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Sister Kate's Story

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HI! I'm Sister Kate and this is a bit of my story:

Eighteen years ago I was diagnosed with RA and chronic fatigue syndrome. I was exhausted and in pain all the time. I went to the rheumatologist recommended by all the internists I knew, and even though he was not always the most "compatible" doc I ever had, I was getting good medical care. I was first put on Motrin (before it was OTC), but that caused GI bleeding and 2 weeks in bed, with more weeks on iron and other medicines to remedy. Then it was every other "new" anti-inflamatory drug to come along for 5-6 years. Finally I was put on methotrexate and had my first remission: after a month I had 2 pain free weeks, but then got toxic hepatitis. Suddenly I was on a medication vacation and back in pain. Through all of this I was sero-negative, but my symptoms were classic RA.

After a while it was Celebrex, then Arava, and finally low-dose prednisone before I got a little pain relief. Then came a diagnosis of fibromyalgia. Or, I should say the doc finally decided to believe such an illness exists. I'd diagnosed myself years before that.

In April of 2001) and I fell down 4 stairs, landing flat-footed and breaking my left leg and ankle. Sprained the right one so badly it might as well have been broken. I was laid up for 6 months while that healed and the RA flare subsided.

It seems to me that the fall was the beginning of the long, painful and lonely months that have just passed. In November of 2001 I started falling just walking around the house. When I fell I was unable to get up, and once I landed flat on my back and couldn't even turn over. My Mother Superior got pretty worried and the 2 of us sawa the doctor together. I left the office that day in a wheelchair and frightened. The next day I saw a surgeon, and the day after that I had a deep muscle biopsy to rule out polymyocitis. I should have known when the doc "lost" the biopsy report and I had to locate it for myself that something was wrong, but by then I was in no shape to be thinking clearly, much less take much initiative. Results: cause unknown. I got worse, And worse. The pain was awful, i felt as if I had forgotten how to sleep. I got put on Methadone pain, Neurontin and a couple I cannot now remember, and then went into a deep depression. (No wonder!!) After a year with no real progress and a doc who was yelling at me during every visit, I found a new rheumatologist.

What a find! Dr. E is a gentle, caring and understanding man and very knowledgeable. It was he who realized that we were not dealing with RA. At first he thought I might have Adult Still's Disease, but all the tests were negative. A neurologist did several MRI's and ruled out things like stroke, MS and ALS. The rheumatologist re-checked for fibromyalgia and all 18 pressure points were inflamed and the muscles knottedo he decided to just treat the fibro and see how things went. Three months and 4 days later I was out of the wheelchair and now, 3 months later, I am walking with only one crutch! God has been really good!

I have more understanding support at the convent than before, but I still feel isolated, and have even been accused of making up my illness to get out of work! If they could only understand how wonderful it is to be able to work and be part of things again!

I've been visiting the site and wanting to tell my story fort many weeks, but cataract surgery and a torn retina intervened. But I'm back and glad to be around!

Sister Kate