New member, would love to introduce myself and my journey x

Hi everyone,

When I was 5 I had a massive flare up on my knees, when I was 6 I was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic arthritis in both my knees and left wrist.

Went through ongoing treatment, physio, dosed up on liquid ibuprofen, steroid injections etc. It was horrible, I remember struggling to join in with my friends, I couldn't bend my knees properly as they were so swollen, I couldn't squat down onto my knees like any other normal kid, I couldn't sit on the carpet with my legs crossed like everyone else, I had to sit on a chair.

I soon got used to my pain and always remember my parents saying how well I dealt with it and didn't bother them much.

The doctors always said I'll grow out of it...in my early teens I thought I got to that point, the pain started to ease, I was on naproxen, I felt like the doctors were right. and I got discharged from the hospital

When I was 17, I noticed them starting to hurt more, like a constant ache and shooting pains, I went back to the hospital, they done a MRI scan and it came back that I didn't have much inflammation on my knees which I was confused by. Nonetheless they done a steroid injection in one of my knees, the following day I felt like I was cured, this is what a normal 17 year old knee feels like, after about a week I started feeling pain in that knee, went back to the hospital, and they put me on Hydroxychloroquine twice a day, then I went back and they also put me on Sulfasalazine four times a day. They are both DMARDs.

I feel like this has helped to a certain degree, due to COVID I was unable to have a check up etc, I am now 21, I went for a check up last week to see if there was anything else they could do, I had an X-ray and got prescribed Meloxicam which is a NSAID and Omeprazole to help with stomach acid.

The ache feels worse, constant harsh ache and bad stiffness, I feel very tired and fatigued, but these aren't a side effect of the new tablet.

I have lived with it for 16 years and now I am at a point of I don't know what else to do, it sounds like there isn't much inflammation, but what else could it be!?

Also, I have Crepitus which started happening in my teens, if I stretch out my legs my knees crack really badly, that doesn't cause pain, has anyone else experienced this?

Anyone else been on Hydroxychloroquine, Sulfasalazine, or Meloxicam?

Anyone have any advice? Thank you for reading xx

Edit: I have received my letter from my recent follow up last week, the doctor has said she thinks I have Osteoarthritis and to ring up and get steroid injection if I would like one, this is good news and I hope it helps for longer this time.