What it Means to Me to Have Juvenile Arthritis: One Patient’s Definition

Abstract

I was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis at the age of two. Until recently, if you had asked me to describe my experience of arthritis, I might have told you about a cluster of symptoms: Having arthritis means I experience pain and swelling in my joints, have a particular set of elevated blood markers, and sometimes experience stiffness if I am in one position for a long time.