Hi Naomi,
I am sorry to hear about your nephew. I have no experience of JIA but it does seem to me to be a bit of a waste of time for him to see a general paediatrician, perhaps only then to get referred on to a rheumatologist (I don't know whether there is such a thing as a paediatric rheumatologist - it sounds like quite a niche speciality, perhaps only available at major hospitals.)
So I would advise going back to the GP for referral to a rheumatologist (paediatric if you have access to one in your area). That way you can minimise the time till an effective treatment plan is in place, and minimise any permanent damage to joints, which would be a crying shame in one so young whose growth may not yet be complete.
It's great that you can be his personal adviser and help him through this.
As to Facebook friends of his age, I would add a cautionary note. Facebook is by definition very public. Yes it has private messaging capabilities, but the usual forms of posts will be visible to other contacts and potentially their contacts. So care will be needed to not reveal private medical history in the public domain. If it's just a buddy, to talk about 'normal' stuff then that's another matter. But hey, he is of the Facebook generation and probably needs no privacy lessons from us anyway!
Looking forward to when he is job searching, it's worth bearing in mind that facebook posts are forever, so the more he posts about his condition, the more private information he will be providing to potential employers who have a habit these days of checking out potential employees on facebook. Employers should not discriminate based on health but if the info is in the public domain how would you prove that discrimination had taken place?
Paul Barrett
Hexham - Northumberland - Loads of spectacular walks - all I need now are the joints to go with them! :)
Enthesitis (2012)
Ulcerative Colitis (1990)
