MCTD Support Group
Mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) or Sharp's syndrome is a human autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body. MCTD combines features of polymyositis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and systemic scleroderma and is thus considered an overlap syndrome. MCTD commonly causes joint pain/swelling, Raynaud phenomenon, muscle inflammation, and scarring of...
Hello everyone. I am new to this forum, but super glad I found it. I have posted to several threads but wanted to start a hello post to tell everyone a bit about myself. I am a 40 year old female. I was diagnosed with MCTD about 4 years ago. I had symptoms for roughly 4 years before that. However, my doctor insisted it was age or the amount of kids I had that was cause the symptoms. I was 32 years old then. This all started after I was hospitalized with my twins. I have always been a very small woman. Keeping in twins was not an easy thing for my body. The doctors put me on a lot of different medicine to keep them in. Eventually, I was kept in the hospital. During my month long stay, I was pumped with several medications daily, as well as nutrition shakes to try and help me gain weight. My twins were born 10 weeks early, when one of their water bags broke. I was taken off all medication (mostly hormones) immediatly. I still feel this drastric change in medication had something to do with it. One twin came naturally, the other had to be c-sectioned out. By the time I left the hospital 3 days later, I had gained between 30 and 40 pounds, yes in 3 days! They said it was from the surgery and would go down. It didn't. I lost all energy, my hair started falling out by the handful, I had severe pain in my muscles and joints. My doctor said the weight gain was from having kids, the hair loss was hormones, and the pain was my body recouping from the bed rest and down time. It didn't get better, or change over the next 4 years. Finally, when my hands and feet began turning purple, my doctor tested me and discovered the autoimmune disease. I went through the sad, confused, the mad at the world stage, and I still fight the defeated stage regularly. Today I had another flare up. After feeling like I just can't take it anymore, I decided to find others in my situation to help me get through it. Just reading and feeling like I can contribute to others has made me feel much better today. Thank you all for being here. I look forward to getting to know everyone better, and hope I can help out a few of you along the way.
I too had many symptoms that the drs poo-pooed until my hair started falling out and I had some blood work done. By that time, I was in my early 50s but I can trace symptoms back to about 15 months of age. I did see a rheumy in my 30s for a year, but he cut me loose. He did say he thought I had a connective tissue disease that was in remission so he could not diagnose it. About 20 years later, I was back with him again!
Anyway, glad you found us and welcome!!
Mary Ann