Was is Kermit who didn't have enough wrinkles in her toes?

[luvwinnie]

How are you doing? FInd out anything more?

 

[luvwinnie]

just bumping

 

[Kermit]

I have another doctor's appointment at the beginning of September. He had to order a bunch of labs and wait for the results. I think he's going to tell me that I have scleroderma, which is causing circulatory problems that are making the skin in my extremities not be as healthy looking. I'm not sure yet, but he has ordered a second set of labs based on the first ones, and it looks like he thinks I have some autoimmune disorder. I think it's kind of rude for him to think I have something major since I feel fine.

Thanks for asking about my toes!

 

[A kid at heart]

There was a movie last sunday on Lifetime television movies about Bob Sagets sister who had scleroderma.

Scleroderma is a rare, chronic autoimmune disease which afflicts an estimated 150,000(1) to 500,000(2) Americans, primarily females who are 30 to 50 years old at onset. The overall occurrence is 30 people per 100,000 and the ratio of women to men is about four to one.

There are two main types of Scleroderma, Localized and Systemic.

The systemic forms can affect any part of the body (skin, blood vessels, and internal organs.) The systemic forms are also referred to as "Systemic Sclerosis" plus other terms such as Diffuse, Limited, CREST, and Overlap.

The localized forms are Morphea and Linear. They affect only the skin (and sometimes the underlying tissues) but do not affect the internal organs, or reduce one's life expectancy in any way.(its a hardening and thickening of the skin)

When any form of scleroderma (either localized or systemic) occurs in children, it is also called Childhood Scleroderma or Juvenile Scleroderma
Proper diagnosis of Scleroderma is often long and difficult, since it is a rare disease which few doctors are well-versed in, and in the early stages it may resemble many other connective tissue diseases, such as Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Polymyositis, and Rheumatoid Arthritis, just to name a few.

Often the diagnostic uncertainty and frustration takes a huge toll on the psychological well-being of these patients, who describe their journey to diagnosis as being by far the most difficult part of their illness.

 

[Leota]

I guess I'm glad my doctor is so rude - without that form of rudeness, I'd be dead by now....

 

[danacara]

Wait a second. Kermit, I thought you had Raynauds?

 

[Dan Murphy]

Hope if you have a problem, Amy, that it can be diagnosed and treated easily and completely.

Dan

 

[Kermit]

I was kidding about the rudeness. I'm grateful that he knows, it just seems odd that I could have something that's potentially so bad with hardly any signs at all. The only reason my regular doctor referred me to the internist is because my sister has Lupus.

Dana, I do have Raynauds, but it can be a symptom of scleroderma. In a lot people, it's just Raynauds and nothing else, but it can be a symptom of many different auto-immune disorders.

 

[A kid at heart]

When Raynaud's appears by itself, without any other medical condition, it is called Raynaud's Disease. About 1 in 20 adults have primary Raynaud's, whereas only one in 4,000 have Scleroderma. When it appears along with autoimmune diseases such as Scleroderma, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, and Rheumatoid Arthritis, it is called Raynaud's Phenomenon (or, Secondary Raynaud's.)

In primary Raynaud's, the blood vessels return to normal afterwards. However, in Raynaud's with Scleroderma there may be blood vessel scarring which can make medication ineffective. Digital (Finger) Ulcers are caused by the lack of oxygen to skin cells.

Just 5 to 20 percent of people with Raynaud's phenomenon subsequently develop scleroderma, but nearly 90-95 percent of scleroderma patients experience this extreme cold sensitivity with red/blue flashes in their hands and feet as a primary manifestation of their disease.(2)
In fact, Raynaud's is often the first symptom of scleroderma, and may precede the onset of Scleroderma by months or years.

Scleroderma and Raynaud's can in some instances become so severe as to require amputation of fingers and/or toes, so keeping "aggressively warm" plus promptly treating all Raynaud's attacks is essential for all Scleroderma patients. As Raynaud's progresses, slight drops in temperature may trigger it with longer duration of the attacks.

Additionally, recent research indicates that Raynaud's might be part of how the disease process advances in Scleroderma, due to the oxygen deprivation caused by Raynaud's spurring an abnormal chemical reaction which produces oxygen radicals. Therefore, taking great precautions to prevent Raynaud's attacks could be of paramount importance for Scleroderma patients.

 

[MeanLaureen]

This is interesting. I never thought of my toes and wrinkles but I'll be darned, my toes don't have any wrinkles. And.... I have an autoimmune disorder - Adult Onset Stills Disease. Now there might be the chance of me having a secondary infection of Lupus on top of it. Maybe I should ask him about Scleroderma.

Now I guess I know why my doctor looks at my feet

Even more interesting, my Mom has had Raynauds for years. Wonder if this kind of stuff is hereditary?

 

[caitycaity]

out of curiosity, what do people mean by wrinkles on their toes? my toes don't appear to have any wrinkles...

 

[Kermit]

According to my doctor, you should have wrinkles on the knuckles of your toes like you do on your fingers. It's not a problem if you never did, but if you used to and now you don't, it could be a sign of a problem.

Laureen, I think that Raynauds can be a symptom of several different autoimmune disorders, and Lupus is one of them. It's most commonly associated with scleroderma because it's one of those symptoms that most people with scleroderma have, but it can be one of the possible symptoms of the others as well. I think that the tendency toward autoimmune problems must run in families. I've never read that anywhere (just that the tendency to have the same ones ran in families), but I know too many people with different autoimmune problems in their families.

 

[luvwinnie]

in families. My great-grandmother had RA, my grandmother polymylagia rheumatica...my mom might have RA and she and my brother had rheumatic fever. And now I have Undifferentiated Connective TIssue Disease which tends to turn into things like RA or lupus.