Question for SD folks

[Key Pounds]

Would yall mind if I asked, when and where did you first notice skin thickening or tightening?   or just even first signs of the disease manifesting?

 

Blessings to All

Key

[BudT]

Mine was in my hands and arms.  My fingers became very swollen and in a short period of time I could not straighten my arms.  This was the first evidence I had.

BudT

[GayG]

Good morning! I first noticed the initial signs of Reynauds with swelling, etc. in my hands and feet in  October of 2006.  Remained undiagnosed until around the end of May 2007 when I was hospitalized because I was having trouble breathing and was in congestive heart failure.  I'm OK from all of that and now take Cardizem and Lisinopril (I've been checked head to toe several times, internally and externally and no internal organ damage thank God).  BUT, it was after that hospitalization that I noticed the skin involvement begin and that noticably started around July and progressed to involve….legs (upper and lower), then abdomen, then arms (upper and lower)…..the skin involvement has stabilized so far involving just those areas…thank goodness, that's enough for me! GayG

[JeffN]

Hands and fingers here. Carpel tunnel like pain was the first sign.

[MaryP]

I woke up one morning and had puffy hands and feet in October of 06, then Raynauds in Feb 07, and  skin thickening and tightening on hands, forearms, lower legs and feet in May 07.  Other areas tightened and thickened for the next 5 months.  It seemed to me that literally, I'd wake up with a tiny patch of thickened skin, and it exploded (spreading) over the next month. 

[Kim]

First sign for me was carpal tunnel on both wrists, then tight skin around neck and knees (both of which had had previous surgeries???)  Knees, upper thighs, forehead, scalp, upper arm all came on suddenly along with Raynaud's.  All this happened within about a year.  Good news though is there is huge improvement in most areas, and probably as with others, the first areas that tightened are the last to loosen.  None of this makes any sense and will drive you crazy if you let it.

[richie]

Hi YALL

Ankles and fingers got swollen –then gradual skin tightening starting at fingers then going up the arm

Richie

[SusanSD]

I had the swelling in my hands and feet, followed by skin thickening in hands, forearms, neck, face, chest, thighs, …. feet never really tightened although I did lose some “padding” in my feet. My skin is looser in chest, neck, face, forearms, and slowly in my hands (fingers being last).

[Goodwife]

For my hubby, raynauds started first, then swelling of hands – skin thickening/hardening noticed on forearms, but that's gone.  Swelling in hands still mild some days moderate.  Skin seems a little thicker on hands still, but not sure if that is just appearing that way because of swelling.  Still also dealing with raynauds and the mild swelling.

 

L (hubby SD) – AP 14 months

[Cubby]

For me it was est. March 2004 when my hands started swelling and then getting hard.

[Lynne G.SD]

Looking back I can see that it may have started as far back as 1978 when my hair started falling out.By 1989 I had rotator cuff problems in both shoulders( like carpel tunnel but in the shoulders) and could barely move them.It took over 2 years od therapy and glucosamine to be able to use them properly and the pain often came back.By the summer of 1998 I was feeling stiffish when twisting from side to sidesimilar to how one feels after a heavy  workout.By the fall my hands were burning and swelling.By late fall I was having heart attack synptoms but all tests were normal.A year later a very observent exchange doctor from Korea figured it out when I was in emergency for an other non heart attack episode.Got confirmation a few months later… Lynne G./SD

[Author]

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