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Emy: Localized Scleroderma

I thought I was going bald, so I decided not to push it further, nor ask my parents.

Pink Flower, Photo by Shelley EnszHello! My name is Emy and I am twenty-six years old. When I was nine I noticed a small lesion, the size and shape of a coin in the temporal side of my skull. As time went by I began losing the hair in the area. I thought I was going bald, so I decided not to push it further, nor ask my parents.

At twenty, I noticed yet another lesion, this time a deep gash in the right coronal area of the skull. I then became very afraid of going completely bald, so I decided to go to the dermatologist. The diagnosis was localized scleroderma, with a prescription for particular pain that by then had become more frequent. I later stopped the medication since the pain was gone, and I did not go back for medical check-ups.

Nowadays, the lesions are compacted and I have constant headaches. For as long as I can remember I have always felt exhausted and I do not know what to do to feel better. I have decided to go back to the doctors, but I would like to know whether they can really help me calm the symptoms for the scleroderma that I suffer from or whether going to the doctor will only help me become conscious of an illness that I swore I would forget.

What is the average of local scleroderma cases that progress on to something serious? Can I lead a relaxed life, forgetting about scleroderma without having to always worry about symptoms? Perhaps what I think is a bit crazy, but I talk from the experience I have had with this illness, am I supposed to live every day thinking about it? Is the probability of worsening high?

I am sorry I am perhaps only speaking about my own case, and I am leaving aside the cases of people that cannot forget that they have this illness, but I want to avoid obsessing about it and just keep it at a distance. I want to feel healthy and full of life, but I know that I can share some of the fears and symptoms.

We know there is no cure, and I am very aware that even if I want to forget about scleroderma, it is still there. What I would like to know is how damaging for my health it would be if I just tried to ignore the illness.

Webmaster's Note: Many times this type of scleroderma goes into remission on its own. There are also treatments available for this type of scleroderma (localized, morphea/linear) to try to help prevent it from progressing (if it is still active). It primarily affects only the skin and underlying tissue. In some cases, it can cause one or two symptoms outside of this, especially headaches when it affects the skull. Please study the links below for more information on linear/morphea localized scleroderma, and consult a scleroderma expert.

To Contact the Author

Emy
Email: [email protected]
Story edited 02-19-2010 JTD
Story posted 04-30-2010 SLE

Story Artist: Shelley Ensz
Story Translator: Alba León
Story Editor: Judith Thompson Devlin
LINKS
Español/Spanish:
Emy: Esclerodermia Localizada
Acerca de la Esclerodermia

English:
Emotional Adjustment
Juvenile Scleroderma
Juvenile Scleroderma Stories
Linear/Morphea Scleroderma
Linear/Morphea Stories
Medical: Diseases and Symptoms
Scleroderma Experts (Worldwide)
Sclero Forums *Online Support Group!*
Symptoms of Systemic Scleroderma
Types of Scleroderma
What is Scleroderma?

ISN Translator and Editor: Alba León

Alba LeonAlba León is the ISN Translator for this page. She is studying international relations in Mexico City.

ISN Story Editor: Judith Thompson Devlin

Photo of JudithJudith Thompson Devlin is the ISN Story Editor for this story. She is also lead editor of the ISN's wonderful Voices of Scleroderma book series!

Go to Erica: Mother of Daughter with Linear/Morphea Scleroderma
 
 

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