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Edinburgh girl who 'got tired easily' diagnosed with juvenile arthritis

Document Cited in Related
Vincent
AuthorRuth Suter
Published date27 June 2022
Publication titleEdinburghLive (Scotland)
Brave Jessica Rhodes, now 12, was just three when her mother began to notice she was tiring easily when walking to nursery. Now the schoolgirl has spoken out about the loneliness she feels living with the condition

Jessica's mum took her daughter to the doctor many times, and she undertook years of testing before she was given the diagnosis of the chronic illness.

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Jessica told our sister title the Daily Record: "I saw so many doctors. I didn't know why I was getting ill all the time, and why I had to have so many different tests. It was quite scary. I have tried lots of different medications, some helped, some didn't. Some gave me mouth ulcers and made it hard to eat."

It wasn't until she developed increasingly unusual symptoms that she was first diagnosed with uveitis, an inflammation in the eye and one of the world's most common causes of blindness.

After her uveitis diagnosis, Jessica began suffering from severe joint pain, with doctors soon realising she had juvenile arthritis before officially diagnosing her with the autoimmune disease in 2017.By 2019, Jessica was suffering from intense muscle spasms and could barely walk without collapsing. She was given a wheelchair to attend school but could only manage short periods due to excruciating pain and tiredness.

Jessica added: "I have arthritis in my knees, ankles, shoulders and hands. But the inflammation isn't only in my joints; my eyes and skin are affected as well.

The condition has limited the time Jessica has been able to spend with friends - something she admits has left her feeling isolated at school...

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