Raynaud's Syndome (ray-NOSE), according to Mayo Clinic usually affects extremities like your fingers and toes but can also affect your nose and your ears as well. The syndrome causes certain parts of your body to become numb and tingle. Different people get it to different degrees so not all people will be affected as the lucky few who really become debilitated due to it. Mayo Clinic says it is more common in women than it is in men.
Raynaud's Syndrome causes the small blood vessels that supply blood to the skin to narrow in cold temperatures and can even happen in periods of extreme stress (vasospasm). That is what causes the tingling and pain in certain parts of your body. Visually you can see a change in your skin coloration. The skin often turns white in splotchy patches where the blood vessels narrow and the blood supply is limited.
Mayo Clinic said the syndrome was not debilitating but let me tell you as someone who has had an attack from the syndrome it was completely and totally debilitating to me. When it hit, I fell on the floor and the pain in my hands was so severe that all I could do was cry and rock back-and-forth. It felt as if someone was sticking a 1000 needles into my hands. I put my hands between my legs not knowing what else to do and it took a good 10 minutes are more before the pain subsided.
I have since spoken to a doctor I know that is unbelievably knowledgeable with the body. He the next time it hit that if my hands were affected to put a heating pad just below the center of my shoulder blades and that would warm up the nerve gangali that went to the hands a lot quicker. He told me if it were my feet and toes that were affected the heating pad needed to go low on the back again where the nerve gangali for the feet lay.
I haven't had to try the heating pad theory out yet because since that 1st and only attack that I had I now make sure any time I go out into severe cold that my hands and my feet are protected from the cold with insulated gloves and boots or the like.
This is a real phenomena and can happen to anyone if you are not careful in the cold covering your hands and feet. Please take this seriously and if you aren't certain the information is correct feel free to research it yourself. Or if you have questions as always I will do my best to answer them. Please take care as Winter seems to have descended upon us early and I wanted you to be warned about one of the possible problems you might have with the Raynaud's Syndrome. Knowledge is power.
Fancy59.
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thanks Fancy for sharing so much information and sorry it gave you so much trouble. I have it in some fingers but didn't know why or what to do about it. Usually run my hands under warm water but i like the idea of a heating pad on my back. thank you very much.
Hands are my main issue as well and I go the same route with water. I'm not one to every have bare feet aside from walking to and from and while taking a shower. Not even socked feet; I always am shod with some sort of shoe or slipper so the impact on my feet is less.
Sandydemop, I'm glad I was able to give you some insight to what was going on with your hands. Jes uses hot water on her hands. Try both and use whatever works the best for you. Fancy 59.
Thank you for the excellent information. I have been diagnosed with this, with my hands being the main point of issue followed by me feet. I was not at all aware of Reynaud affecting one's nose and ears, but the logic follows and I have experienced it a bit in those extremities. I am finding myself wearing more knit hats to cover my ears in colder weather which helps.
TheBillLarson it's Fancy59. When you were diagnosed how did they tell you to treat the syndrome. I was curious if there were actual medical treatments available that I was unaware of. Please share any additional information you might have on the syndrome. Knowledge is power.
Not really. I am on a blood pressure med which I recall they said should help, but otherwise the "treatment" was to do something to warm my hands up, but to make sure it wasn't too hot to burn and cause more damage. I typically will go with the warm to moderately hot water as it is the quickest and easiest. If I am sitting at the desk and will be for a while I will often put more layers of clothing on, like a fleece "flannel" or a sweatshirt to minimize skin exposure. We keep the house around 70 degrees but even that sometimes isn't warm enough for me.
I will also make a cup of coffee or tea and hold the cup in my hands to warm them up. Double impact as the warm beverage warms me from the inside out too! 😎
Brindìsi1, I had never understood that Raynaud syndrome could affect people in the heat as well. Now I'm curious and I'll have to research the topic more to see what I can find on this syndrome in the heat. Thanks for enlightening me.There is much we can learn from each other. Fancy 59.
I have dealt with raynauds for years. I've moved on to stage 2 where my little finger on one hand turns purple instead of white. Beyond that, in the winter (indoors), the finger may swell. During a flare, I can develop a small skin ulcer on that finger. I use many ointments and mosturizers. As for a heating pad, with MS, I can't tolerate heat on any part of my spine. 😕
jazzy12, you taught me more about Raynauld's Syndrome today. I didn't know there were different stages in the syndrome or that fingers could go to purple. God-bless you. I hope it's not too painful. It's a shame you can't use the heating pad because by heating up the base or stem of the Nerve Gangali that run to your fingers or toes. It helps me the nerves warm up quicker thus letting the bloossd vessels open back up to bring circulation levels back to normal.and take the pain away faster. Fancy59.
TY so much! I was told to wear gloves inside the house which doesn't help a lot. I will definitlel y try the heating pad tonight as it is cold here in Tx.
bettlebug, It's cold here too in central Kentucky. I've never had to wear clothes in the house so my hands aren't that sensitive but if I go outside that's a different story. Let me know if the heating pad provides you any relief. Fancy59.
thank you for the detail info. Raynaud can be really painful. Not sure if it's hereditary by my mom at it and my two sisters and I as well.
We ended up offering each others "hand warming" devices. They now have battery operated hand mitten or gloves that can help prevent the issue in the first place if you know you're susceptible.
Not sure why, but for me it disappeared 10+ years ago. Maybe menopause?
Hello Fancy59, I also have Raynauds. As you have mentionded it it no joking matter. I wear gloves or use handwarmers all year round. Anything cold that I may drink I have to wrap it with alot of paper napkins when I am out. Or try to remember to put one on those sleeves in my pocketbook. I get the looks but what can you do its either cover your hands or cry in pain. Even when I'm in the office with the air conditioning on. It is crazy and I'm sure I look crazy.
If my toes get to cold I can't even walk. Total pain. I no longer attend outdoor sports in the cold weather. Thank goodness the boys are all grown up and I don't have to feel better about not attending football games. I wish you good luck with the winter months and I wanted to let you know I know that i totally understand what you are going through.
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