Boy did I have things all wrong......

A little mommy persistence can get just about anything accomplished......
Three years and four different doctors and we finally have a diagnosis. We found wonderful doctors at Hershey Medical Center and they are helping Bella manage her pain and find a new normal life.
After a couple of visits with a joint and bone specialist they decided to run some blood work to check for some possibilities. They mentioned to me that they were testing for lyme disease and arthritis and I instantly thought okay, what a waste of time. It couldn't be lyme because I would've noticed a tick on my daughter and it definitely wasn't arthritis because that is an old person's problem. Boy did I have things all wrong!! When we went back for Bella's test results I told my husband not to come because this was a wasted trip and at most I hoped that they would offer another path for testing. The moment when the doctor pulled up the test results and had a 2nd doctor join him to help explain the results made me realize that something was wrong. The test results that they read out loud made no sense and were totally unexpected, Bella tested positive for HLA B27. With a little explanation, I understood that my daughter had an auto immune disease,  which I barely understood and only remember two words of that entire conversation, Juvenile Arthritis. I couldn't think, let alone understand what they were trying to tell Bella and I. I just asked for them to print the results so I could share it with my husband because I knew I would forget most of our conversation. They then referred us to a Pediatric Rheumatologist to create a plan of action. That afternoon in July would forever change our lives.......
We couldn't see the Rheumatologist until the end of August and her first appointment fell on the first day of school. Leading up to this day I did a lot of research and had myself convinced that we would go to this appointment and they would tell us it was a mistake. I still didn't want to believe that my sweet girl had this auto immune disease, it just couldn't be possible.
Sure enough after further examination, she was officially diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic (Rheumatoid) Arthritis and Enthesitis Related Arthritis. The moment when you feel like you are Charlie Brown and all you can hear is this annoying sound coming from the teacher's mouth....yeah that was me at that doctor's appointment. I instantly felt overwhelmed, disappointed, angry, sad, and confused. I could barely accept the diagnosis, let alone comprehend what the doctor was telling me to do next. I am sure the doctor is use to this, so she was prepared with a packet of information and resources for Bella and our family. She offered many suggestions and a plan of action for Bella. This plan included more tests, medication for arthritis, physical therapy, and a disability sheet for her school. WAIT, WHAT...my kid is disabled?!?!  What just happened?!?!?

So what is HLA-B27, I'm still not quite sure but this is what the information packet tells me:
HLA-B27 is a blood test to look for a protein that is found on the surface of white blood cells. The protein is called human leukocyte antigen B27 (HLA-B27). A positive test mean HLA B27 is present in the blood. This test and her other symptoms become a diagnosis for an autoimmune disorder, called arthritis. An autoimmune disorder is a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue. When a person carries the particular protein it causes white blood cells to attack the body, particularly in the joints.