October 1, 2005
Giving Scleroderma the Finger
Hi - sorry I've been MIA for a whole week! I'm fine, I've just been busy. That's part of what's so crazy about this condition. You can look fine and you can be busy with other things, but it's always there in the background. Right now I have a nasty finger ulcer on my right index finger. It requires peroxide, antibiotics and redressing twice a day. It's only been a month and a half and it's showing signs of healing but they hurt worse as they heal! It starts to feel more like a burn and you just want to rip the skin off. My good friend who also has this condition says "Don't rip it off!" She told me about a "nice" way to remove the dead skin by putting your hand in a bowl of water and running an egg beater in the other side of the bowl. I'm NOT that coordinated! I've also been trying to get off the NSAIDS. When I have a finger ulcer I usually have to take at least 1, sometimes 2, Aleve a day. After a few weeks of this I noticed that I am shorter of breath than normal so I think they are affecting my heart. I'm looking into Bromolain as a replacement (it's a natural substance from pineapples, anti-inflammatory). I'm also adding L-carnitine to my vitamin regimen. It's supposed to help with heart function and O2 disbursement. We'll see. By the way it is a BEAUTIFUL day!
Posted by Sclero Crusader | Filed under:
