Raynaud’s in feet only

[Sara J]

Is it important to get a formal diagnosis of whether or not you have Raynaud’s? I’ve had very cold feet all my life, all year round and usually chilblains during the winter but this winter it’s a first for no chilblains at all (so far) but this winter what is different is that the front half of my feet are like ice blocks by the end of the day every day and that vile looking yellow/white tissue colour then when I get in the bath of an evening they go purpley blue before going back to normal pink/flesh colour. Obviously the warmer bath is what causes that colour change but as I’m older a friend has advised a check as they said the lack of oxygen to the cells/tissue which is what is showing in the blue/purple discoloration needs to be kept an eye on. I wear walking socks up at the yard and elsewhere throughout the winter. Also have varicose veins in both legs which I’m guessing doesn’t help at all with circulation full stop!

[oldfogey]

I have raging arthritis and Raynauds is related – my feet are either like solid blocks, cold and painful or boiling hot and painful but don’t change colour that much though the left one still shows the injury that broke it forty years ago. My wife has been tested for Raynauds though she hardly needed it when her hands turn blue in the summer!

Get yourself tested and take some drugs! I have found also that gel insoles can help massively with this.. I wear these ones from EdunOnline which are great!

[sandra]

I have Raynauds – but only in my hands. My feet do get very cold in winter but I don’t suffer the white tissue colour followed by the pain and the blue black colour as they come back to life. I’ve never been formally diagnosed, mainly because the only treatment seems to be tablets which make the whole of your body hot and, as I’m in my fifties, I don’t fancy that! Also, I’m not sure I want circulation problems on my doctors records as that opens a whole host of other problems. I’ve suffered for about 10 years although it does seem to be getting worse as I get older. I just make sure I do everything to keep my hands as warm as possible at all times

[nelly]

I suffered terribly when playing netball in winter. I’d get to the 3rd quarter and I could barely catch the ball!! My hands are awful, more so than my feet. I don’t bother taking anything for it but ginkgo biloba is supposed to help symptoms.

I find my main difficulty is changing rugs/doing up buckles, I just about managed to put a bridle on the other day but it was tricky. I get the full on white fingers followed by the pain of it returning to normal.

[bella]

I have raynauds and when out in the cold, I have to keep on the move constantly, my hands turn totally white , then purple/yellow, and I’m all purple and white from the waist down The only thing that works for me is going for a run, and I calculated that it takes 1km of running to open up my circulation again, which is a drag every time it cuts off, but I have to warm up from the inside out or it doesn’t help. I actually scared myself last week as my legs looked “worse than someone on their death bed ” (according to my mother, who cares for very old and sick patients). When indoors, I just get in a hot bath or in bed with a heater, a glass of whisky helps immensely.