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Rose M: CREST Syndrome

I am just learning to take baby steps every day versus the hurry up and do it way I was living before.

I would first like to thank this web site for the valuable information, personal stories and the opportunity to connect with others who are experiencing what I am. I have many friends and relatives here in the Houston, Texas area, but this disease is nothing they can fully understand as well as my friends here can.

I was finally correctly diagnosed with CREST after two years of thinking I was going crazy. I did not have insurance until this year so I am finally on some medications that hopefully will help me out some. I am also involved with a research study at the local medical center and am trying to become more active in any support groups I can find. Time and energy are not my most positive attributes.

Right now the most pain I am experiencing is with these finger ulcers and calcium 'thing-a-mi-jigs' (calcium deposits) on my elbows. Everything else has become a part of my life. I am just learning to take baby steps every day versus the hurry up and do it way I was living before.

I am interested in any home treatments or natural (herbal), alternatives for pain relief that anyone has had success with. I find myself taking too many pain pills because I am such an wimp when I am hurting; but of course that just worsens the stomach ulcer.

I will try to keep up with this posting with updates and photos and I am sincerely looking forward to meeting any new scleroderma friends.

Take care.

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ISN Artist: Sherrill Knaggs (In Loving Memory)

Sherrill Knaggs, ISN Artist, created the digital photo to illustrate the story on this page. Sherrill lived in New Zealand. Her story was featured in ISN's book, Voices of Scleroderma Volume 2.

ISN Story Editor: Judith Thompson Devlin

Judith 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!

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.