I don't have Raynaud's, but a friend's daughter had it and suffered terribly in the winter. Her hands would actually turn blue, especially under the nails. Just want to let you know I feel for you and hope it gets warm soon.

Mine isn't as bad as yours but I totally know where your coming from. I often wear gloves around the house. Won't go near anything in the freezer and try my best not to do anything that would would require me to have to wash my hands...although I have been known to run them under hot water for a while just to warm them up.

It does seem to help if I put on an extra sweater/layer of clothing even if the rest of my body doesn't feel cold. You may want to see if that would help you. One of my friends that has it, and acutally wears a hat inside to help keep all the warmth in her body.

Mine has been especially bad this winter, and I don't know why. And, it's going into my feet which it hasn't done in years. What do the disposable foot warmers look like that you use and where do you get them? Thanks.

Also, if you have blood circulation problems in general... possibly some stretches or exercises may help your hands and feet too. Mine seems to get worse at night; does that happen with you?

Carla, interesting that you should mention keeping the rest of your body warmer. I just read that two days ago while helping a friend research the condition. I think it does help. And the way my hair looks today, I'd be perfectly happy to wear a hat.

These are the foot warmers I use. I've been getting free shipping on Amazon, but don't see them listed there today. Maybe they ran out.

The warmers are thin, and attach via adhesive to your socks. I've also used the thicker, non-adhesive kind, but they can be annoying. The adhesive kind are especially convenient when you put your feet in and out of boots to go outside during the day.

Thanks for your good wishes, Patti.

Thanks, I've seen those foot warmer things in the stores, so I may have to pick up some to try... my feet haven't hurt much before this year. Hopefully the extra clothes and hat will help you...sometimes I just wear one of those thicker cloth headband things around my head and ears. Keep warm!

I have something similar- an auto-immune form of anemia. My MD told me not to get in cold bodies of water or live in cold climates (so much for that!). I spend much of my time sitting on my hands. I also will use a heating pad if I am sitting still for a while. I have a lamp that I point to my hand when I am using the mouse on the computer. In the car, I put the heat on the dash vents and point them at my hands on the steering wheel. I also bribe one of the cats to sit on my hands. I have never lost a nail from the cold but my hands will turn bluish and the bones will hurt like nothing I have ever felt! It is amazing how you can feel the marrow because it is cold and the hard bone is surrounding it (guess that is what I am feeling).

Our heating blanket died a few years ago and haven't found one that lasts more than a few weeks to replace it. A couple of friends gave me goose down gloves for Christmas and they are WONDERFUL! A few years ago, they gav me mittens that ave microwavable inserts that are great too.

Good luck and if you find anything new- let us know!

My hands and feet are always cold, but I have not been diagnosed with Raynaud's.

I just checked your link, Alisande. I wonder why it cautions against wearing the foot warmers if you are stationary?

Wow Susan, I am sorry you are so affected by this.

My fingers especially my pinky and ring finger on my right hand and my pinky and index finger on my left hand seem most affected by the cold. Those fingers turn white, then blue, then almost black looking when they are exposed to cold. My friend Kathy says my hands look like they belong on a deceased person. LOL Even in the summer when grocery shopping.

I sit on my hands a lot to keep them warm or have them tucked under my arms especially when just sitting around watching tv. I keep my house cool 63-64 degrees in the winter which doesn't help much. I sometimes where mittens to bed and now that I have my big duvet on the bed my feet don't get so numb. I usually wear a thin anklet on my right foot which is affected the most.

Taking the dog for a walk even in the fall is not pleasant when my fingers turn white, then blue then almost black. Even gloves inside of mittens don't help. When I get into the house I run my hands under warm water, dry them, then move my arms around like a windmill until they turn pink again.

I don't want to take any medications for this so I suffer. I can't remember what the name of the prescription was that my Doctor wanted to give me.

I sometimes even wear a thin knitted/crocheted toque to bed some nights or just around the house to keep my heat in my body. I am always putting my hands under warm water.

My Raynaud's is a double edged sword. My hands may get really cold, achey and painful but if I am too warm I can overheat and pass out very easily. I can't stand to be hot which is why my furnace is on so low. I also have a medical condition where my body doesn't cool itself through perspiration so in the summer I suffer because I can't cool down but if I go into a room where it is freezing cold my hands hurt. LOL I think not being able to cool my body down is far worse.

I would still rather be too cool than too warm and hope my Raynaud's doesn't get any worse than what it already is.

Anne

Me!! I am!! I was diagnosed with it 3 years ago. I went to the Arthritis specialist and they couldn't figure out why I had blisters all over my hands. I turn Red, White, and Blue in my fingers and toes. Very Patriotic. I was in so much pain 2 years ago that I couldn't catch a ball at rugby practice with the kids I coach. I have Bed Buddy hand and foot warmers. It's moist heat and you microwave it for 2 minutes, and it lasts about 30 min-1 hour. I'll see if I can find the link to mail you.

