Last May we noticed what looked like a bruise on our daughter's stomach. When we touched it we found a bump underneath. She had just turned eleven the month before.
I asked her if she had been injured in that spot and all she could recall was being hit by a basketball at school. One thing I found worrisome was that the basketball "hit" was not hard enough to even make her cry. To me that indicated the "bruise" could not have been caused by the basketball.
We took her to our primary physician who told us to keep an eye on it and bring her back in a month or so if it had not gone away. Over the summer it was very noticeable when she was wearing her bathing suit or halter tops. We took her back to the doctor and he suggested a dermatologist.
We had that appointment this last Friday and he diagnosed morphea. He did not say much or seem to be concerned. He prescribed an ointment and she has a follow up appointment in November. I decided to get online as I was not comfortable with the information he provided.
Now, I am very worried and am trying to find if there is in fact a link between localized morphea and arthritis. She is very active in dance and sports and to be honest, I am freaking out right now. Any information that anyone could share with me would be greatly appreciated. Please feel free to email me.
Jennifer Gayton New email address needed. Old Email Prefix: jennifer.butler Story posted 9-9-01 Story edited 7-17-03 SLE Email note posted 01-21-05 SLE Story Artist: Shelley Ensz |
LINKS Causes of Scleroderma Juvenile Scleroderma Morphea Scleroderma Types of Scleroderma PDF Brochure: What is Scleroderma? |
SCLERO.ORG was the world's leading nonprofit for trustworthy research, support, education and awareness for scleroderma and related illnesses from 1998 to 2021. It was a grassroots movement from the original Scleroderma from A to Z web site, which was founded by Shelley Ensz. We were a 501(c)(3) U.S.-based public charitable foundation. We closed this web site and our nonprofit agency in April 2021.