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Takeya: Morphea Scleroderma

"I thank God that it is not harmful to me or the baby."

I am now twenty-four years old and I have had morphea scleroderma for over ten years. As a child I noticed dark marks on my stomach. The skin was thick, hard, and somewhat dry. I really did not think much about it though until I was somewhat older and curious about my body.

Once I brought it to my mother's attention, she took me to a dermatologist but unfortunately she did not allow the doctor to take a skin graft. I wish she had. Since then I have seen two dermatologists and one told me that I had morphea but he did not bother to explain anything.

Now that I am pregnant with my first child my obstetrician gave me a referral. The doctor who I was referred to did not want to do anything for me until after the baby was born. So, my obstetrician performed the skin graft and after waiting two weeks for the results, it has been officially stated and diagnosed as morphea.

It will not be harmful to the baby since I have learned that it is localized and not systemic, but it hurts to see the marks. I now have two separate spots on my stomach, and it is growing towards my left arm and back. It is ugly, but I thank God that it is not harmful to me or the baby.

Fortunately, over the years it has gone into remission and I thought that that would have been the end, but it starts and stops unpredictably. I know it could be worse so I do not think about it much at all.

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ISN Artist: Ione Bridgman

ISN Artist Ione Bridgman created original artwork to illustrate this page. She is 90 years old, and lives in New Zealand. Her lovely paintings illustrate many of our pages and the covers of our Voices of Scleroderma Book Series.

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