Being diagnosed with systemic sclerosis.

[Ga55a]

Hi

I have always been a heavy drinker and noticed some physical changes and blamed it on that.

After getting Raynaud's I went to see a Doctor who explained the broken veins heart burn and bump on my face all showed signs of this along with the Raynaud's.

I have also been have lots of mini panic attacks and sometimes find it hard to look at people. Which is known as a social anxiety. I am now wondering if this can also be a symptom.

Does anybody know if anxiety can be a symptom of systemic sclerosis please?

I am having loads of tests done and will make a list of questions when I go back but any advice on this will help.

Gary.

[Joelf]

Hi Gary,

 

Welcome to these forums!

 

I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing worrying symptoms. It is possible to have Primary Raynaud's without necessarily having scleroderma and the symptoms you describe could equally relate to a number of other health problems.

 

Anxiety, although certainly common with scleroderma and other autoimmune diseases, is not necessarily part and parcel of scleroderma. However, far more concerning is the amount of anxiety you're experiencing. One thing that is certain to exacerbate any illness is the stress involved in trying to find a diagnosis, as stress and anxiety can cause hormonal and cellular changes in our bodies which can lead to a variety of medical problems and is particularly damaging for autoimmune diseases. Please note I have no medical training (apart from an out of date first aid certificate and a fondness for telling my medical team how to do their job) but I would suggest that some of the symptoms with which you're suffering could be due to your anxiety and stress.  Anxiety is a symptom that needs to be addressed and minimised when one is dealing with a chronic illness such as scleroderma or any other medical problem and as it's perfectly normal to experience depression and anxiety along with illness, it may be beneficial for you to ask your primary care doctor for a referral for counselling if you're finding that your health issues are difficult to deal with.

 

Kind regards,