Columns

Someone once remarked that scleroderma is the “anti-glamorous” disease because it mainly affects menopausal women. But the condition also affects children, young adults, and men. In this column, we’ll hear from two extraordinary young women who are tackling scleroderma on their own terms. Amy Gietzen, 39, was diagnosed with scleroderma…

Many books have been written about finding your true love. Yet, there’s not much guidance about finding the right doctors. I suppose this didn’t matter when I was healthy. Now that I’m chronically ill, the right doctor means life or death. However, when scleroderma forced me to seek out care…

Although rheumatologists specializing in scleroderma are rare like the disease, they have something in common: passion. They’re passionate about understanding and managing the disease and compassionate toward those it affects. Dr. Nunzio Bottini is one of the foremost scleroderma researchers on the West Coast of the U.S. He…

Date night with my husband resulted in mounds of clothing piling up on the bench in my closet. I was having a meltdown similar to that of a teenage girl with a zit on prom night. Nothing fit. I couldn’t zip up skirts or button pants. My stomach had suddenly…

How do you measure success and self-worth? It may be a simple question for some, but for those who suffer from chronic autoimmune diseases such as scleroderma, the answer often becomes quite complex. Like many other adults, I used to measure my success and self-worth by my…

“Did I take my pills?” I wonder as I hold three giant capsules. I stare at them and try to backtrack through my day, but I have no idea. All my mornings collide together. Now I’m faced with the choice between skipping my lifesaving medicine or taking an extra dose,…

When I first met Cyndy Martin, 58, I was impressed with her vitality and energy, but she had been severely affected by the ravages of scleroderma only a few years before. Meghan Newell Davis, 36, was a nutritionist and marathoner who ran Ironman triathlons. A new mom, she started to…

“Get out of bed … now!” Are you kidding me? Getting out of bed would take forever. “Time waits for no one. Embrace the suck, Amy.” Stop yelling at me! I’m getting there. (And by getting there, I mean lying there not moving, with hot, silent tears rolling down my…

Can you recall a time when you smiled so much that your cheeks became sore? Perhaps it was a day of joy and celebration — one you’ll happily remember forever. Or maybe you have a chronic illness and wear a smile all day to avoid ruining the party for everyone…

The pounding of my heart echoes clearly in my ears. I can see the thumps through the skin on my chest. It’s erratic, beating slowly and calmly one minute, and out of control the next. It’s like a toddler is in my chest playing a new set of drums —…