Beverly

Hello, my name is Beverly Mills and I was diagnosed with Raynaud's in July of 1999. My symptoms at the time were the fingers on my right hand going totally white like I was dead. I asked the Chiropractor that I worked for if it was a normal reaction after getting an adjustment. He said no, go to your doctor. So I did. Little did I realize what I was about to face. I had other symptoms too, but didn't know they were all connected to CREST until I moved back to Midland, TX and started a new family doctor. He put the fact that I had acid reflux and Raynaud's together with CREST. He sent me to a Rheumatologist who ran a Lupus Panel and confirmed my fear.

Since then I've been taking Norvasc 5mg, Prevacid 15mg. The norvasc wasn't doing too good, so my doctor decided to try Procardia 30mg. It worked for a little while then I would get cold and my fingers would turn purple by mid-afternoon. He increased my dosage to 60mg and day. Again it seemed to help for a while then again, by mid-afternoon it would wear off. He finally prescribed 60mg in the morning and 30mg at bedtime. I finally asked him to put me back on Norvasc which I currently take twice a day.. I have also tried Nitroglycerin Cream 2% on my fingers. It works, only you can't touch anything after putting it on, so I have to wear gloves. But, if you ever tried to work at an office in gloves, you will discover it doesn't work. Therefore, I hardly use it.

My family has been very supportive, when I first realized the severity of the diseased I cried a lot. I have two children, one girl and a boy. I was thinking I could die any day and never see them grow up. My mother watched a movie on TV and called me to ask what the "S" in CREST stood for, I told her. She didn't tell me till the next day what the movie was because she didn't want me to watch it. It was a movie on Scleroderma and about a lady and HOPE. She got the Scleroderma web address and now I'm a member of the Bluebonnet Chapter of Scleroderma Foundation. I try to educated everyone I talk to about this disease, its rarity, and the fact that current there isn't a cure. I have hope, my husband is afraid and does most of my worrying for me. I read everything I can get my hands on. It helps that I work for and Internal Medicine Doctor. I have noticed one downfall lately, when I get sick, it takes me twice as long to get over my illness than it would anyone else. I may have to quit my job.

About myself, well, I'm 33, mother of two children and married for almost 13 years. I have a daughter who is fixing to turn 13 and a son who is 11. I love to swim and summer sports. Anything outside in the sun. I don't like air-conditioners any more and I can't stand winter either. I'm like a lizard on a rock, soaking up as much sun as I can to stay warm. I like art & crafts and I like to Crochet, it helps to keep my fingers from tightening up. I have some swelling and joint pain, but I'm hopeful, forever hopeful. I love to go out and have as much fun as I can and not dwell on my disease. I know that I can die, but I'm trying to live my life before that day comes.

If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. I don't have a web address (well I do, only my husband is the computer expert and I don't know what it is) so if anyone wishes to write me, email Amie and she'll mail me your note.

Update - October, 2002 -
I'm 35 now, and I went back to school. I'm studing to be a Diagnostic Sonographer. I will graduate in May 2003. I currently go to an Internal Medicine doctor for treatments and follow-ups. I just had test run on Monday to see if my multinodular goiter is functioning properly...other than that, I still take Norvasc and I now take Prilosec instead of Prevacid for my acid reflux. I still get cold during the winter, I keep trying to find ways of keeping my hands warm so that the Raynaud's part of the disease stays away. My spirits are still up and my hopes are still with everyone that some day we will have a cure.

Beverly - BeverlyMills35@hotmail.com