Raynauds

I have this disease called Raynauds.

I had it for many years, undiagnosed. Then one day I was sitting on the exam table with my feet dangling in the cold examination room of my podiatrist. My toes turned an ugly white (like they were always prone to do) and the rest of my feet were red. The podiatrist walked in, took one look at my feet, said "Oh My" and left the room. He returned with his entire staff to see my feet! Apparently it is rare for them to see this disease in action. Patients describe the ailment and the disease is diagnosed based on the description. So he wanted everyone to see what Raynauds actually looked like in real life. He then took my feet in his hands and warmed them through the purple, tingling, stage and then continued with working on the problem that brought me to his office originally. There are some medications that relieve the symptoms, but, unfortunately, none have worked for me.

Here is the Mayoclinic's description of Raynauds:

"Raynaud's disease is a condition that causes some areas of your body — such
as your fingers, toes, tip of your nose and your ears — to feel numb and cool in
response to cold temperatures or stress. In Raynaud's disease, arteries that
supply blood to your skin narrow, limiting blood circulation to affected areas. "

Raynaud's disease is more than simply having cold hands and cold feet, and it's not the same as frostbite. Signs and symptoms of Raynaud's depend on the frequency, duration and severity of the blood vessel spasms that underlie the disorder. Signs and symptoms include:

Sequence of color changes in your skin in response to cold or stress
Numb, prickly feeling or stinging pain upon warming or relief of stress."

Simply put, if I get cold, my fingers and toes get numb and I can't feel a thing. It is such a nuisance! Why am I blogging about this now? Well the cold weather is here and I have had nonstop Raynauds. It is difficult to type (try to imagine not being able to feel the keys when you hit them because your fingers are numb). It is difficult to eat, especially in restaurants. Restaurants are a year round problem. They typically keep the temperature low and if the temperatures drop to around 60, I am doomed. It is almost impossible to hold a spoon or fork or worse cut meat when fingers are numb. I have a pair of wool gloves that stay in my purse year round. I may look wacky when I pull them out in the middle of summer, but they usually do the trick. And walking? Well it becomes a nightmare. When the toes are numb, it is like walking on a brick of ice or something. It is very difficult to describe. I don't even try to wear dress shoes in the winter. They don't provide nearly enough protection. Socks and lace up shoes usually do the trick. I stay away from the insulated boots, though. They make me TOO hot.

This is a picture I got from the Mayoclinic to give you an idea of what the disease looks like - no, it is not my hands but it could be.