My DH is doing better this year as he finally realized that all the gloves and socks in the world won't help, he needs to keep his entire body warm. He used to not wear a warm enough jacket and persisted in believing it was the gloves fault alone. Finally, his doctor got him to understand what I had been telling him for years.

Mine is fairly much under control.I don't use warmers and this has been a cold winter so I don't get it. No sores on my hands but my toes always turn black when I get in a hot bubble bath and then they pink up. I wear two pair of socks when it's under 40 degrees. I just walked the AT for four miles and am sitting with my feet near a portable heater. Nice mother that I am, I passed Raynaud's on to both kids. Didn't know my son has it too.

No sores, but, I spend a whole lot of time, with white numb fingers that really hurt.

Lily, you really might want to consider the adhesive toe warmers I wear. They make a world of difference for me.

I spend very little time outdoors in winter. I've even started filling the bird feeders indoors. It's a nuisance, but it can't be done with mittens on, or even gloves. I realized today that I've been procrastinating about juicing, something I'm usually pretty faithful about. I just don't want to handle the cold vegetables.

My Raynauds is comparatively mild. It only attacks my hands. I wear Bearpaw boots, similar to Uggs, as house slippers to keep my feet warm. Our winter is milder than the norm this year so I did quite well this year. Haven't really had to use the gloves I have in most pockets this year.

I had Raynaud’s from about 198X-2004. About age 5X to 69. Fingers. It did go away. I kept a log and still have most of that info. Every single event without exception occurred only after a period of inactivity like sleeping or reading in a chair or desk work etc. Never during or after an active period. This was regardless of the ambient temperature. One event I remember clearly: I sat and read for a couple hours then even while standing in the blast from our wall heater the fingers “went.”

When active and thoroughly warmed up I could hang a set of tractor-trailer snow chains bare handed. That would be in 30 degree weather not zero. Anybody would have to use mittens then, of course.

My then doc flat refused to give me any meds. I don’t remember why.

My sole source of info was a doctors column in the paper (Dr. Donohugh). The biggest boost I ever got was in a column where he said, “after about 7 years 60% … have had a remission.” That gave me much hope. It did end-(the Raynaud’s not the hope). I hope yours will too.

Mine is mild, no sores and doctor said not very much to do for it besides keep warm. Had no idea there were meds for it! I read up but evidently didn't read about the cases/symptoms described above. It is miserable and mine is less severe now, about five years after first episode. I have so many questions and would like to know where to read more if anyone has suggestions.

I don't get sores either. I was in a lot of pain tonight after routing through my freezer to see if I had what i was looking for. I thought how stupid I was to do that. I have to wear a sock on my foot at night and make sure my blanket is wrapped around my one foot, I have a heated mattress cover but it makes me too hot. I like a cold bedroom for sleeping but my hands are always under the blankets. My sister had given me a pair of lavender slippers that you heat up in the microwave but they are too heavy to wear so I just heat one up and keep it in the bed beside me. I also find now that I have the new furnace I am turning my heat up when my hands or feet get cold.

I really dislike taking medications but after a really painful Winter my Dr suggested taking A low dose of Amlodipine Besylate 5 mg during the cold months. It works great. The only time I had a problem since was taking a decongestant, Dr said no one with Reynauds should ever take a decongestant.

Lovemrm-

There may not be a whole lot of info to explore. My knowledge is some out of date but in ’87 I was recovering in an ER and discussed Raynaud’s with a doc who said there wasn’t that much known about it because it wasn’t all that widespread or important a problem. In other words other problems were more pressing and I suppose more lucrative for researchers.

It may be interesting; I had been in a boating fiasco and was in/out/in the water and by the time I got to the ER I was at the point of uncontrollable shaking. Inevitable body cooling was the next step. I missed that one :-). Anyway during all that my fingers were alternatively white and red and white and red. So it would seem the problem was coming and going regardless of my body core temperature.

I don’t care what the docs say my experience has convinced me it is not the body core temp or even the ambient temp that controls (initiates or prevents) the events but the body activity level. Many times during the course of that affliction I worked outside bare handed in cold weather with no problem after a vigorous exercise session. It’s a simple experiment to try and costs nothing.

I'm another one who has had remission. My sister has it bad, but I only had it several times for a few winters. I still remember that "banged under a boulder" feeling in the fingers when the warmth starts to come back! But I haven't had it now for over 15 years.

I can't fall asleep if my feet are cold, so I use a rubber hot water bottle all winter. I notice some people above mentioning that heated mattress pads etc are too warm -- What I like about a hot water bottle (or two, let me confess) is that I can put my feet right on it to start, and then by morning I'll have pushed it away into the corners of the bed.

Also, I thought I was using enough blankets, but then once put on an extra one, and discovered that I was more comfortable and slept better. My house is solely solar heated, in a cold but sunny climate, so my room goes down into the low 60sF all winter nights, or occasionally in the 50s.

I appreciate all the shared experiences. Like so many conditions, etc., I think there's too much individual variation for one single theory. My Raynaud's symptoms started when I was cross-country skiing. I was in my thirties, and it affected only my feet. I had no idea what it was, and thought I'd picked up an infection of some sort from my ski boots. X-country skiing is vigorous exercise. We all wore wool socks, and the rest of my family didn't have the problem.

Cherryfizz, I don't like a heated mattress cover either, but I love the one that covers only the foot area of the mattress. I've been using one similar to this (possibly the same one) for several years. I preheat it before getting into bed, and I turn it off before falling asleep. A couple of times during the worst of the brutal cold we had this winter I turned it on the lowest setting around 4 a.m. My bedroom is unheated, and my hands are always under the covers. Sometimes it takes a real act of will to get out of my cozy nest in the morning. :-)