Raynaud Syndrome

[Yithian]

I only just became aware of this medical condition (and the fact that some members here have/have experience of it).

@Skrymr @Lobeydosser

Raynaud syndrome, also known as Raynaud's phenomenon, is a medical condition in which the spasm of small arteries causes episodes of reduced blood flow to end arterioles. Typically, the fingers, and less commonly, the toes, are involved. Rarely, the nose, ears, nipples, or lips are affected. The episodes classically result in the affected part turning white and then blue. Often, numbness or pain occurs. As blood flow returns, the area turns red and burns. The episodes typically last minutes but can last several hours. The condition is named after the physician Auguste Gabriel Maurice Raynaud, who first described it in his doctoral thesis in 1862.

Continued:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raynaud_syndrome

This magnificent example just popped up on Reddit:

 

[Frideswide]

That's a corking example!

 

[charliebrown]

My sister suffers from this condition and with her blue fingers she always complains about being cold.

She is being treated with a calcium channel blocker, maybe called amlodipine.

 

[oxo66]

I used to suffer from Raynaud's syndrome, with the top third of two or three fingers losing colour and then going numb in response to cold weather. Then after fifteen minutes or so the blood would come back all tingly pins and needles. It didn't need my hands to get cold to trigger it, in fact I think my best coping strategy was wearing a scarf. Don't think I've had an attack in ten years or more.

 

[Tempest63]

We have to monitor guys on site using vibrating tools as over use can lead to vibration white finger or Raynaud’s syndrome. Guys exposed to vibration have to have occupational health checks regularly to determine if they are developing the condition.

A friend has a son with Down’s syndrome who suffers badly with this during winter. Hands, feet are very painful for the boy when he gets cold.

 

[Timble2]

I developed this about eight years ago with the first two joints of the fingers on my left hand going white when they got cold, and annoyingly when I handled anything frozen from the freezer. It stopped happening about three years ago, so no clue as to what started it and why it resolved.

 

[Lobeydosser]

As I probably mentioned elswhere I once had my hand looking like it was covered in purple ink from this, quite alarming when it happened.

 

[Tempest63]

I developed this about eight years ago with the first two joints of the fingers on my left hand going white when they got cold, and annoyingly when I handled anything frozen from the freezer. It stopped happening about three years ago, so no clue as to what started it and why it resolved.

Very recently I find the ends of my fingers become extremely painful very quickly when sorting through the chest freezer. The pain passes and becomes pins and needles which, over time, fade away.
I don’t get any change in colour at all, but I have put this down to age related circulation problems.

 

[Tunn11]

Mrs T gets it as well. Nothing much seems to help except dunking her hands in warm water.

 

[catseye]

I have this in both hands, not feet luckily. The other day it was particularly bad, for some reason using the steering wheel in my car really brings it on, and I had completely white fingers on one hand for over an hour. In the end I had to hold a cup of hot water to get the blood flowing again.

In my case, inherited from my mother.

 

[flannel]

Seems to be common among Fortean's!

Me and my sister have it but my four other siblings and parents don't. My circulation is poor anyway - I get dead hands if I they're above my heart, even when lying on my back, and I gave up giving blood because it was too hard filling the bag.

 

[JahaRa]

my daughter had this problem with her fingers, it doesn't go up past the first knuckles. Thanks for posting this @Yithian

 

[cycleboy2]

I've never suffered from Raynaud's, which looks very unpleasant, but after my first really big bike ride I pretty much lost sensation at the end of my little fingers and ring fingers ; it took months to come back fully though fortunately was never painful.

I can't imagine how uncomfortable Raynaud's is when the blood comes back.

 

[charliebrown]

Raynaud usually comes with other problems like lupus or Sjogren.

Besides Raynaud, my sister also suffers from the dryness of Sjogren which made her lose her teeth as the gums dried out.

 

[JaneD]

Been there, got the t-shirt. Fingers and toes. Have invested in large numbers of gloves and rinky-dink hand warmers plus a whole range of angora/cashmere/thermal socks. The trick is not to let them get too cold as the recovery is so painful. I wondered if being tall or having long arms or legs would make you more prone to it, due to it being more effort to keep the extremities well supplied?

 

[JaneD]

Raynaud usually comes with other problems like lupus or Sjogren.

Besides Raynaud, my sister also suffers from the dryness of Sjogren which made her lose her teeth as the gums dried out.

Oh my goodness that sounds awful, poor woman

 

[Tempest63]

Raynaud usually comes with other problems like lupus or Sjogren.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease as is Crohn’s disease. They can both be treated with the same drugs. At the moment I (think) I am on the recovery end of 6/7 years of the worst Crohn’s flare up since I was diagnosed 50 years ago, and am now wondering if my problems of painful fingers when delving in the freezer are down to the autoimmune condition rather than poor circulation.

 

[charliebrown]

I have to give my sister credit as with other people with auto immune diseases, they never give up.

My sister always get looks from other people as she usually wears a jacket.

 

[Tempest63]

I have to give my sister credit as with other people with auto immune diseases, they never give up.

My sister always get looks from other people as she usually wears a jacket.

I tend to feel the cold so much more than my nearest and dearest. And I wear a shed load more layers when going out in the winter than the wife does, especially first thing when walking the dogs.

Compare that to the 34 year old who returned home after three Russian winters in the late 90’s who went to work on a construction site in a sweat shirt throughout winter. I only wore a coat if it rained.

 

[hunck]

Just noting this person has freakishly long fingers, ideal for a keyboard or guitar player.