Living The Dream - Nicola Whitehill

DAY 11  Scleroderma Awareness Month: Gastro-Intestinal (GI) Involvement Many patients diagnosed with scleroderma have gastro-intestinal problems with a multitude of symptoms, as can be seen in the image (above). The entire GI system can be affected, starting at the mouth (dry mouth, difficulty swallowing, gum recession, etc.) all the…

    One of the major organs affected by Scleroderma is the thickening of the skin, as the name implies, Sclero, meaning thick, derma, meaning skin. This is usually the first tell-tale symptom to prompt a diagnosis. Skin involvement can vary depending on the type of scleroderma, with…

Day 9  Scleroderma Awareness Month – Digital Ulcer Management Today’s image shows the current NHS England management guidelines for The Best Practice of Digital Ulcer Management. I was honoured to be the ‘scleroderma patient expert’ member of the NHS England medical team who put these guidelines…

DAY 8  Scleroderma Awareness Month – RAYNAUD’S Treatment Guidelines Today’s post shows the management of Raynaud’s as advised by the UK Scleroderma Study Group at The Royal Free hospital in London.  Click here. I discussed…

DAY 7  Scleroderma Awareness Month Raynaud’s can be an initial symptom in the autoimmune patient (MS, Lupus, Fibromyalgia) and, which of course, includes scleroderma. It is important to emphasize that Raynaud’s can also present on its own, without any autoimmune involvement. The current understanding is that if a…

DAY 6  Scleroderma Awareness Month Over the decades, more has gradually become known and understood about scleroderma and the symptoms which it presents. Today’s post is a copy of the current guidelines which are accepted globally, when reaching a systemic sclerosis, scleroderma diagnosis. Due to the multi complex…

DAY 5  Scleroderma Awareness Month DIAGNOSTIC TESTS Early diagnosis is crucial to prevent life threatening damage to the scleroderma patient. For, if the disease has progressed to a level causing irreversible damage, even a stem cell transplant or organ transplant (for the most severely affected patients), may not…

  The symptoms of Scleroderma can differ from patient to patient, with no two patients displaying the exact same set of symptoms. This makes diagnosis and treatment more challenging to meet the needs of the individual patient. In all types of scleroderma (see Day 1 of…

  Scleroderma is a systemic disease which can affect the entire body. This includes body organs, muscles, nerves, glands…. EVERYwhere! This makes for a very challenging time at tying to manage and control the symptoms, since there is no cure. The treatments available are symptom suppression agents at…

  Scleroderma is systemic and can affect the entire body, depending on the type of scleroderma present in the body. This can be identified by specific blood screening and other diagnostic tests — see later on in the week for more information on this! The entire body is…

Each day, here at Scleroderma News, for the duration of Scleroderma Awareness month, I will be posting daily information and facts about Scleroderma, which I hope will be of interest. An empowered, educated patient makes for a better “scleroderma journey,” as prevention is better than cure, and there…

  Wednesday is the start of Scleroderma Awareness Month, with the countdown to World Scleroderma Day, 29th June, fast approaching! To read my blog post about World Scleroderma Day, click here. Each day, here on Scleroderma News, I will be posting a different Scleroderma awareness…