What is Raynaud’s phenomenon?
According to the Great Ormond Street Hospital’s website;
Raynaud’s phenomenon is a fairly common condition characterised by an exaggerated reaction to cold temperatures. It mainly affects the hands and feet but can also affect the nose, ears and lips. Raynaud’s phenomenon is named after the doctor who first described the condition.
Normally, our body copes with cold temperatures by narrowing the blood vessels to keep the blood in the core of the body where the major organs are located. Similarly, it deals with hot temperatures by dilating (widening) the blood vessels to allow blood to flow more easily to the skin so it can let off heat.
When someone has Raynaud’s phenomenon, their body reacts to the cold in a similar way by narrowing the blood vessels but overreacts and reduces blood flow in only mildly colder temperatures, such as running hands under cold water or holding a cold drink. Stress, by causing adrenaline release, can also cause exaggerated narrowing of the vessels.
In my experience, my hands, inparticular my middle fingers will react almost immediately to cold metal. I don’t always think about the things my hads touch that are cold like this, a car door, a shopping trolley, a tool, the doors at my work for example.
The reaction is fairly quick and I can normally feel the numbness starting to kick in as patches of the end of my fingers turn white.
This photo shows how white my fingers went after driving for 15 minutes in the winter, when it was about 1-3 celcius outside. I know, that’s nothing compared to some climates. I probably wouldn’t survive in winters in Scotalnd or Canada! Getting in my car, the door handle was cold and then the steering wheel, which alough is made of rubber, was also cold and because my car takes about 10-15 minutes to start blowing warm air my fingers reacted before I could keep them warm.
This happened several days in a row and it’s my own fault really as I just need to buy some decent gloves and put them on before I go out. Which leads me to my personal tips for avoiding and dealing with Raynauds.
Avoiding Raynauds
– Keep your extrremities warm with appropriate clothing, simple no?
Dealing with Raynauds
– If like me it hits your fingers, then swing your arm around in a circle like you’re playing guitar in The Who and force those blood vessels open. Works for me, plus it’s a good exercise for my AS! 🙂