Despite working as a school administrator Steph Chadwick is not the biggest fan of playtimes!

This affable 36-year-old, who hails from Nottingham, looks back on her own schooling with mixed emotions given that she has suffered from Raynaud’s and scleroderma for the past 30 years.

Raynaud’s, a condition that affects an estimated 20% of the UK population including nine million women, may lead to extremely painful cold hands and feet. In a small number of people this can be associated with scleroderma, a disease which affects the connective tissue, immune system and can damage the internal organs and their blood supply.

“One of my biggest memories was that I used to hate lunchtimes and playtimes at school” explained mother of one Steph “because we were always sent outside regardless of what the weather was like. Whether it was sunny, snowy, windy or raining I just recall my hands and fingers being permanently numb.

“I was prescribed electric gloves whilst at school and that led to me getting the nickname Short Circuit after the film of the time and during exams I had to have a heater placed next to my desk to keep me warm!

“I think I was about six years old when I first realised something was wrong and I remember the GP giving me some tablets to help improve my circulation. At the age of 11 I was referred to the Queens Hospital in Nottingham and it was then that I was identified as having Raynaud’s.

“Little was known about it although my parents had an awareness as they used to go swimming with someone who had it.

“Raynaud’s was considered by many to be a psychological issue rather than physical but as time went on it was clear to me that this conclusion couldn’t be further from the truth,” she added.

By the age of 15 Steph’s scleroderma was beginning to manifest itself in the form of acid reflux and she was suffering from ulcerations and infections on her fingers by the time she had reached her twenties.

“I lived and worked at a holiday park in Devon during my early 20s for five years and it was whilst there that I underwent a new treatment called iloprost which involved five days in hospital.

“I didn’t notice a great deal of improvement and just seemed to get a lot of headaches. The Raynaud’s and scleroderma have stayed relatively manageable with constant monitoring and regular treatment ever since.

“It’s day to day life that constantly throws up challenges though. I tend to drive everywhere with the luxury of a heated car seat and the last two winters have been particularly hard to bear given the plummeting temperatures.

“When my daughter and husband are outside making snowmen I have to stay inside and watch. That’s not fun!

“That said summers can be often be more difficult as you really don’t fit in when going out wrapped up and everyone else is dressed for the sun!

“I have a regular routine of treatments including iloprost once a year, a visit to a skin clinic once a month and I take drugs for my acid reflux. My lungs took a dip last November and it was suggested I lose a bit of weight ,which seems to have worked.

“I found out about the Raynaud’s & Scleroderma Association (RSA) in the mid 80s and they’ve proved very helpful in providing advice and tips on how to mitigate the effects.

“They have recently launched their own page on the HealthUnlocked website and that is proving to be a very good forum for sharing experiences about these conditions,” added Steph who thinks that the medical profession are finally sitting up and taking note of these two closely related illnesses.

“Doctors are finally listening to what their patients are saying rather than just reading text books and the more dialogue that takes place the better it will be for everyone.”

Despite all of the problems and issues Steph remains eternally grateful for one thing in particular: “Scleroderma is said to affect fertility but I was closely monitored throughout pregnancy and the result is our seven-year-old daughter.

“We look on her as our miracle child!” concluded Steph.