My name is Finicia Compton. I am 20 years old. I am a fulltime college student. At least I was until the disease called Still's hit me like a bomb on February 28, 1998.

It all happened so quickly and with no warning. I was on my way home for the weekend from school and on my drive I noticed my right leg was itching terribly. When I arrived home I showed my mom and we both thought it was some allergic reaction to a lotion or soap of some sort. Later that night the rash had spread to the other leg. By morning the rash has all over my shoulder, legs and arms.
Mom rushed me to the emergency room. The doctor said asked if I had been taking any new medication. The only thing new I had taken in the last month was the Excedrin migraine medicine. I always had really bad headaches. This doctor seemed to believe that I was allergic to Excedrin. He gave me a shot, some benedryl, and an antibiotic and sent me home.

By the next day, I couldn't even get myself out of bed. I was so sore and stiff. My throat was sore, I was freezing, had the rash, and I had a fever. Not to mention all the pain I was in. I couldn't even put my clothes on. Get myself out of bed, or walk without assistance.
My mom called the doctor that we had previously seen in the emergency room. He told me to come right over and stop the medication that he had given me the day before.
He examined me for the second time and said that the rash wasn't due to an allergic reaction. He phoned another doctor to examine me.
To sum it up. These two doctors said they didn't know what was wrong with me and told me to see a dermatologist by Monday. What a joke!

Later that night I kept getting worse. My mom said we couldn't wait till Monday. We drove 3 hours to a hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. I was admitted into the emergency room and examined by a Physician's Assistant. She said she thought I had Scarlet Fever.
They did a few blood tests and then I was examined by an internal medicine doctor. The internal medicine doctor admitted me into the hospital for observation.
I had to spend my 20th birthday in the hospital. I was in so much pain all I could do was cry and beg for some type of pain medication. I stayed that night in the hospital. Nurses came in every hour injecting some kind of shot in my body.
I lost 20 lbs. in one week. I was put on 40 mg of Prednisone a day. It seemed to help me a lot.

The whole month of March and into the middle of April I was visiting this infectious disease specialist about twice a week for some testing. Every time we went back we were given no diagnosis. One time he said I had Rheumatic Fever.
After a month and a half of testing he finally said I had Still's Disease. My mom and I were both puzzled, "What is that?" we asked. He said I had a very severe case of it and that is why he didn't suspect that it was Still's before.
During this month and a half the rash had left and reoccured again, but this time all over my body. I have always had constant muscle and joint pain. I would run a fever of 103. I would also take spells where I would shake to death because I was freezing so bad. My throat would be sore off and on. I would wake up in the morning with my shirt soaking wet from sweat--- I had night sweats.
I had to get assistance to walk, rise from a chair and even to put my clothes on. I missed so much school I had to withdraw for the spring semester because I was not able to return.
He said that doctors don't know how you contract this disease, and really don't know the cure either. In May he referred me to a Rheumatologist who specialized in the disease that I had.

On the first visit to this Rheumatologist in May of 98 I had already gained back the 20 lbs. that I had lost, plus I had added 30 more lbs. to it.
I was starting to feel a little better, until my rheumatologist started weaning me from my Prednisone. She said that a steroid was a band-aid, because the problem was still there even though I was feeling better. She explained to me that my immune system was attacking my own tissue of joints and muscle, which is why I was in pain. My liver was inflamed, my white blood cell count was sky high and my protein count was high. She said they had caught my disease early and luckily no organs were damaged. I guess my mom and I made a good decision by coming to Lexington.

Through the months of May and June she prescribed Voltaren. I'm still taking that now along with Naproxen which doesn't seem to help. I'm also taking Plaquinel. My rheumatologist said that the Plaquinel could take up to 6 months before you notice a difference. I have only been taking it for 2 months as of July.
I have also seen a Physical therapist to help with my strength and walking. I don't think it helped me much.
The thing that has helped me the most is the water exercises in my heated pool. The water is about 101 degrees. Warm bath water or pool water seems to loosen up my joints and relieve the pain for a few hours. I hope to get a jacuzzi for the winter. I hear they help a lot.

As of right now, I am still on a low dosage of Prednisone, 200 mg of Voltaren, and 400 mg of Plaquinel.
I still have some trouble putting on my pants, rising from my chairs, etc. But I am walking better.
Some days are worse than others. For all you who suffer with Still's I know what you are going through. God Bless You.
Having this disease has made me learn to appreciate what God has gifted me with. I never knew what it was like to be dependant upon someone else before I got Still's.
All I can say is that I couldn't have made it without my mother and God by my side.