Explanation for sweating, cold, and white fingers

[Megan_MC]

Hi everyone, this is Megan from Mission: Cure. Linda_MC and I were just speaking to some pancreatitis pain experts at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, US, and we got an explanation for symptoms that had previously been un-recognized and unexplained by pancreatitis doctors. My brother and many others are cold all the time and sometimes get Reynaud's syndrome, which is where your fingers turn white. Other people have excessive sweating, which I just learned is technically called "hyperhidrosis." We learned that these are normal reactions to nerve damage that can be caused by pancreatitis. The pain affects your autonomic nervous system, which (among other things) helps regulate your body temperature. The damage can make your body mistakenly think it is too hot or too cold. If it thinks it is too hot...sweating. If it thinks it is too cold...white fingers!

Aside from being a relief to know why things are happening in your body, these things may be treatable! Mission: Cure is working with Johns Hopkins to identify and test treatments.

[KarenB12 Ambassador]

This is fascinating. I'm anxious to learn more.

I have 'both' issues. Not in the form of that disease, but I have a form of slow-emptying stomach and one of the side effects is that feeling of hot flash. I get it along with sweating often after I eat too much.

I also have cold & chills episodes where my fingers - although not specifically white - are ice cold. They'll even stay that way for 15-20 minutes outside on a really hot day. It's the strangest feeling. But the cold chills when it's 90 degrees outside is a strange feeling.

They've explained these symptoms come from my Gastroparesis, but not "Why".

I can't wait to learn more

[morphalot]

This was so interesting! I have chronic pancreatitis. For about a year now I have been sweating uncontrollably on and off. It has no relation to the temperature of the environment. I can be sitting in the living room quite comfortably, then all of a sudden I feel the sweat coming through pores on my scalp. Soon the sweat runs down my face, chest, abdomen, back and arms.. it is very noticeable and very embarrassing. It can last for quite some time - not just a few minutes. When the sweat stops my skin is very cold to the touch. My feet are always icy cold - of I get up in the night to go to the toilet my legs and feet are bright red, but I have white patches on my feet - usually the heel.Could this be what you're talking about, do you think? My GP has referred me to endocrinology