| Emotional Adjustment and Scleroderma |
 Hello, I am Janey Willis, ISN Guide to Emotional Adjustment. I know from experience that scleroderma can place unique demands on patients and caregivers alike. I have systemic scleroderma (SSc). It is common to suffer reactive depression with scleroderma. If you or someone you care about is having a difficult or suicidal time right now, call your nearest suicide hotline, or a doctor, or hospital. This is a medical emergency and it is okay to go to the emergency room or to call for help from your local police or fire department. The important thing is to make a call—any call—until you find help. | |
| Emotional Adjustment and Scleroderma (MAIN MENU) |
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| Anxiety and Attitude |
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| Overview of Anxiety |
| Anxiety is a normal reaction to a tense situation such as an acute or chronic illness. It helps one to better cope with the situation. However, too much anxiety can lead to serious illness or worsening of a existing condition. Anxiety is a symptom that needs to be addressed and minimized when one is dealing with a chronic illness such as scleroderma. |
| Treating Panic Disorder on the Web. An online treatment system for patients suffering with panic disorder and anxiety problems combine biofeedback therapy with web technologies and allows patients and medical professionals to communicate effectively. ScienceDaily. 01/20/10. |
| Panic attacks. Panic attacks were once dismissed as nerves or stress, but they're now recognized as a real medical condition. Signs and symptoms may include rapid heart rate, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath and hyperventilation, chills, hot flashes, nausea, abdominal cramping, chest pain, headache, dizziness, faintness, tightness in your throat, trouble swallowing, a sense of impending death. Other health problems— such as an impending heart attack, an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) or drug withdrawal— can cause similar signs and symptoms. Mayo Clinic. (Also see: Lung Involvement, Heart Involvement and Thyroid Disease) |
| Symptoms of Anxiety and Panic Attacks. There are dozens of symptoms of anxiety, including: lump in throat and difficulty swallowing, skin losing colour (blanching), sweating, shaking or shivering, neck and shoulder pain and numbness in face or head; indigestion, heartburn, constipation and diarrhea; symptoms of urinary tract infection; skin rashes; weakness in arms and tingling in the hands or feet; electric shock feeling anywhere in the body. NPAD News. |
| Panic attacks can occur at any time, even during sleep. An attack generally peaks within 10 minutes, but some symptoms may last much longer. It usually comes with sweating, racing heartbeat, chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, trembling, numbness, terror, fear of going crazy or a desire to escape. 60% of all panic attacks are accompanied by hyperventilation. Softpedia. |
| How can I keep my anxiety under control? Severe anxiety is perhaps the single most unpleasant emotional state a human can experience, and you don't want to expose yourself to it for one day more than you have to. CNNHealth.com. 12/30/08. |
| Scleroderma and Anxiety |
| Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety In Patients With Systemic Sclerosis: Impact Of Disease Severity And Socioeconomic Factors. Symptoms of depression are more common in female, unemployed and older patients, as well as in patients with severe pain and longer disease duration. Symptoms of anxiety were found in almost all patients, but without dependency on disease severity or socioeconomic factors. P. Ostojic THU0301. EULAR 2007. (Also see: Depression ) |
| Appearance self-esteem (ASE) in systemic sclerosis--subjective experience of skin deformity and its relationship with physician-assessed skin involvement, disease status and psychological variables. In SSc, ASE proved unrelated to the extent of skin thickness. Psychological interventions aimed at boosting ASE should primarily target the psychological factors acceptance and anxiety. PubMed. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2007 Feb 17. |
| Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in patients with Systemic Sclerosis. Impact of Disease Severity and Socioeconomic Factors. Symptoms of depression and anxiety were found more frequently in patients with SSc than in healthy adults. Symptoms of depression are more common in female, unemployed and older patients, as well as in patients with severe pain and longer disease duration. Likely, disease severity has no impact on development of depression. Symptoms of anxiety were found in almost all patients, but without dependency on disease severity or socioeconomic factors. P. Ostojic. THU0301 EULAR 2007. |
| Anxiety Personal Stories |
| Alina: Scleroderma CREST Syndrome This site is very helpful as I have been reading articles of people with my condition and can relate to what they are going through... |
| Daphne: Daughter of Scleroderma/Polymyositis/Antisynthetase Syndrome Overlap Patient By early 2005, she began to exhibit Raynaud's phenomenon. She was also having swelling in her face, hands and feet. |
| David B: Raynaud's I am fifty-one years old and suffer with Raynaud's, bipolar affective disorder, high anxiety and phobias for which I am unable to take medication... |
| Marla: Difficult Diagnosis and Anxiety I have never been diagnosed with Raynaud's but one of my toes turns white sometimes... |
| Rosebud: Diffuse Scleroderma with Raynaud's, Diabetes, Depression and Anxiety My hands are the worst. They are completely swollen, red, itchy, with burning sensation and in pain constantly... |
| Anxiety Sclero Forums Discussions |
| Having A Hard Time. It is hard for me to write this. I am usually good at maintaining an upbeat attitude but the last week has been really rough on me. I hate to complain about things but here I go... Sclero Forums. |
| Scleroderma is Ruining My Life! I feel like this disease is ruining my life. I had plans and now I feel like those plans are a joke. Sclero Forums. |
| Attitude |
| Happiness makes for a happy heart. People who are usually happy and enthusiastic are less likely to develop heart disease than those who tend to be glum, scientists said on Thursday, and boosting positive emotions could help cut heart health risks. Kate Kelland. Reuters. 02/17/10. |
| Pessimism, Cynicism Can Hurt Your Heart Study: Negative Outlook Appears to Raise Risk of Heart Disease, Death. Whether you believe the metaphorical glass is half full or half empty may not only affect how you see the world, it may also affect your heart. Salynn Boyles WebMD Health News. 08/100/09. |
| Study: Pollyanna Will Outlive Everyone. If a chipper person in your life is annoying you, maybe you should brace yourself for that person outliving you in the long haul. L. Cox. ABC News. 03/06/09. |
| Relax! Stress, if Managed, Can Be Good For You. You're aiming for stimulated and focused—but not frazzled. Stress has certainly earned its bad reputation, given the wreckage it causes: headaches, stomach pain, high blood pressure, insomnia, and mind freeze reminiscent of a crashing laptop. But it also has an unheralded upside. In normal doses, adrenaline and other "fight or flight" hormones improve performance and seem to even protect health. U.S. News and World Report. 06/05/08. |
| Chronic Disease Attitude Management. Look for the positive. Adjust your life. Get support. Most of all remember that you are here for a reason and don't despair. Life could be a whole lot worse. The People's Media Company. 05/17/07. |
| Fibromyalgia: Ten Strategies for Maintaining a Positive Attitude Deborah A. Barrett, Ph.D. |
| Attitude Personal Stories |
| Barbs: Systemic Sclerosis and CREST. First I want to say that I have never given up my positive attitude, or my faith that one day they will find a cure... |
| Elaine GH: Limited Systemic Sclerosis I tell everyone I meet about scleroderma. I have joined two support groups and bought all three editions of Voices of Scleroderma... |
| Judy Dee: Diffuse Scleroderma. Through physical therapy I learned to walk again, feed myself and gained a better attitude on life. I learned to appreciate the small things... |
| Kathleen S: Eosinophilic Fasciitis I noticed that winter during gym, that when we did push-ups, I had to do knuckle push-ups because I could not straighten my fingers... |
| Kathy M: CREST (Limited Systemic Scleroderma) If you do not have the right doctor, do not get furious, move on... |
| Melanie V.: Scleroderma and CREST. About three months ago I made a decision that has affected every aspect of my life: I chose to live... |
| Rosebud: Diffuse Scleroderma My hands are the worst. They are completely swollen, red, itchy, with burning sensation and in pain constantly... |
