I have Raynauds Syndrome

[THE HAT]

see this is why i just love the dis, you can always find answers to any problem or questions you might have and if someone doesn't have any answer to the issue (like myself) then you will get sent pd.
prayers, good thoughts, and pd sent your way. keep us posted on how your appt goes. and i would ask the dr. why you were sent to him for this. knowledge is power!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

OMG, I suffer terrible from this both feet and fingers but I have never thought about going to an MD. I generally have my index finger that loses complete color (my sons say GROSS, MOM) and my hand is freezing and then my TOES....it comes and goes and almost always in the winter only. Something I just DEAL with. I recently had blood work done and my thyroid was perfect. MD actually said, no need to have it done again for 5 years...hhmmm....so IF my thyroid is fine, why exactly is this happening....hhmmm....some people say that it is generally smokers...but I have never smoked in my life....sooo!!! I guess I will just deal with that along with the recent horrible pains I am getting in my left wrist which I am thinking is now carpal tunnels syndrome!! Oh I am just a complete MESS!!!

I don't have throid problems, & have never smoked either. As I mentioned earlier, my doctor said it's hereditary.

I was diagnosed with Reynaud's about 30 years ago. I never went to a neurologist for it. I was diagnosed at age 19, around the same time I was diagnosed with arthritis. Unlike the arthritis, I've never had huge problems with the Reynaud's. Since I've lived in the south for the past 25 years, I usually don't even notice it.

I also have arthritis, which was diagnosed when I was 27. I never thought about one disease being related to the other though. Neither of my nieces have arthritis. I suppose they could get it later, but really hope they don't.

 

[Pooh67_68]

 

[Christine]

momrek06--

Raynaud's is not associated with thyroid trouble. It is an autoimmune disorder. Some (most) thyroid issues are autoimmune related, also. So, if you have one autoimmune disorder going on, you are likely to have another.

Also, if you are hypothyroid, you would have poor circulation. This can *mimic* Raynaud's but not actually BE Raynaud's.

My friend has Raynaud's (no thyroid troubles either). Her hands get a freaky white when she gets cold. She wears a lot of mittens/gloves whenever she is outside.

 

[slo]

see this is why i just love the dis, you can always find answers to any problem or questions you might have and if someone doesn't have any answer to the issue (like myself) then you will get sent pd.
prayers, good thoughts, and pd sent your way. keep us posted on how your appt goes. and i would ask the dr. why you were sent to him for this. knowledge is power!

This is so true!!!!

Thank you to everyone that has posted here. Its good to see that other people have this and I'm not alone.

 

[momx2]

My DD had it when she was 18 months old. It has since gone away. Her hands were always unusally cold, freezing, even when it wasn't cold outside. Her hands, tips of her fingers would turn blue. Scared the crap out of us the first time, including our pediatrian. He said he had never heard of a small child having it. We finally figured out that the condition was being made worse because of medications. She has horrible allergies. She was on a super strong allergy medication with decongestions in it, plus we were giving her sudaphed sometimes (because she had an undiagnoised allergy to milk). It was restricting her capalleries and either causing or making the condition worse. Never saw a neurologist though. My peditrician aid as long as we controlled it she was likely to outgrow it. He said he himself had had a couple of episodes with it in his life.

Fast forward 4 years, no more milk allergies and her hands aren't cold anymore and haven't turned blue for years! We kept them as warm as we could and quit over medicating her. It never spread to her feet. Good luck

 

[momrek06]

Thanks as well, as I now realized my MOM has suffered with this as well BUT the best thing about MOM is she lives all WINTER in FLORIDA (warm) and all SUMMER in MAINE (warm)(and has for many years)...hence she does not even mention it anymore and I do remember being a little girl and thinking how awful, when she would show all us kids her one finger that was completely white (like that single finger had DIED on her hand) gross I know....BUT THAT IS ME!!!!!

UGH!!!! So I am guessing it def is hereditary.....I NEED TO GO SOMEWHERE WARMMMMMMM......OOO I KNOW DISNEY.

 

[Lanshark]

My daughters rheumatologist suggested bio-feedback to help control it.

 

[hucifer]

In the winter I often wondered why the tip of my ring finger would turn white and lose its feeling. Then my sister told me she had Raynaud's and described her symptoms...until then I never new it had a name.

Speaking of Bratus, she should post here. Her symptoms are worse than mine.

 

[KelNottAt]

I've got Raynauds. It's been around so long I can't remember when I was diagnosed. 25 years ago/high school time frame?

When mine appears it's in my fingers, toes, heels, and balls of my feet. Lasts a long time. Sometimes it comes on in the afternoon and the last little bit is still lingering when I go to bed. Something as normal as holding a soda can will trigger it.

My kids always gross-out when they see it..."Mom, your hands are yellow! And FLAT!" I just shrug it off, "oh, well. that's just one of my little quirks." (One time it came in handy and DH was able to remove a deep splinter from my foot...and I didn't feel a thing!)

I never sought treatment for it. I always thought it was just a nuisance condition...like baldness or dry skin. I also thought it was just a harmless side effect of low blood pressure (85/55). But that's probably just an old wives tale. I also have a little osteoarthritis.

Good luck. Keep us posted. I'd be interested to hear if the doc orders any treatment.

 

[jenwolgey]

I've had Raynaud's for several years...it got worse and worse in the last year. My family doc precribed nifedipine, a calcium channel blocker, which has helped a lot. Winter in PA is hard, though. I'd love to move to FL! I've been seeing a rheumatologist for it, and was just diagnosed with scleroderma. I will be seeing a specialist at Hopkins sometime soon, and am scheduled for some more tests next week. I've had arterial scans on my hands, arms, and neck, an ECHO, loads of bloodwork, and next week will have an upper GI and pulmonary function tests. UGH. Lots of time in waiting rooms. I'm doing well on medication, and most of the testing is to establish baselines to judge any progression of the scleroderma in the future. Lots of pixie dust to you, Raynaud's can be a real pain to live with! Just be careful, keep your hands and feet warm, follow your dr's advice. Most people end up just having Raynaud's all by itself, it doesn't always mean another disease is present. I've never heard of seeing a neurologist for it, though. Jen