My story began exactly fifteen years ago this month. My name is Kathy Meehan. I am a thirty-eight year old wife and mother of five children ages 11,9,8,4,and eleven months.  I was a twenty-three year old recent college graduate, just completing my first year at my first job. My symptoms came out of nowhere. I had severe chest pain, and high fevers, chills, and night sweats. Like many of you I thought I had the flu. I decided after a week to see a doctor. He couldn't find anything wrong with me, except that I had had a recent strep infection. He decided to do some blood work. He called me a few days later and told me that my sedimentation rate was high (well over 100)and that I should return to my home town and seek medical help. Within a few days I was home and in the hospital in order for my doctor to do some tests.  I was put on antibiotics because of the high WBC which helped only temporarily. After ten days and numerous tests I went home.  During this time my RBC went from 33 to 21 in about a week. At this point I was frustrated as well as concerned, I didn't want to lose my job.  I decided to seek another opinion. I went to a clinic with a great reputation in my area. It was there that I began my journey (like so many of you) which included hundreds of tests, including every scan known to mankind (6 ct scans), 3 bone marrow biopsies (ouch), and hundreds of vials of blood. During this three years span I did go into remission three times, only to have my symptoms return. I was told that  I had Hodkins Disease, but after sending my bone marrow biopsies to Ca., and Chicago, that diagnosis was ruled out (even though my hemotologist was convinced that is what I had). During this time I was loosing weight, having quotient and double-quotient fever spikes, drenching night sweats, and had to have three blood transfusions. I was very achey, but no arthritis.

                      It was during this time that I met and married a wonderful man to whom I've married almost fourteen years. Without his love and support I don't know how I would have gotten through those years.  After we got married, and still no answers (I was almost in remission now), we decided to see a high-risk obstetrician, in order to find out if I could have children.  He read my chart,and immediately sent me to see a Rheumatologist on staff.  It was then that I started getting the answers I had waited so long for. After reviewing my chart and asking a few questions (no tests) he told me that he thought that I had adult-onset Still's disease, but couldn'nt be sure because I was in remission at the time.

                        During the course of the next six years, I gave birth to three beautiful children, with no complications. During that time I was symptom free, that is until the fall of 1993 (after a stressful move). I got sick again only this time it was my lungs. By the time I got to the doctors my lungs were half filled with fluid. After a pleural biopsy to rule out cancer and TB my Rheumatologist told me he was sure that I had Stills disease. I was put on prednisone for about a year. My symptoms were almost gone when I became pregnant with my fourth child. It was a difficult pregnancy and I needed a maintenance dose of prednisone throughout. During labor my placenta broke and I was rushed into the delivery room. My daughter was born just in time. The two and a half years after her birth were difficult. I had low grade fevers, aches, stomach problems, bone pain yet no one  knew if it was the Stills or not. Finally in the spring of 1998 I felt I was back to my old self.

                       In June of 1999 I gave birth to Andrew. I had a great pregnancy and very uneventful delivery. I have been feeling pretty good since then. I have problems with my legs (very achey), but am not sure if it's Still's  related or not.

                          I feel very fortunate that although I have had some rough years, I have not developed  the arthritis so common to this disease. I've had the mylagias, and arthralgias, but not the degenerative arthritis so many people with this disease get. Although I would not wish this disease on anyone having it has made me appreciate everything. I tell people all the time, if you have your health, you are truely blessed, and that they should thank God.

                               I would like to thank Tom  who launched this web-site, In the 1980's I tried to do research on this disease. I found very little, and what I did find was very technical. I look forward to visiting this site , and if I can be of any help to anyone feel free to e-mail me.