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Vicky Holman
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My
names Vicky Holman I’m 14 years old and was diagnosed with Juvenile Idiopathic
Arthritis in April last year (2000). It s hard to remember the exact details and
in which order they came but I’ll try my best! It
started off with a rash on my inner thighs, which I discovered in the bath. My
Parents had gone out to celebrate their wedding anniversary and so I asked my
older sister what she thought. She said it was probably a reaction to the bubble
bath. When my parents came home I showed them the rash which they thought was
probably German Measles. Happy that I would be off school for at least a week I
went to bed that night not realising that what I had was far more serious and
would keep me off school for the rest of term.
The following week saw a cycle of being sick 3-4 times a day and an
incredibly stiff and achy body. That
week we were having a new kitchen put in and so the house was full of packets of
food and my family ate in the sitting room which was not good for me as even the
smell of food would make me sick. We later found out that after they had ripped
out our kitchen they had ordered the wrong one and the right one would take six
weeks to arrive. To add to our problems my Parents had been arranging a holiday
of a lifetime with their friends to go around America. Not thinking that
anything would go wrong after a year or two of planning they didn’t have any
insurance. Luckily the other couple weren’t to disappointed as one of them had
a blood clot. My local GP put me on Penicillin as she thought it was a virus but later on the Monday she was aware of my heart not sounding right. After that week she suggested I go into the local hospital to stay overnight while they looked at me. I stayed in the local hospital for 2 weeks while they tried to diagnose me. I had a heart murmur amongst the high temperatures. Theyasked Tropical diseases if they had a clue what it was and they suggested Stills. After having a lumber puncture they sent me to The London Middlesex adolescent ward where they said I would probably stay for 2-3 days. I ended up staying there for 7 ½ weeks while they did various infusions of steroids and Immugloben.I had problems with my lungs ,heart and liver.They did many tests including a ct scan a number of x-rays and ultrasounds. They decided to give me another whack of steroids as they thought the 1st lot might not have been enough, as I didn’t have any side effects. This worked and so after being able to keep my temperature down for 24 hours they said I could go back to our local hospital. I stayed in there for 10 more days and then was finally allowed to go home to see my much-loved jack Russell’s. I’ve just finished my six monthly infusions of immugloben and am now concentrating on reducing my steroids so I can get back to my normal shape. Which I’ve heard can take some time. I m am now doing whole days at school again but haven’t been able to manage a full week. I don’t do PE and don’t often go up to our history lessons as they’re up 3 flights of stairs! |
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