Notice the Symptoms

When I was first diagnosed with Scleroderma the doctor was leaning more towards a hypothyroid problem, nephritic syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis or Lupus.  Blood work, urology and serum cretin confirmed my condition.  My arms by this point were swelling bilaterally and my legs were becoming shiny and hairless.  My feet were swelling and I had difficulty putting on my shoes. The shoulder, hip, knee and elbow joints were becoming ridged, less flexible and hurt with prolonged movement.  My throat,chest and abdomen are involved with skin tightening and muscle contraction. Most noticeable is my face is swollen around my forehead and eyes. Rosacea appears on my cheeks with my lips tightening to thin lines. Both arms are less flexible and the skin is becoming very taut. Every day it seems is harder to get going. It takes me longer to shower, dress, and go to work.  My hands are less co-operative these days and shaving is difficult as well as tying my shoes. Climbing the stairs at work ( 2 flights) remaining at my desk and concentrating on my bookkeeping or sales takes all my energy and attention.  When I went home for lunch I would have a power nap for twenty minutes feel refreshed and go back but lately the power naps went for two and a half hours and I was feeling terrible afterwards. Depression was setting in with loss of concentration and memory lapse. Also another problem surfaced.  It is called secondary Raynaud's phenomenon when it accompanies other diseases. Raynaud's makes the hands turn white from lack of blood supply then they turn blue due to a lack of oxygen followed by red flush when the blood vessels reopen. My hands are curved at the first finger joint and are ridged. They look like arthritic hands but there is no pain attributed to this condition. I can touch all four digits with my thumb which is still flexible but I can not straighten my fingers.  The onset of Scleroderma progressed so rapidly and the doctors outlook for me was not positive at all. They agreed to make my expiration as  humanely as possible with drugs and care but I wasn't ready to give in yet.  Even after reading everything I could on the Internet and most was not positive information I would not give up. Lets try every angle and invent a few ourselves.  Stay true to yourself.