Hello my name is Gowthami, I am a scleroderma warrior, my journey started in 2017 with rashes which in 6 months were diagnosed as MCTD (multiple connective tissue disorder). It was 2018 by the time I started my medication, just after couple of months I started experiencing lot of pain in my knee, simple actions like walking, sitting, standing, steps became a task for me

I had to get admitted in the hospital and was asked to start on IVIG treatment, but my body had stiffened, hands and legs both had become stiff. Skin started to have pigmentation. My condition was deuterating very quickly. I then started a long series of physiotherapy, it starting helping me to a certain extent.

In 2019 I had to get a knee operation done, I was not good but not bad either. I had started to accept my condition. I had also started getting lot of calcium deposits. They are unbelievably painful, I had multiple operations for them.

Then in 2020 October a small rash started appearing on my pinky toe, it became very painful, doctors saw gangrene, they spoke about amputation I was aghast I begged them not to do so but they explain that the infection would keep on spreading if the needful was not done.

In 2021 I suffered from a brain stroke; my hand is paralyzed for which I am going through physiotherapy.

My learnings from my journey are, consult your doctor often, take advice from only them they may sometimes face a roadblock as this disease is very unpredictable but still, they are the best guides.

My life still has not stopped I am a fighter I love to sing and write poems; I will fight no matter what the situation is because scleroderma does not define me.