My sister also has Raynaud's but it's not hereditary. Go figure.

(((big ole hugs))) to all of you that have this disease...I sure wish the medical industry could find something to help ya'll!!

Here's the link to the Bed Buddy hand and foot warmers. I coudn't find a good site with both, but here's a listing on Amazon. My DH always says I look the the cookie monster when I wear them around the house!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Bed Buddy hand and foot warmers

I meant to add that I have a couple of microwavable warming pads that I bought at Walmart for $15 apiece. They are wonderful! I use one without fail every night to warm my feet. They hold heat under the covers for hours.

I don't want to take meds either. So far no one has offered me any because the standard treatment lowers BP, and mine is already low.

To anyone experiencing the condition in their feet, I can't recommend the disposable foot warmers (linked above) highly enough.

Anne,

Do you mind my asking what your condition is with the heat/ no sweating? I have some autonomic problems and notice that I don't really sweat even in the heat. It's like my temp thermostat doesn't know how to adjust. I am actually getting better in that regard to the heat though... not so hot... so I am suffering more with the hands now. But, I too agree that it is easier to have really cold hands than to not being able to cool down when hot. I also have low blood pressure which often makes heat unbearbale. Do you take any medicine for your problem? I wonder if it's similar to mine.

I'm so sorry for those of you who have Raynaud's. I didn't realize the effects were so serious. I hope there's some comfort to be found for all of you. I'm sending big warm hugs to try to help.

Linda

A co-worker has Raynaud's and suffers terribly in the cold. She says it mainly affects her hands, and she has to use the disposable hand-warmers constantly. I'm going to mention to her about keeping the rest of her body warm...sometimes she dresses "lightly" in the cold months because she says she can't stand to be hot. Maybe she needs to rethink her strategy.

I've had raynaud's for since I was 14. When I'd wait for the bus in the morning, my hands would turn white. Luckily, my mom was a nurse and knew enough to take me to the doctor. It was also right around that time I was dignosed with lupus. In the past three years, I'd learned a lot more about it because it affected breastfeeding my children. In addition to having it in my hands and feet, I also have it in my breasts when I have milk. It makes sense to me because my raynaud's comes out when it's a "moist cold". Dry cold doesn't really trigger the worst. Rainy days are the worst for me - fall and spring. Although, that's not to say summer and winter doesn't affect me either.

Tricks that I've learned...
- cotton socks instead of nylons or knee/trouser socks
- keep my whole body warm; wear layers - tshirt, sweater. I've also worn cuddleduds found at Target - very thin undershirt.
- hand/foot warmers. We get boxes at Costco. And my most recent new trick which I am SOOO proud of is to put them in my bra. I found that putting them there warms my body's core, and in turn my hands and feet aren't so cold. I was AMAZED at what a difference this made. Of course, you have to be careful not to burn the most "sensitive" parts when you do that :) But, it was an instant smile when I found how warm it made me.
- I keep a space heater under my desk at work year round so that if the building's climate is a problem, I can make my own space warm. Our company has a policy against space heaters, and if it ever becomes a problem, I'll simply get a physician's note.
- Nifedipine is one medicine that can help. It's a blood thinner so it can get through your shrinking capillaries easier. Vitamin B12(?) is also supposed to help. I've found that neither really helped much, but I think that's just me.

Good luck everyone!
Audrey

Thanks for all the tips. I keep meaning to get hand warmers but I always forget to get them. LOL

I listed the order wrong of the colour my fingers get when cold. White comes last, when there is no blood to circulate. Most painful too because you know when you warm them and the blood starts to flow it is gonna hurt. LOL Kinda strange to see your fingers white and devoid of blood.

Carla, my non sweating problem is glandular - diagnosed when I was a child. I didn't have to participate in some school gym activities because I would pass out from being overheated and exercising. I remember a time I went with some friends to Michigan to do some cross crountry skiing. Of course I overdressed and had on too many layers and I overheated, started to hallucinate and passed out cold. My friends knew exactly what it was and stopped a passing skier and asked for his bottle of water. Stupid me didn't bring water with me. They had most of my clothes off by the time I came too and I was covered in snow to bring my body temp down. Not fun and kind of embarrasing to say the least.

I have been taking non potassium depleting diuretics since I was 15 or 16 years old. One complication to taking them for so long is kidney malfunction in the future that may lead to dialysis. At one time the doctor was giving me 2 hydrodiural a day and my potassium was so low I couldn't even walk and ended up in the hospital.

Damned if I do (overheat), damned if I don't (Raynauds) LOL Could be worse.

