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Sarah's Story

LilSaha@aol.com

OK, My name is Sarah Miller and I am 16 years old... This is my story...

It was February when I first started having these bad pains in my lower
back, and in my sides. SO I told my Mom and she said I was probably getting
ready to start my period. Huh, funny since I had finished mine a week ago. So
I decided to just take some Tylenol and hope for it to go away by the next
day. It didn't. Again I told my Mom and she told my dad who made an
appointment at the doctors.

A day later, my dad took me to the doctors and I was asked all kinds of
questions about my period and other personal questions and such. So they
took me to take a urine test. Oddly enough, they found traces of blood in my
urine. They also asked if I was having diarrhea, which I was. So then the
doctor asked more questions, which I thought were the same questions form
before, only asked in a different form. Anyway, the doctor took me back to
the X-ray lab. She told me to get into a little gown (how I hate those
hospital gowns) and to get on the X-ray table. SO they took some X-rays on my lower back, and again I went into the room where my father was snoring asleep.

They came back and told me I had kidneys stones, but weren't sure. So they
made an appointment at the hospital for me to have a CAT scan. I had never
had one done on me before so I was kind of scared as to what would be done.

So a few days later, me and my Mom went to the hospital and were there for 3 HOURS! (made me more irritable). So finally they took me back after asking
all kinds of questions, and told me how the procedure would be done. So after
the CAT scan they told us they would call our doctor and tell them the
problem, and the doctor would tell us. I was hoping that whatever it was
would be gone soon.

A few weeks later and I was still having the pains in my lower back. I made
another appointment to go see the doctor again. They said they couldn't find
any kidney stones in the CAT scan and that it was probably something else.
They needed to find out what I could have that had diarrhea involved. So they took me to the lab and I took another urine sample, a stool sample
(embarrassing) and then I went home once more, this time with a prescription
for pain pills.

A week went by and I was STILL having the pain. Again I went to the doctors
and again they made me take a urine sample as well as another stool sample (I am a pro at these), this time they took as well a blood sample. So after
almost passing out from the blood sample, they sent me off with a referral to
see a therapist.

For three weeks I was doing the therapy, which wasn't helping too much. My
three weeks were up at the therapy office, so they said they would call and
ask my doctor to extend the treatment...

A few more weeks went by and the pain was still with me. By now I was upset
and made at the dang thing. It was restricting me from doing the things I
like to do, the littlest things I like to do were the ones I couldn't because
my back was giving me killer pains. Anyway, one day I came home from school
and the doctor had called. The said I had Rhuematory Arthritis. THANK GOD I
had found out what I had.

That was last week and this week I have to go see a specialist for my back
and will, no doubt, have to go through more therapy.

So thanx for listening to my story... And sorry if it seems long and drawn
out but, I am a writer and that is what I am good at...Thanx and sorry....
Enjoy my tale of sorrow and pain, or maybe it was just pain.

Sarah