Raynauds Phenomenon

I'm sorry, I don't know much about what you're describing. I'm glad it's gotten better as you've aged, and hope it won't give you too much of a problem.

PG

 

i am not familiar with this, are you seeing a doctor? i wish you all the best!

 

I have Raynauds.

Anything that you can do to increase circulation will help. Take cayenne pepper, shake your hands out a lot, etc. Avoid touching really cold things, like frozen pipes, frozen meat (ewww, anyway), or cans of frozen juice. Niacin is supposed to help, too, as it can give you a "Niacin flush" - which means all your capillaries open up, and you feel like you are having a hot flash. I'm not sure that it helps for good, though. I found as much benefit from cayenne pepper.

Oh, and I also drink coffee - a mild vaso-dilator.

 

I had symptoms of Raynaud's 11 years ago as a precursor to a much more serious auto-immune disease. Since that disease flared up and got very serious, I haven't experienced the 'white fingers' and pain upon reheating to the degree I did then, though I suffer chronically from poor circulation and sensitivity to cold, and occasional pain upon exposure to warmish water. It only needs to be about 60F consistently before I don the thermals and wear them daily in winter whether I am working inside or out.

My only suggestion would be to be mindful of the rest of your body and if you start seeing other 'weird' symptoms (like unexpected fatigue, joint pain, muscle pain, vomiting, etc.), to see a rheumatologist if you aren't already and get a work-up.

 

My mother-in-law had it as a side effect of scleroderma. Scleroderma, unfortunately, is so bad that Raynauds was the least of her problems.

Rae's advice is correct. Keep your hands warm. Wear gloves when handling anything cold. Get good mittens for outside. Try to keep your circulation going.

Tom

 

According to the mayo clinic online, Raynauds can be either primary or secondary.

Primary means you just have Raynauds. Secondary means the Raynauds was caused by something else, which may be something worse. Primary usually shows up in children (that's what I have), Secondary usually shows up or worsens in adulthood. If it seems worse, see your doctor to see if there is an underlying cause.

 

those spots on your fingertips remind me of psoriasis. are they pustules?

 

I was told once that I had Raynaulds's Syndrome. Don't know if that is same as Phenom... fingernails used to turn very blue, but not much anymore. I don the gloves/mittens when the temps start dipping below 45 outside.

 

When I was younger, if I touched anything cold, my fingers would swell and get very painful.
I learned a lot of coping techniques, as I iterated above.

Now that I'm older, and eat much better (I've convinced that proper nutrition and hydration will allow the human body to cope with just about any sort of "dis-ease"), I have much less trouble with it. Only handling ice, frozen things, and really sub-zero weather bothers my hands, and not as much.

 

My SO thinks she has it too but i think she spends too much time around sick people and "mentalizes" most of her symptoms.

she is always cold. wears a hoody at the very least all year long. has EXTREMELY pale skin and does not tan.

as far as a diagnosis, i would definitely get one from a specialist first. basic symptoms especially ones related to circulatory issues can be caused by a million things.