At the some time the skin on the backs of my hands and my forearms tightened. I could no longer do this. My forearm skin was tight and felt like I had a case of poison ivy on top of a sunburn. The itching and burning sensation was caused by the collagen building up in the tissues and exerting pressure on the nerve endings. In time, the skin tightened on my upper arms, face, legs, chest, and torso as well, all of it itching and burning to some degree and always accompanied by the tightness and pulling, limiting motion when I tried to raise my arms or legs or even to raise my head to look at the sky.
Gastric problems are also a hallmark of scleroderma.
I developed acid reflux that required constant antacid medication. Those with serious problems sometimes loose the ability to eat solid foods. Sometimes they end up on feeding tubes. You might think this would be enough. But not so.