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!
Cathy Ledsome
mcledsome@mindspring.com
