The Girl With Arthritis

Everyone in my school has been sick this winter, which isn't surprising. While running noses and sore throats are common, we have worse things around. So many kids have gotten pneumonia and the flu. I'm lucky I got off with only a cold or whatever it was, but I'm not out of the woods. With Methotrexate, my immune system isn't working much to help keep me healthy. Wish me luck. Anyway, I had a wonderful day. I seemed to have gotten along with everyone swimmingly, other than this one boy who thinks I'm insane, or so I get the feeling. I love feeling everyone can get along. In fact, everyone seemed to be in a good mood! During a break time a group of boys started down the corridor whistling 'The Chicken Dance' and clapping along. Rest assured, today has been a comical day. The biggest joke being the amount of school work I have to get done.

That's the biggest joke between my friends and I. They find it amazing how often I'm at the hospital: Once a month to see My rheumy, once a month to get blood drawn, and sometimes because I'm ill. Since I take the day off to see my rheumatologist as I have to travel by train to see him, I naturally have many funny or amusing stories for my friends to help pass the time in school. One of my very good friends understands the severity of Arthur and he has said the most memoriable things about it: "One day I'm going to make a charity for whatever you have so it can get cured (Me: 'Awww') so I don't have to hear it anymore." "Why don't you just live at the hospital?" Granted, these sound very mean but they were said comically and I was dieing laughing. Honestly: He's one of my best friends and we are always teasing each other. Speaking of which, I'm seeing my rheumy soon: Hopefully he'll say I'm getting closer to re...

I haven't posted in awhile. Being sick takes a lot out of me and takes me a long time to recover. I had taken naps after school the few days after I broke my fever and that means I'm still very sick: I don't take naps unless I'm very sick. Anyway, time has been slipping away from me. January eats at me: it's long with nothing there. Luckily I'll have a school holiday in a few weeks but until then time will fly and be slow at the same time. "A time for peace I swear it's not to late."

I'm finally better and back in school. My fever was really bad though: I was 104.5 for a few days straight until it broke Sunday. Baking like that isn't good for your skin and as a teen with acne, I was getting over my pimples and only had one clearing up but the fever caused me to get a huge break out on my face, neck, chest and all over my scalp!!! It's so painful to brush my hair! I had a sore throat but now it's fine. Now I'm a-okay and back in school. Granted, I get dizzy but it passes. I draw sketches all the time, I recently started using charcoal. Who wants to see?

It's true. I'm sick: Sore throat and fever. The works, it's going around the school: everyone has a sore throat, fever and stuffy nose. I'm lucky: I didn't get the nasial problems. You know I'm sick when I take a nap, and boy did I take a nap this afternoon. In fact my mum started to CONVINCE me to stay home from school tomorrow: I kept saying "No, I have to go to school. I have work to do."

I think the title tells you what is on my mind. I don't like being called Liz at all. It started when I was 10 and just hasn't stopped. 'Liz' is a name I associate with fiesty, sassy. That sort of thing. I am not a Liz, I am an Elizabeth: It's girly, soft and just me. It's what I like best. My friends call me Liz, but sometimes they switch off and call me Elizabeth. We call Elizabeth the magic word becasue I get happy when they call me that. My mum calls me Elizabeth. My family calls me Liz. They didn't before I was ten and heard my friends call me Liz. Now they only know that as my name. I hate it. What am I supposed to say? Elizabeth Facts: *There is a book all about a girl who doesn't like her nick name, only her real name Elizabeth. *Elizabeth Taylor turns in her grave everytime she is called Liz Taylor: She only liked Elizabeth too. *No one ever dared call the Queen of England 'Queen Lizzy' or something. *Most girls I know with th...

The title is rather self explanitory: I'm in a rather humourous mood at the moment (but  really, when am I not is what my friends would be  saying). And it is also truthful. I do not like walking and when I walk (1) my back muscles tighten, (2) my knees pop, click and get very stiff, (3) my hips feel weak and unsupported, and (4) my ankles feel like they have nails inbedded inside. Shopping trips are fun only at first, which a teenage girl should never have to say, and many other things. Sooo... just to ensure my pleasure, during holidays I often use a rented wheelchair to get around. It's much easier and I tend to have more energy for fun things to do as they day progresses. Also, this year I am getting a cane to help when I need to get up. A collapsable one so I can take on planes and such. I had asked around and most people say they help with the leg joints but not the back, but any joint with less pain is worth it for me!

Having arthritis, people can't physically see you're in pain. Thus, you get looks of 'get over it' or something every time you rub your fingers to soothe the pain after you sharpen your pencil in school. Or limp while carrying a heavy, heavy backpack across a huge building trying to get to class in less that three minutes. Honestly, I get why they do that: I truely understand. What I don't understand is why they do the same thing when something is visiblly painful or life changing. When I was thirteen my uncle was dieing of a very long and weary battle with cancer. It was rather traumatic for all the adults in my family, never mind a child (or I should say children, as I have many cousins). One day in a conversation totally unrelated conversation my very good friend told me that 'just because my uncle is dieing does not mean I am the only person who has lost a family member.' The conversation was about how bad I felt for a family who had just lost their thre...

Today I went to school. Shocker, isn't it? Anyway, I was doing a drawing with charcoal pencils so naturally my hands were filthy and I was trying to clean them with hand sanitizer and tissues. Didn't work well but they did the job but as I was cleaning my hands I noticed something: Fingers are weird. Or at least mine are. For one, they don't even stretch out all the way. Two, the joints are all weird with a little fluid in them (which means they are squishy and but not exactly swollen and red). And three, why on Earth do we have little moving attena like things sticking out of our arms?! Anyway, as if noticing my hands look like something out of a 1950's horror movie isn't bad enough but I noticed that I disturb (as in annoy) this kid in my class. Honestly, I see why too. He usually sits behind me or near the clock. Anyone who is in class with me can tell you I watch the clock all the time. He probably caught me too many times and thinks I'm staring at him all...

I'm going to be going back to school soon. In a way, I am very happy to be going back: I can't wait to see all my friends, classmates and even some teachers. Also, I drew a picture of a crying baby boy (A family friend's son) and I'm excited to show my art teachers it. But I am also not looking forward to school either. First of all, I do not want to wake up early, go out in the cold, or do the essay and vocabulary that my teachers plan on completing once I get back. Not only that, I'm not looking forward to the pain Arthur will be giving me. He starts first thing in the morning making it hard for me to get ready and doesn't end until the end of the day when I'm hung up on the couch, most days. And don't get me started about the school desks: They are so small and hard and cold. And we're forced to sit in them for an hour (sometimes more) at a time and stay still. When they tell us to sit down it's almost equvilent to 'let me stick this need...

Happy New Year everyone! Welcome 2012! It's afternoon where I live. Who has any new year's resolutions? I do: I want to start writing down my thoughts. I used to keep a journal when I was 14 and I still sometimes update but now I don't even want to put a date with it. Just things I think of sometimes. Also, I want to try to be a better person. A bit more reserved. More friendly with everyone. Maybe I'll learn to be even more helpful to others, especially when I am asked for help with essays and such. I hope this year I learn more social graveful. I want to become smoother with words. I get nervous around people and sometimes I get lost for words, stutter or sometimes even become speechless. Maybe this will all come with age. Maybe it's something you grow into. And maybe I'll just have to learn it all on my own.