| Emotional Adjustment and Scleroderma |
 Hello, I am Janey Willis, ISN Guide to Emotional Adjustment. I know from experience that scleroderma can place unique demands on patients and caregivers alike. I have systemic scleroderma (SSc). It is common to suffer reactive depression with scleroderma. If you or someone you care about is having a difficult or suicidal time right now, call your nearest suicide hotline, or a doctor, or hospital. This is a medical emergency and it is okay to go to the emergency room or to call for help from your local police or fire department. The important thing is to make a call—any call—until you find help. | |
| Emotional Adjustment and Scleroderma (MAIN MENU) | | | |
| Anxiety and Attitude |
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| Overview of Anxiety |
| Anxiety is a normal reaction to a tense situation such as an acute or chronic illness. It helps one to better cope with the situation. However, too much anxiety can lead to serious illness or worsening of a existing condition. Anxiety is a symptom that needs to be addressed and minimized when one is dealing with a chronic illness such as scleroderma. |
| Anxiety, emotional state in which people feel uneasy, apprehensive, or fearful. People usually experience anxiety about events they cannot control or predict, or about events that seem threatening or dangerous. MSN Learning and Research |
| Panic attacks. Signs and symptoms may include rapid heart rate, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath and hyperventilation, chills, hot flashes, nausea, abdominal cramping, chest pain, headache, dizziness, faintness, tightness in your throat, trouble swallowing, a sense of impending death. Other health problems— such as an impending heart attack, an overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism) or drug withdrawal— can cause similar signs and symptoms. From Mayo Clinic. CNN. (Also see: Lung Involvement, Heart Involvement and Thyroid Disease ) |
| Panic attacks can occur at any time, even during sleep. An attack generally peaks within 10 minutes, but some symptoms may last much longer. It usually comes with sweating, racing heartbeat, chest pains, shortness of breath, dizziness, trembling, numbness, terror, fear of going crazy or a desire to escape. 60% of all panic attacks are accompanied by hyperventilation. Softpedia. |
| Scleroderma and Anxiety |
| Symptoms Of Depression And Anxiety In Patients With Systemic Sclerosis: Impact Of Disease Severity And Socioeconomic Factors. Symptoms of depression are more common in female, unemployed and older patients, as well as in patients with severe pain and longer disease duration. Symptoms of anxiety were found in almost all patients, but without dependency on disease severity or socioeconomic factors. P. Ostojic THU0301. EULAR 2007. (Also see: Depression ) |
| Appearance self-esteem (ASE) in systemic sclerosis--subjective experience of skin deformity and its relationship with physician-assessed skin involvement, disease status and psychological variables. In SSc, ASE proved unrelated to the extent of skin thickness. Psychological interventions aimed at boosting ASE should primarily target the psychological factors acceptance and anxiety. PubMed. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2007 Feb 17. |
| Depression and Anxiety in Systemic Sclerosis. Depression and associated symptoms of anxiety were very common among these patients with SSc and should be recognized and treated to improve function and the quality of life of these patients. Cécile Legendre. AB0107 EULAR 2004. |
| Anxiety Personal Stories |
| Daphne: Daughter of Scleroderma/Polymyositis/Antisynthetase Syndrome Overlap Patient By early 2005, she began to exhibit Raynaud's phenomenon. She was also having swelling in her face, hands and feet. |
| David B: Raynaud's I am fifty-one years old and suffer with Raynaud's, bipolar affective disorder, high anxiety and phobias for which I am unable to take medication... |
| Marla: Difficult Diagnosis and Anxiety I have never been diagnosed with Raynaud's but one of my toes turns white sometimes... |
| Rosebud: Diffuse Scleroderma with Raynaud's, Diabetes, Depression and Anxiety My hands are the worst. They are completely swollen, red, itchy, with burning sensation and in pain constantly... |
| Anxiety Sclero Forums Discussions |
| Scleroderma is Ruining My Life! I feel like this disease is ruining my life. I had plans and now I feel like those plans are a joke. Sclero Forums. |
| Attitude |
| Chronic Disease Attitude Management. Look for the positive. Adjust your life. Get support. Most of all remember that you are here for a reason and don't despair. Life could be a whole lot worse. The People's Media Company. 05/17/07. |
| Basketball saves Allyson Stone's life in fight against rare disease. Even chemotherapy couldn't keep her off the basketball court. Allyson was falling in love with the game. It made her forget about her illness. The game told her she wasn't vulnerable. The game gave her purpose. It was transforming. Seattle Times 12-26-05. |
| Attitude Is Everything in Old Age. Optimism and an ability to "roll with the punches" may be the keys to successful aging, a new study suggests. The findings appear to contradict the widespread belief that successful aging is solely dependent on physical condition and health. HealthDay News 12-19-05. |
| Scleroderma sufferer says there's hope. Her message is "not to give up hope. There's a lot of hope out there." And, she says, "a positive attitude, as with any disease, is so important." Arizona Daily Star. 01/15/04. |
| Fibromyalgia: Ten Strategies for Maintaining a Positive Attitude Deborah A. Barrett, Ph.D. |
| Attitude Personal Stories |
| Barbs: Systemic Sclerosis and CREST. First I want to say that I have never given up my positive attitude, or my faith that one day they will find a cure... |
| Elaine GH: Limited Systemic Sclerosis I tell everyone I meet about scleroderma. I have joined two support groups and bought all three editions of Voices of Scleroderma... |
| Judy Dee: Diffuse Scleroderma. Through physical therapy I learned to walk again, feed myself and gained a better attitude on life. I learned to appreciate the small things... |
| Kathleen S: Eosinophilic Fasciitis I noticed that winter during gym, that when we did push-ups, I had to do knuckle push-ups because I could not straighten my fingers... |
| Kathy M: CREST (Limited Systemic Scleroderma) If you do not have the right doctor, do not get furious, move on... |
| Melanie V.: Scleroderma and CREST. About three months ago I made a decision that has affected every aspect of my life: I chose to live... |
| Rosebud: Diffuse Scleroderma My hands are the worst. They are completely swollen, red, itchy, with burning sensation and in pain constantly... |
