A mum has told how her toddler was diagnosed with arthritis after months of being told her symptoms were likely “just growing pains”.
Elaine-Maree Telfer, 30, says she repeatedly sought help after her daughter Skyla Smith began suffering persistent pain day and night, often screaming for help from her mum.
Skyla, now three, was finally diagnosed in October 2025 with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), a chronic autoimmune condition that causes inflammation in the joints and can lead to long-term damage if left untreated.
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Elaine-Maree, who lives with her partner and their three children – Skyla, Leo, 11, and Jax, eight – said the diagnosis came after a gruelling year and a half of hospital appointments and investigations.
“It was the hardest thing ever seeing her in pain,” Elaine-Maree, from Moray, Scotland, told Need To Know.
“Some nights she would be inconsolable, shouting ‘Mummy help me’, all I could do was rub her leg, give her ibuprofen, cuddle her and let her know we would get this sorted.
“When Skyla was finally diagnosed, it felt bittersweet.
“Hearing that she had juvenile arthritis was scary, but also such a relief.
“It meant I wasn’t crazy, I wasn’t exaggerating her pain and there was actually a reason for it.
“It also meant finally getting a plan in place, treatment-wise.
“Finding out about the treatment and side effects then became so daunting.
“At the start, i didn’t suspect JIA as I’d never even heard of it.
“It wasn’t until I asked TikTok for any suggestions on what it could be that I started to research it, which also proves it needs more awareness.
“It was frustrating how long things took, between appointment dates, waiting for results, thinking we would get answers at the next appointment and needing more tests – with no answers, again.”
Skyla’s early symptoms included persistent pain throughout the day and night.
While Elaine-Maree says her concerns weren’t completely dismissed, she felt they weren’t treated as serious.
The turning point came when Elaine-Maree noticed a lump in her daughter’s knee.
The lump was later identified as Hoffa’s fat pad herniation, but its discovery prompted further investigations that ultimately led to Skyla’s arthritis diagnosis.
Had that not happened, Elaine-Maree fears they may not have been taken seriously.
Now, the three-year-old faces weekly methotrexate injections – a medication commonly used to treat autoimmune diseases – alongside anti-sickness medication and folic acid to help manage side effects.
She also attends regular blood tests and has ongoing rheumatology, orthoptics and physiotherapy appointments.
Unlike the wear-and-tear arthritis often associated with older age, JIA is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system mistakenly attacks the body’s own joints.
For Skyla, the condition mainly causes pain, but the emotional toll is also significant.
Elaine-Maree said: “The lead-up to her weekly injection brings fear and the regular blood tests have left her anxious and scared of hospitals.”
Despite this, Elaine-Maree says that for now, she tries not to worry about what the future may hold.
She said: “JIA is a forever diagnosis, but she can go into remission; it’s different for every child.
“She might be on medication for a few years, then be able to come off or she might be on it for longer, or never be able to come off it – it just depends on how well she responds to it.
“I don’t feel like there should be anything she can’t do; some things might be a bit harder, or she might have to do it a little differently, but we won’t let her grow up thinking this diagnosis limits her.
“With her only being three, I don’t worry about her being excluded or unable to do certain activities at this stage, but as she gets older, that may change – and her future scares me a little bit.”
Elaine-Maree’s life now revolves around appointments and medication schedules.
The experience has also affected the whole family, as they balance Skyla’s treatment with caring for her older brothers.
She added: “I wouldn’t really say my parenting has changed as such but that might be different in the future.
“For now we just adapt to things, as well as being more understanding and patient – and she’s probably a bit spoiled just for everything shes been through.”
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