Uveitis–what a nasty monster. If I had thought the swollen joints and shots that led up to this point in our journey were tough, I was in for a rude awakening.

January has always been a hard month for Lily, and we can’t really figure out why. Yes, it has been when the temp usually drops and the snow REALLY starts to fly—but one would think that spring—in all its cold and wet glory—would be worse for those with arthritis.

Lily was diagnosed at age 4. You’ve read our story through diagnosis. Fast forward over the next few years, and we find Lily in 3rd grade.

When I left you last, Lily had just begun methotrexate and was having a rough time. Luckily for us, she was one of the fortunate ones who was able to somewhat adapt to the meds.

Long story short—the process was the same—IVs, screaming, tears—but this time 3 injection sites instead of 1. It was an outpatient procedure, and we were home the same day. The whole process went a little smoother (on mom and dad’s end anyway) because we knew what to expect.

When I ended the blog last time, I found myself sitting in the office of a pediatric rheumatologist with my 4-year-old daughter, whose knee was the size of a softball, wondering how in the world we ended up here. We had been through knee aspirations at the surgery center, specialists, testing, etc., with no answers yet. Did kids really get arthritis? Or–was it something worse?

Trying to think back to that hectic time in our lives, I can honestly say that I don’t remember if it was the orthopedic surgeon or our pediatrician who recommended that we see a rheumatologist. Again, we were dumbfounded, looking for answers and logic in a situation that seemed anything but logical or explanatory. As I sat there that day, I remember staring at the bio of Dr. David Keim. A rheumatologist? For a 4-year-old? How did we get here?