Hi Everybody!!<br>I just wanted to write a note
to re-introduce myself, seems like ever since I
joined yahoo a few months ago my life has just gone
wacko. Thanx again for having me here, and for those who
wrote, please accept my apologies for not returning your
letters. I promise it wont happen again !!<br>Let me tell
you a bit about me;<br>I was diagnosed with
Scleroderma about 6yrs ago, after about a year of tests
described as "hormone related", and finally almost dying
from complications of pericadium effusion (fluid
around the heart). As the years have gone by, and my
condition has slowly deteriorated, I have also been
diagnosed with Raynauds phenomenon, CREST syndrome, Lupus,
and osteoporosis, thus now they're saying I have MCTD
(multiple connective tissue disease). The meds I take
prednisone, plaquenil, folic acid, methotrexate, didrocal,
amitriptyline, and ibuprofin (when necessary). I live a pretty
"normal" life for someone with this illness, the pain is
manageable, the numbness in my hands and feet still annoying,
i get blood-work done every 6 weeks, and well, nap
time in the afternoon has become part of the routine.
I'm blessed to have friends and family who support me
and have taken up hobbies like collecting jokes, and
traded in my guitar(which got too hard to hold) for a
keyboard. Most of all, I thank God its me who is ill and
not my kids.<br>I have always had the attitude that "
i refuse to be sick", but as I mentioned earlier,
something has finally knocked me off my cloud. For the past
2 months i have been going through entensive
testing because they tell me that my lungs are not doing
too good. I have handled everything to this point but
now i'm really scared. I go for the cat-scan early in
December, and they say my last peri-cardio function test
was better. I've heard this is one of the
progressions of the disease, well i guess what it is, I'm
hoping maybe one of them is wrong.... Thanx for
listening :o)<br><br>bye4now<br>weez