doctor to finally decide what to do.

Mia was too young to remember. So, this time around is a bit different for her. She doesn't remember the leg braces, the MRIs, the ultrasounds, the x-rays. She doesn't remember the endless times she had to sit on her father's lap, while he held her down and she screamed and cried because it was time for another round of blood work. Up until now, Mia has never questioned why she has had to take NSAIDS every day since she was 22 months old.  She just takes her medicine. Every day. No complaints. Bravest and strongest girl ever.

And, as a Team Against Juvenile Arthritis, we have always been in the "it's-time-for-medince" routine. However, she finally asked me last month, "Mumma, why do I have to take medicine every day? And, when can I stop? Will I take medicine two times a day forever?"  I was a bit blindsided when she actually asked me, "Why?"  When things look and feel good because flares are being controlled with medicine, it is hard for a child and others (friends and family) to realize there is something wrong. That's one of the many hard parts of this disease. And, only because my husband and I are so "in tune" with what to watch for that it become frustrating for us when we can clearly see something is wrong and we hear someone say, "Gosh...she looks fine to me." (The only exception to this is our other JA friends. They know what flares look like....even if they start out small). 

All this to say, as hard as it is and as emotional as it can be for both you and your child, you have to press on....even when on the outside everything seems "okay." You have to continue to administer meds because if you are not consistent, flares happen. And, they happen fast. 

And, you have to fight for your child, even when the doctor is giving you the lamest solution on how to temporarily "fix" a flare.

Right now, I am dealing with a whole other bag of frustration - "What do you do when your child's doctor is not being proactive to prevent a flare??"

Seriously, Dr. X?? You think a TOPICAL NUMBING GEL is going to make her pain and swelling go away? You are providing a temporary, "quick fix" that is going to wear off and we'll be right back where we started. Give me a break!! We have been down this road before with Mia - several times. We know what it means when her knee looks like this:

And, going even further, she has been on NSAIDS for over FOUR YEARS. I know from first-hand experience what taking NSAIDS can do to ones stomach. It tears it up! Not to mention, it is yet another "temporary fix"; a way to try to control the swelling and pain and not getting to the root of the problem. 

So, what is the next step? I don't know.

How do I provide an immediate fix for her? I don't know.

Will our rheum respond with a more helpful solution? I don't know.

Furiously and impatiently, I wait.

Siblings With Autoimmune Arthritis