|
Cathy Ledsome
|
|
Hi! My name is Cathy Ledsome and I am 28 years old. I have been happily married to Mike for 2 1/2 years. (We dated for 5 years before we got married.) We have a sweet and demanding dog named Shelby (7 1/2 yr. Dalmatian). She thinks she is a person! :-) I teach second grade at an elementary school that is about 10 minutes from our house. I am the "team leader" so I have 6 teachers that I "lead". I love teaching and I think the kids have kept me going during the past couple of years. This spring I will be taking my last 2 classes toward my Master's Degree. (Reading is my specialty.) I have had Still's Disease for 2 1/2 years. The symptoms first began in late March, 1997. During March of that year, I was a little stressed out due to the fact that I was planning a wedding, building a house, teaching, and my Dad was very sick with a heart condition. I suppose the stress may have helped trigger the disease. When the symptoms began, I thought I had the flu and I couldn't shake the feeling. Then I started to have joint pain that would migrate from one joint to the next in no specific pattern. The week of my wedding I was in so much pain I walked very slowly and had trouble turning my head. I went back to the doctor who told me it was in my head, but they would do blood work just to make sure. I hate to admit that I was thrilled to have the SED rate come back elevated. (It wasn't in my head!) The doctor gave me a steroid pack for the wedding and honeymoon so I felt great. (I did break 2 toes on the second night of our honeymoon, but that is another innocent story all in itself!) During the next couple of months, I traveled from doctor to doctor without a formal diagnosis. Finally, the spiking fevers began in early October and then I started to have some swelling in my knee and elbow. I was finally diagnosed in mid October. I was initially put on Gold shots, but they did not work and I ended up hospitalized in November. I was switched to Methotrexate and I have done fairly well since then. The meds seem to control a lot of the pain, but the damage continues. I had to have both my left hip replaced in June and I just had my right hip replaced in December. The only other problem that I have been having lately is a terrible stomach problem! I am not sure about what is causing it! It is terrible and it is interfering with my life! I work hard to try to keep a positive attitude about my life and the disease. I am looking forward to getting to know the members of this support group! Thank you in advance! I can be reached at mcledsome@mindspring.com Cathy Ledsome |
|
DISCLAIMER: The materials and information on this server are intended for educational and informational purposes only. The materials and information are not intended to replace the services of a trained health professional or to be a substitute for medical advice of physicians and/or other health care professionals. The International Still's Disease Foundation is not engaged in rendering medical or professional medical services. You should consult your physician on specific medical questions, particularly in matters requiring diagnosis or medical attention. The International Still's Disease Foundation makes no representations or warranties with respect to any treatment, action, application medication or preparation by any person following the information offered or provided within this website. Any information used from other websites was done so with permission from each site, with an exception to those of "public domain", whereas we believe any site without a cited reference was a "public domain site" and for our use. The International Still's Disease Foundation is a non-profit organization. This page was last updated on January 17, 2001 Copyright© 1999-2001 International Still's Disease Foundation |