Raynauds disease. has anyone got it?

much to say

hi i have a condition called raynauds disease where my fingers and toes become very painfull in the cold :mad: my nose goes bright red and i have to wear green make up to cover it and i cant leve the house with out raping up. im never warm and i hate going out side now because its so cold it has taken over my life and i hate it. there is no known cure and i would like to know is anyone in the same boat?

star-pants

Hi there, my mother's had Raynauds disease for a long number of years now - and it is quite sore. I think the past year or two I've got close to that myself (not diagnosed) as in the cold I lose feeling in my hands and feet (where they go white, no blood, and it takes ages for them to even begin to heat up again and hurt).

What I suggest is making sure your feet are never exposed in the cold (wandering around your house etc) keep them warm, even if it means when you're on the bus or in someones house you rub the tops of your feet with the palms of your hand to get the blood flowing again. With your hands, keep them well moisturised and gloved. I had to get leather gloves for when I'm driving - even then my hands can get cold. But mitten type gloves are good too, where you can keep your fingers together to warm each other up. I know it sounds weird but if your hands get cold/frozen put them under your armpits (through tops etc) as that will help heat them up a bit quicker.

For your nose, I'm afraid there's nothing really to do there -- I get the same, it can go red etc in the cold. Just wear a scarf n keep it over your nose when the winds strong or you can rub it with the palm of your hand in a kind of circular motion to help get the blood back.

Overall wear layers to keep you warm, make sure you've toasty socks on, gloves, scarf (to keep all the heat in). I know it's annoying but afaik there's not a whole lot to be done about it. I hate it myself as I never had such problems being cold whereas now the sniff of cold air and my feet get cold. Perhaps also see if you can get any of those pocket warmer heat packs, i've not gotten one yet, but I think you just crack them or something and they heat up, they'd be handy to heat up your hands.

mimihops

hi, just saw your message now, i have just being diagnosed with raynauds disease too after being in a lot of pain particularly over the last few months. feel free to pm me if you want to chat i know what a pain in the ass it is!

Kevster

hehe, I just noticed this too. I have Raynaud's too and it can be extremely annoying and embarrassing. Sometimes (during Winter), my hands can actually become 'spontaneously' cut and I end up looking like I've been in a fight. What I do is - every evening - moisturise my hands and then put on gloves for around 1 hour before going to bed. I then wash the gloves and use them again. I must have around 20 pairs of gloves!

benjyboo

I have Raynaud's too... it's really embarassing sometimes because people get a shock when they see the colour of my hands and they make a big deal out of it... i try to wear gloves when i can to cover it or sometimes i put some makeup on my hands in case i get an attack!!

But you know what they say...cold hands,warm heart!!:D;)

Oh and just to mention this website www.irishraynauds.com ,ye might find it useful !!

kildareash

I have similar symptoms...
I'm always cold, I joke that i'm like a dog...as my nose is always cold!
Even sitting here now, my toes are cold, but two of my colleagues are in shirt sleeves!!!!

It was alot worse when I was younger. I find it affects my little finger and index finger more than the rest.

It can be unbelievably painful tho.

flossie

Just taing a look through the boards and saw this thread.....hope it's OK to bring it up again.

I suffer from Reynaud's as well, and like you all it was awful in cold weather, i was struggling to get dressed even, drive etc. Sometimes i would be almost crying from the pain of it. I was discussing it with my GP at the time a couple of years ago, and he prescribed me blood pressure reducing pills (Nifedipine) to be taken daily during cold weather. They dilate the arteries in the body to allow increased blood flow. It seemed to work for me, i take them a week or so before a cold spell and then generally continue taking them during winter. Side effects for me included flushing, as a lot of blood was flowing, headaches (I had to have my dosage adjusted) and lightheadedness. However, it does the trick, although i do have to declare it to doctors etc. if i am having any sort of procedure and a lot of doctors are surprised when i say i am taking the drug (I'm only 28, apparently mainly prescribed to older people).

Hope this is of some help to you.....