A DIFFICULT DISEASE

I found the article on scleroderma (YOU, 24 March) interesting as my ex-boss had it too. He was a shadow of himself when he passed away a few months before the coronavirus hit.

His lovely wife, Mitzi, who’s also one of my best friends, had to cook him special meals and make sure he ate at certain times as his digestive system was also compromised.

I remember visiting him in hospital and he told me sadly that so few people in the world have this terrible autoimmune disease that there’s no research into it, whereas cancer is rife so funds are available to find cures.

His wife eventually had to hire a caregiver and have a hospital bed put in their home for him. I think he was just 70 when he died. ARLENE CHAPERON, EMAIL

I’m also a sufferer of scleroderma. I waited eight years for the right diagnosis. Ilze Groenewald has an advanced stage and I’m terribly sorry for her. She should try Groote Schuur or Tygerberg Hospital in Cape Town. I’m sure specialists there could help. The right medication for me is a small dosage of methotrexate and plasmoquine and pain medication when needed. After two years of treatment, this helped the chronic fatigue but I still suffer from flare-ups and fatigue.

Scleroderma adversely affects the stomach and can cause blood clots. Both these problems have left me permanently on warfarin and trustan. Some of the medications can be expensive. I also have hearing problems so I need hearing aids, but I’m relatively healthy within these constraints. It’s possible to live a full life. Thank you for the article and my best wishes to Ilze. DELIA COONEY, EMAIL