I was diagnosed with scleroderma and Raynaud's around December of 2002. Before that, I was having trouble with heartburn and acid reflux. My regular doctor tried me on many different antacids, but none of them worked.

Then I made an appointment with a gastroenterologist. He did an endoscopy around June of 2002. That showed inflammation of the stomach, so he referred me to a surgeon. I went to this doctor and he did several other tests.

I had a barium swallow, a pH balance test, and a twenty-four hour pH test. Then finally I had another endoscopy. It showed that my esophagus does not close at all when I swallow. The surgeon suggested that he could do a Nissen Fundoplication. At the time, we were not sure I had scleroderma, but were pretty sure I did. The doctor said he would do a partial rather than a full wrap, because of the possibility of scleroderma. At this time, I made an appointment with a rheumatologist.

That is when I found out I had scleroderma and Raynaud's. I had the Nissen Fundoplication surgery on February 7, 2003. This surgery made the biggest difference in the world. I have not had heartburn, and I can finally sleep at night. I now sleep with two pillows instead of four. I will need to have another endoscopy done every two years because of the scleroderma.

I am having a lot of joint pain now, and very dry eyes and mouth. My rheumatologist put me on medication for the pain and drops for the dry eyes.

That is about all of my story. It is really hard dealing with this, not knowing how it will affect me. I take it day by day. No one really understands unless you are going through this personally. Thanks for letting me share this with you!