@A myPHteam Member unless you have an autoimmune disease, it's difficult for someone to understand how it impacts you physically, mentally, and emotionally.

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Hi Marge6!! This is a good question to ask your Yale physician in a few weeks. From what I have read, Scleroderma is one of the auto-immune diseases that often preceeds PAH or PH. Sojourns is another case. There is a long list actually, I have not retained all of them to memory, yet. Please go to the top of this page to the "Resources" tab and click on it. You may find any type of information that you need in there. Please, check it out! Blessings to you, and Welcome to the club!

Hi Marge, in 2016 when I first found out I had scleroderma my Rheumatologist did tons of blood work and a urine test which he said there is a teace of blood in there so he sent me to a urologist but he did not seem concerned tiday I still have a trace of blood in it so maybe that is where it is coming from the watermelon stomache. I will have to ask my FI Dr on the 15. I usually have to get a endoscopy once a year to get throat streched. Did you have a endoscopy yet. Thsts how I found out about watermelon stomach and the other day I had to have another one and then thats when they noticed varices veins in my esophagus which is what you get when you get cirrhosis of the liver. So now they think I have portal hypertension. So on Friday I have to go for a fibro ultrasound of the liver. But if you never had a endoscopy you really should see if you could get that done . Just to be on the safe side. I hope ypur appointments go well. Take care and God bless.❤️🙏

My Rheumatologist also said my PAH is secondary to scleroderma. I also have raynauds and I found out on Fruday last week I might have portal hypertension going on in with my liver. That is most likely caused from scleroderma also. Scleroderma is very nasty it causes alot of health issues. I also have watermelon stomache caused from scleroderma. Ialways have to get my esophagus stretched because food is always getting stuck in my esophagus. I wish you well. ❤️

CREST syndrome is a milder form of scleroderma. These conditions are connective tissue disorders that are considered systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases. Other conditions include rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's, and Lupus. PAH is common with all of these conditions, but the risk is highest with scleroderma. Raynaud's is also very common with all these conditions. If you have PAH caused by scleroderma, you have associated PAH (aPAH).