Hi all (again)

I know a few things have been said about this already in the past...about the possible link between Dupuytren & Scleroderma...I do wonder though.

My mum was diagnosed with Scleroderma a few years ago. It started with Raynaud, then the skin on her hands started to tighten and her fingers started to swell. Tests showed that some of her internal organs were affected too.
She is doing ok at the moment, but has to take loads of medicine.

Earlier this year I was diagnosed with Dupuytren's & Ledderhose. But since I have some other symptoms that are not typical of Dupuytren's (extreme tiredness, painful joints, B12 deficiency, some skin issues, morning stiffness) I went to see a rheumatologist as well. My blood was tested and turned out to be ANA positive, with antibodies that imply possible scleroderma.

Still, my rheumatologist does not think I have scleroderma (yet), as I do not show any of the typical Scleroderma symptoms (no Raynauds, nor that typical sausage-like swelling of the fingers). She has told me to wait and come back in 6 months to run some more tests. I told her about Dupuytren's but she didn't seem very interested in that. (I have to add though, that the Dup has worsened since the last time I saw her.)

But the thing is, Dupuytren's and Scleroderma are basically about the same thing, right? Sclerosis, a hardening of the connective tissue, a kind of scarring? Or am I wrong here?

Another thing I worry about: they told my mum that radiotherapy in combination with scleroderma is a definite no-no (they feared she had cancer as well at one point, which thank god turned out not to be the case).
What if I have (early) scleroderma after all and will undergo RT for my Dupuytrens??