I had dreamed of going to Florida State but I knew that I probably wouldn't get to now and I had made peace with that. There were still tons of colleges I could go to.
In January of 1999, my mother and I went to North Carolina for an appointment with Dr. Reed at Chapel Hill and Dr. Wilson at Great Smokies Medical Center. Dr. Reed suggested monthly IVIg treatments. Dr. Wilson was a holistic doctor and did multiple hair and blood labs. He recommended electro acupuncture, a stool test and a diet program. Sometimes holistic medicine is awesome and works for some people. I was skeptical....I told my mom she had just taken me to a voodoo doctor. But we were desperate and ultimately just wanted me to get better, no matter the means.
For my 18th birthday in February I was completely weaned from oral prednisone. What a fabulous gift that was. Even though we still weren't completely sure why I wasn't responding to any treatment, I felt like I was on the road to recovery. My mind set was much better and I was actually regaining most of the strength I had lost. I could even climb stairs again.
I was still taking the imuran and methotrexate which caused me to have serve headaches. I went to Dr. Brackett's office every week for my methotrexate shot. My brother volunteered to learn how to give the shots to me so I wouldn't have to go to Dr. Brackett's every week. It was a very sweet gesture, but I wasn't entirely convinced he didn't just want to poke me with a needle.
By my high school graduation in May, I had completely weaned myself of all medication because I didn't feel as though it was making a positive difference. My strength was continuing to improve and I was able to walk across the stage in a pair of high heels to accept my diploma. I did have to duck out of line and have my brother carry me up the side stairs to walk the stage. But none the less, I was with my graduating class.....something I didn't think would happen when my senior year started.
I was still taking the imuran and methotrexate which caused me to have serve headaches. I went to Dr. Brackett's office every week for my methotrexate shot. My brother volunteered to learn how to give the shots to me so I wouldn't have to go to Dr. Brackett's every week. It was a very sweet gesture, but I wasn't entirely convinced he didn't just want to poke me with a needle.
By my high school graduation in May, I had completely weaned myself of all medication because I didn't feel as though it was making a positive difference. My strength was continuing to improve and I was able to walk across the stage in a pair of high heels to accept my diploma. I did have to duck out of line and have my brother carry me up the side stairs to walk the stage. But none the less, I was with my graduating class.....something I didn't think would happen when my senior year started.
(The effects of the prednisone still weren't completely gone, even after 4 months.)
(I didn't have my senior pictures taken the summer before my senior year because my appearance was drastically altered due to all of the medicine. Instead I waited until May of 1999.)
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