Hi, this is my first post.
Just wanted to introduce myself. My name is Stacy, I am 38 years old, married with 5 children living in the UK. Before I had my youngest child I kept myself fit, gym and running 5 days a wk and was self employed as a mobile hairdresser. Life was good and I was happy.
About four months after having my youngest child who is now 2yrs and 3 months I became ill. I wanted to get back into my fitness as soon as possible but found that I was struggling, just put it down to having a baby and I was getting older so my body was taking longer to recover from pregnancy and the birth. I had began running again but really found it hard and my body was taking longer to recover. It didn't stop me though, I kept pushing myself, I'm not a quitter and have always pushed myself in everything I do. I started to get bad pains in my lower back and hips which soon travelled down to my legs.
Eventually I went to the doctors, he referred me to a neurologist who referred me to a Rheumatologist. Lots of tests and seeing different specialists. Apparently my bloods were showing positive for scleroderma. Many many more symptoms came soon after, skin changes, hair loss, Raynauds etc. It's the pain I can't bear. I have now been referred to Professor Denton in London, hoping he can help me.
I feel no one understands what I am going through, that I have accepted it, and they never will, will they? I get so frustrated and angry at times that I can't do what I used to do, I can hardly walk, what I would do to be able to run again. I try to take each day as it comes but as you know it's more like taking each minute with this awful disease, we never know what may happen. I have accepted that I am never going to be who I once was, but I am learning to deal with and make the most of the new person I have become.
I am hoping that 2017 is going to be the year that I can be positive in everything I do, I want, or should I say everything that I put my mind to I will be doing.
