Ashington woman shares her story after struggling with Scleroderma and Raynauds

Health charity Scleroderma & Raynaud's UK (SRUK) is calling on the public to #BePartOfTheAnswer as it launches a first of its kind ‘citizen science’ study on Raynaud’s and related auto-immune conditions.

The charity is asking people to take a 60 second online test to find out if they might be one of the 10 million people in the UK affected by Raynaud’s - with symptoms often triggered by the changing of the seasons and start of the cold weather.

Amanda Sheldon, a sufferer from Ashington, believes we need to increase awareness on the severity of the conditions: “Between 2009 and 2015 I suffered in silence as doctors in my area were being dismissive, the condition is misrepresented and under-represented.

“It wasn’t until symptoms were getting worse and it was affecting my job and I couldn’t walk because my joints were seizing up that I actually realised how serious it is.”

Amanda credits the Freeman Hospital for finally getting her diagnosis: "I was lucky that I moved back to the North East and my GP took me seriously straight away and referred me to the hospital - we are so lucky to have a hospital with such excellent staff close by.

“Over the past few years its taken lots of trials and attempts at different medications, I now take 38 tablets a day and have had lots of therapy.

“The more people that take the test means more people who need it will go to the GP, which shows the health service that we need funding and to raise awareness on these conditions.”

Those who the test indicates may have Raynaud’s will be invited to complete a short and anonymous medical survey as well as download SRUK’s symptom tracker app launching early next year, the data will then support scientific research into the condition.

Dr Punam Krishan, NHS GP, BBC Morning Live resident doctor and author, said: “With your help, we can take steps forward for patients living with Raynaud’s, scleroderma, and other related conditions by sparing just one minute to take SRUK’s online test.”

To take the test please visit: http://www.sruk.co.uk/testme.