Shelby: Morphea Scleroderma

I was diagnosed with morphea scleroderma the day of the September eleventh terrorist attacks. On my way home from the dermatologist's office I heard about the plane crashes on the radio. It was a bad day.

I was seventeen at the time and I had developed a lump under my skin just below my rib cage about a year before. When I first noticed the lump, I told my mother about it. I was worried that it was some kind of tumor. My parents wrote it off as a calcium deposit which they said would go away by itself. Well, it did not. It kept getting bigger and bigger. Finally I talked my parents into taking me to the doctor. We went to our family doctor, whom we have been going to since I was born. He felt the area with his hands and diagnosed me with a benign tumor and told me that if I felt any pain to come back.

I had stomachaches and cramps, and my skin was very itchy, so I went back to the doctor. He told me my diagnosis had not changed. I had many questions. None were answered. I wondered why I was not being given a biopsy or any other type of tests. So I demanded to see another doctor in the same office. I told this doctor what I was thinking and he agreed we should do some tests. He referred me to a good friend of his who also was a dermatologist.

I went to see the dermatologist on September 11, 2001, and I was diagnosed with morphea scleroderma. He prescribed a strong skin cream. It makes the affected skin softer but seems to make it more discolored. I hardly ever use it.

I have also noticed my tattoos seem to bump out a little bit as if scarred. But, I am not sure if the morphea effects it or not. Since I have been diagnosed, the morphea has spread across my stomach. I also have another patch on the opposite side of my stomach. I have not had a previous injury and I have not had a severe sunburn. I am just being normal and just being me like always. I am not worried about what I may look like or how my skin feels. I just do not think about it.

When people ask me "What happened?" or "How did you get burned right there?" I just tell them it is a scar from being shot or that I had an alien baby ripped out of my stomach. Anything to make it fun.

But, I did learn one valuable lesson. It is okay to get a second opinion if we do not trust our doctor's decisions. It is also good to ask questions if we are confused. It is our health, after all.