Worse is being severely allergic to the cold or having Raynaud's that causes Lupus. My friend Donna has a set of twins allergic to the cold and a son with Raynauds (not too often found in men) who is predisposed to Lupus because of it.

Keep warm ladies but not too warm as in my case.

Anne

Anne, my understanding (which I'm the first to admit could be wrong) is that Raynaud's comes in two forms, primary and secondary. Primary Raynaud's stands on its own; the patient has it, and that's it. Secondary Raynaud's is attached to another illness, such as lupus or scleroderma. If someone has Raynaud's it could indicate that they have autoimmune issues and therefore might be likely to develop lupus or another autoimmune disease in the future. But I don't think there's a type of Raynaud's that predisposes someone to lupus. At least that's what I've gotten from my reading.

Audrey, that is a fantastic tip! I've been having PVCs all day (related to digestion), so I was reluctant to heat up my chest. But I opened one of the larger (5") body warmers I keep around for emergencies, and tucked it into the waistband of my pants. I feel warm all over, to the point where I turned the heat down. And still my hands feel better than they usually do.

Now all I need to do is invest in disposable-warmer stock. :-)

Thanks!

I feel so sorry for you all who are suffering. I get cold easily and my hands and feet especially, but certainly not to the degree that you all do.

One little tip I learned a few years ago when I had to stand outside in bitter cold temps for days on end (we were building a fence) - I got some of those disposable heat packs for sore backs and stuck them to a tight undershirt over my kidneys, they have a sticky side and aren't meant to be stuck to your skin, that's a no-no. Those things will warm you thru and thru. Kind of like what Indy Anna does with her handwarmers in her bra. lol I swear by them, they last all day long and I was nice and toasty even in 10º weather with a wind blowing.

Stay warm and pink, ladies. I feel your pain.

Interesting thread ladies. Lots of info on something I apprently have had for years. I remember sitting on an examing table waiting for the Dr to come in...he took one look at my feet and told me that I must always wear socks in the cold weather. They had turned red, blue and white. I'd never noticed it before but have always had cold feet. Infact they are cold as I type this and it's about 62 outside and I'm in an unheated, cement floored warehouse building. I keep a polar fleece blanket on my chair to snuggle in (keep my arse warm.)lol
When we lived in NH we rode snowmobiles and I always wore battery heated socks with pantyhose and snowmobile boots. They helped alot.
Stay warm.

Bearcat- do auto immune diseases run in your family? That may be an indirect link. Janie

No auto immume dignoses in my family, but that doesn't mean they aren't there. My sis and I have identical symptoms--and Raynaud's was a diagnosis for both of us that came after all the tests for rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, etc. The blisters are the worst part of the disease, and we both always have cold hands and feet, even in the summer. I have high BP and take medications for that, but they don't help the Raynaud's because I'm pregnant and can't take those particular BP meds.

I have it also. It is awful!!!!! 2 years ago I had soooo many episodes that I was forbidden by DH to do laundry, dishes etc. He did it all, my finger tips were split open so bad that I wore the finger rubbers (like post office wears) for padding because it hurt so bad to even touch anything. Couldn't grocery shop with out mittens (to hide my white dead looking fingers) So painful at times I would just cry while holding my fingers under hot water! Desperation to find something, anything, to relieve me, A year ago, I decided to try Q-Ray bracelet. Within 5 days, I saw a huge improvement! I can dig in the soil in the spring, summer and fall, I can go for walks, I can do so many things now that I couldn't do before. Yes I will still have a couple episodes from time to time, but not 10 or more a day. I no longer use hand/feet warmers unless I'm going to be in extreme cold conditions. I DO NOT SELL Q-RAY or anything of the like, you asked and I'm telling you it works for me.

For 2 years now, I have not had no open sores and only a bad episode a few times a week. Mainly when I cut raw meat and work with cold water.

alisadi... I was told pretty much what you stated!
also was told by my doctors, that it is hereditary

sorry this got so long...still didn't even touch many frustrating issues!

I'm so sorry, it sounds horrible. Have you thought about moving?

Another thing I used to do is put a moist dishtowel or washcloth in the microwave for 20 seconds or so. It would get warm, and I'd wrap my hands in it.

A friend of mine got me slippers that had lavendar inserts. You'd put the inserts in the microwave, and they'd stay warm for an hour and smell good too!

But since I started stuffing my bra with hand warmers, I've been pretty happy :)8

Audrey, who is so happy with her new smiley (get it? The 8 is my bra!)

I have it too but never developed open sores. I have fibromyalgia as well and think that might be related. I noticed my hands were blue today but mostly notice my feet in winter. I take a very hot bubble bath every night and read my current book. When I first get in the tub, my feet are white..dead corpse white, then they turn black and finally pink up. Never tried warmers of any kind but with the FM , I use a microwavable thingy for my neck all the time in the winter.