I have read some on this and wonder if I could have it. Over a yr ago I started to have awful chest pains, felt like a heart attack. Ended up being GERD without erosion or a bad "flap" It took me over a yr to get it under control. I eat healthy so it came out of left field. Well as many of you know, I have shooting pains, burning pains, muscle twitching, extreme joint cracking, nerve pains-all labs, MRI, EMG okay. I am being treated for POSSIBLE lyme but doubt its that as I have no clue how I would have gotten it.
I have had ANA, anti smith, sed fact etc etc tests-all fine. Could I still have this? I read GERD could be a symptom?
I do not have raynauds....
Oh for yrs I have gotten a HORRIBLE pain on my left side about 1 inch of belly button, went to the ER twice due to how bad the pain gets. Nothing has ever been found
GERD is a common symptom with scleroderma, but scleroderma itself is fairly rare. There is something known as CREST syndrome which is a constellation of symptoms often seen in scleroderma. Not all of them have to be present, though, for the diagnosis to be made.
Calcinosis (calcium deposits under the skin)
Raynaud's phenomenon
Esophageal dysmotility (often leading to bad GERD)
Sclerodactyly (hardening of the skin of the fingers)
Telengectasias (raised blood vessels especially seen in the face)
If you had scleroderma, you would...well...need scleroderma..i.e. hardened skin. Has the skin anywhere on your body (most notably the face and hands) gotten tighter and "waxy"? It's tight to the point where it's very difficult to open your mouth wide or to bend/straighten your fingers completely.
There are two different types of scleroderma, internal and external. I think the internal one is called systemic. At any rate you can have scleroderma without the skin tighting etc. You would however probably have some joint pain especially in your hands. My grandmother had the internal kind of scleroderma, but it was the 1950's and docs didn't check or test for things like that. It is my understanding that there are specific tests to determine scleroderma. My grandmothers main complaint was the 'arthritis' in her hands, her disease was not discovered until her death and autopsy. I think if you are really concerned your doctor can run the specific tests to alleviate your mind.
Arent there different types of this? A friend of mine was recently dx and she does not have tight skin etc...I think its more internal system.
Would the ana, nuc, sed rate, anti smith have ruled this out?
I just want to know what the heck is wrong with me and the joint cracking, shooting burning pains and past gerd got me thinking
What do calcium deposits look like?
Yes there are different types of scleroderma. Actually, the disease is not called scleroderma when it involves more than the skin, but diffuse systemic sclerosis. When it's limited to small areas, sometimes it's called morphea, or limited systemic sclerosis. When it involves the internal organs it has a very poor prognosis.
There are some blood tests that are associated with scleroderma like anti-SCL70 and anti-HSP, but just because they're negative doesn't mean you don't have the disease. Scleroderma/systemic sclerosis is a diagnosis that is often made clinically (i.e. from using a history and physical, rather than blood tests)
Is muscle twitching, nerve pains, stabbing joint pains, tingling and numbness part of this disease? It is odd, my right side of my right hand has felt kind of numb but kinda like tight skin too when I bend it back.
I worry since my gerd came out of left field 1.5 yrs ago and it took so long to get it under control....
I am only a patient, not a Dr. but Gerd is far more common than scleroderma. The references I could find said around 25% of the population of US would have symptoms of Gerd at some point. The incidence of scleroderma, according to a very quick perusal of references seems to be about 20 new cases of all types of scleroderma per 1 million people in the US per year. My first symptom was Raynaud's and costochondritis.
Thanks for your feedback. Is extreme joint cracking, nerve pains,tingling, muscle twitching symptoms of this?
Again, it is best to ask questions of your doctor. That being said, I have been diagnosed with the CREST version and and do not have the symptomsyou mention due to that. I DO get odd tinglings and muscle twitches when my thyroid is out of whack and i need to increase my dosage of thyroid hormone. Just an observation. My personal symptoms of CREST are Raynaud's, Telangiectasias, sicca, positive ANA w/ anti centromere pattern, esophageal problems, among other things. I have noticed also that aches and pains tend to be symmetrical. I hope this helps a little and I do hope you start feeling better soon.
