In the summer of 1998, I was a normal teenager. Then after a trip to the beach one day, my whole world changed. I got 1 huge mouth ulcer, and wasn't too concerned, because I got the occasionally canker sore. However, this one was the size of a quarter. It went away, only to reaapear in 2 weeks. Soon after, I came down with chronic fatique, and outbreks of 5-15 ulcers at a time. I went to my pediatrician, who gave me antibiotics. These helped, but the ulcers kept coming back. I started to use Chloroseptic, and this helped temporarily, but I was going through a bottle a day. My friends thought I was a nutcase!!
I started the process of going to different dr.s and no one knew what was wrong with me. I was so tired, had sore joints, lttle cuts all over my body, and the mouth ulcers. It got so bad I had to take a month off of school, because I was so tired all the time. I was angry, at myself, because my body was failing me and no one knew why. I lost about 20 lbs., because I couldn't eat anything, I was in so much pain. I went on prednisone, and gained about 40 lbs. in a month in a half. I got very depressed. Nothing fit, and I still felt horrible. My boyfriend was great through it all, and would sit with me every weekend, when I was too weak to go out. Finally I got referred to Children's Hospital in Penn. and they have been working with me ever since.
I am currently on prednisone, the dosage depending on the day, and methotrexate, a form of chemo, which is helping as well. I was once an energetic cheerleader, and now it's all I can do to attend my college courses. People ask what I have, and I tell them, but nobody really understands. I used to ask myself why me? but now I ahve accepted the fact I will probably never be normal again. I can't look at pictures from before without crying, and sometimes still get very frustrated. Now however I love when I feel well, and when I can drink orange juice. It's been very tough, but I will just have to wait for a cure.